The England national team managed to beat the Malta national team (2-0) in the 2024 European Cup qualifiers at Wembley stadium, England. The match against Malta is actually a formality for England because England has already received a ticket to qualify for the 2024 European Cup which will take place in Germany.
Competing teams in Group C such as Italy and Ukraine are finding it difficult to catch up with England’s points. Of the seven matches played in European Cup qualifying Group C, England managed to collect 19 points from 6 wins and 1 draw.
With this, England is 6 points from Italy in second place and Ukraine in third place. The team nicknamed “Three Lions” still maintains an unbeaten record in Group C qualifying matches.
England’s qualification for the European Cup could have an impact on two sides. The first side is about the role and influence of coach Gareth Southgate. The second side is about England’s golden opportunity to win the 2024 European Cup trophy.
Southgate is said to be a coach who has been around for a long time and has been successful in providing stable performance for the England national team at international level. From three international tournament events, the 2028 World Cup, 2020 European Cup and 2022 World Cup, the England national team was eliminated in a painful way.
At the 2018 World Cup, England lost to Croatia in the semifinals. In the 2024 European Cup, England lost in the final against Italy. And, in the 2022 World Cup, England lost to France in the quarter-finals.
At the 2020 European Cup, Buyako Saka failed to score from the penalty spot in the penalty shootout in the final. At that time, England failed to win, but still received sympathy because they performed very convincingly during the tournament, including achieving 100 wins by the end of the final.
Obviously, Southgate’s place remains safe. Southgate is said to be a figure who is able to put together an English national team consisting of star players from various clubs in the Premier League and several clubs from outside England.
In fact, it is not easy to create solidity for the England national team. Competition between clubs in England is sometimes one of the factors that creates competition between national team players in England. The effects of competition in the Premier League also carry over to the national team circle.
However, this was not so visible in the Southgate era. Each player seems to get along despite the rivalry that exists between the clubs the players play for. Apart from that, the challenges Southgate faces are relations with the media and the accumulation of quality players. It’s no longer a secret that the British media is known for its critical and “talkative” attitude in responding to the situation with the national team.
However, this was not so visible in the Southgate era. Even though Southgate failed to win trophies at two major tournaments, the British media did not strongly promote Southgate’s dismissal. In fact, there is an understanding attitude towards what is happening with the England national team.
Apart from the situation with the media, England is said to be a team with a surplus of star players. Southgate’s skill in managing the players and their respective egos has made the England national team’s game more solid and not as easy to lose as in the previous era of the coach.
The performance of the England national team is of course inseparable from the role and influence of Gareth Southgate. However, one thing that is clearest is that this role and influence gain more ground when accompanied by trophies.
Therefore, the 2024 European Cup could be the last opportunity for Southgate to prove his quality as England national team coach. Moreover, Southgate’s coaching career contract will end in 2024. The term of his contract will really depend on the England national team’s performance during the tournament.
Furthermore, English fans must have a level of patience, who do not want their team to appear solid but always fail to win trophies in a painful way. Looking at the performance of the England national team under Southgate’s coaching era, it is not an exaggeration to think that the 2024 European Cup is England’s golden opportunity to lift the trophy.
Several factors can confirm England’s chances of being favorites to emerge as champions. The first factor is the experience of Euro 2020, where England, who performed admirably throughout the tournament, entered the final, but lost on penalties to Italy.
That experience certainly still remains in the minds of the English players. Moreover, most of the squad that Southgate has trusted since the tournament is still in training. So, they have the same ambition and enthusiasm.
The second factor is the increasing quality of English players. The England national team has players who have stood out this season. Harry Kane, who moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, appeared very productive. Unmitigated, from the 11 matches that were dim
Apart from Kane, there is also Jude Bellingham who plays with Real Madrid. Bellingham, who plays as a central midfielder, has become the top scorer in Madrid and even in the Spanish La Liga. The young player performed convincingly during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Thanks to his performance and experience with Madrid, Bellingham could become one of Southgate’s mainstays in the European Cup.
Not to mention, players like Buyako Saka, Phil Foden, Jack Grealisih, Marcus Rashford and K. Trippier with the clubs they play for and which Southgate often involves with the England national team. In short, Southgate has a squad that he has formed since he coached the England U-21 national team until when he was contracted to coach the England national team in 2016. Generally, these players appear regularly with the clubs they play for.
However, Southgate also needs to be firm in choosing players. Not all players who appeared in his coaching era maintained the same performance. Some players started to decline, such as Jordan Henderson, who had a career in Qatar, and like it or not, Southgate had to replace them with more suitable players.
This was actually done by Southgate during the 2020 World Cup, where Southgate did not call Jadon Sancho because he was considered to be performing stagnant with Manchester United. The same thing could also be a consideration for Southgate in carefully assessing his players so that they can be included in the 2024 European Cup.
In general, the 2024 European Cup is an opportunity for the England national team to lift the trophy. Experience after experience from previous tournaments has taught England lessons on how to deal with failure and how to appear solid and convincing during the tournament.
ASL
