It is perhaps appropriate that England and France were placed in groups titled “C” and “D” at Euro 2024.
Because, now the preliminary phase is done for both teams and do-or-die bracket action awaits, those are the approximate grades the pre-tournament favorites deserve, probably veering toward the latter.
Even that might be overly kind. Somehow, against all expectations, a pair of squads with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to attacking talent, have overwhelmingly failed to fire.
Packed with superstars like Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Antoine Griezmann, Phil Foden, Ousmane Dembele, Bukayo Saka and N’Golo Kante, Les Blues and the Three Lions managed just four combined goals across the six games they have played in Germany.
“Obviously there is room for improvement,” France coach Didier Deschamps told reporters. “It is a new competition that is starting for us and it will start on [Monday].
“We will be ready for the round of 16. You cannot always read a competition just from the group stage. We deserve to be second (in our group).”
They did deserve to be second, behind a more enterprising and fluid Austria, who clinched Group D by beating the Netherlands, while Mbappé’s penalty was not enough to prevent a 1-1 draw against already-eliminated Poland. France now must deal with a half of the draw that also includes Portugal, Spain and host nation Germany.
Whether England deserved to be first in Group C is a point of contention, Gareth Southgate’s men distinctly unimpressive in all three games, and downright boring in Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia.
Jude Bellingham’s powerful header early in the opening match against Serbia seems a long time ago now, and the team has scored just once in four hours and 17 minutes of play since, a Harry Kane effort from close range against Denmark.
“I understand it,” Southgate said of the feeling of dissatisfaction being conveyed toward his tactics and his players’ performances. “I’m not going to back away from it. I understand the narrative towards me. That’s better for the team than it being towards them, but it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I’ve not seen any other team qualify and receive similar ([riticism].
“Slovenia defended well. We weren’t able to find the right pass. We’re improving. I didn’t think that with how everything that happened after the last game that would suddenly be free and liberated and stick four or five goals in. Football doesn’t work that way. But I saw progress. The goals will come.”
The question from supporters, pundits and perhaps even the players themselves in their quiet moments of introspection, is why they haven’t come already.
For France, not one of the team’s goals has come from open play, with the only scores being an Austria own goal and a Mbappe penalty kick, as opportunities went begging across the group stage;;
France’s combination play was poor, and it showed. Austria played them tough, not just in Mbappe receiving his now infamous and ultimately mask-enforcing broken nose. The Netherlands game was defensive in nature and against Poland, the 2022 World Cup runner-up couldn’t finish off a team with nothing but pride to paly for.
Deschamps’ squad has limitless quality, as evidenced by the trio of subs the coach made after an hour, bringing on Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Eduardo Camavinga.
Against Slovenia, England started Conor Gallagher in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold in central midfield, but yanked Gallagher for Kobbie Mainoo at half-time. Even then, the kind of fast-paced, aggressive attacking play expected before the event still failed to materialize.
Bellingham has been very quiet since his forceful display in the first game, while his connection with Foden has gone from disrupted to virtually non-existent.
The dismay from back home has been noisy but strangely a little less so after this third game, perhaps a sign that wearied England diehards have become resigned to this team being nowhere near as good as was advertised.
The positive for both teams is that they’ve been miserly at the other end.
The only goal let in by England was when Denmark’s Morten Hjulmand unleashed one from long range, and central defensive newcomer Marc Guehi has looked steady alongside John Stones.
France did not concede until near the end of its third game, a Robert Lewandowski penalty after Dayot Upamecano senselessly committed a foul in the area, to Deschamps’ clear dismay.
But dour draws and razor-thin wins wasn’t how anyone saw this going in the buildup.
So pronounced was Bellingham’s excellence during a dominant club campaign that saw him named La Liga player of the year, and so outstanding was Mbappé’s playing level at the last World Cup, that it was hard to see how their teams could be controlled.
They have been.
The supposed bullies of Euro 2024 have been meek rather than malevolent, each side scoring fewer times that already-departed Poland, Croatia and Albania.
If it doesn’t change, and quickly, France and England may soon join them through the exit door.
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