England’s Euro 2016 Review
England crashed out of the tournament with possibly their
worst performance in their history, losing to Iceland 2-1. Despite taking the
lead in the sixth minute they conceded 120 seconds later from a throw in
(Something in which they should have expected). 12 minutes later Iceland had
their second goal, they were allowed time to pass the ball around and
Sigthorsson’s shot was let in by Joe Hart. If the first half was poor the
second half seemed to get worse for England, they looked shell shocked,
clueless and lacked any ideas or creativity to break down the stubborn and
superb Icelandic defence.
The problem for England in this whole tournament was their
difficulty in trying to break down teams and their defensive lapses. Roy Hodgson
the England manager has to take a portion of the blame, when he was appointed
four years ago many people were on the fence about the decision. At the time,
many England supporters would have chosen Harry Redknapp his style of football
was much more creative and attractive.
During Hodgson’s first interview as England boss four years ago,
he said, “What I'll do is try to make sure the team is well prepared for the
challenge ahead. I'm really looking forward to it." Emphasis on the word
prepared. England thought that topping their group in France would be straightforward,
but there seemed to be no plan B at the tournament. 2-1 down to Iceland and the
England players looked utterly lost.
For all the possession and high attempts at goal England
ultimately failed at the Euros.
England’s long Road to redemption
Roy Hodgson resigning after the Iceland game was the right
thing to do but the manner in which he did it and his refusal to answer any
questions was baffling and to top it off his comment of “I don’t really know
what I’m doing here” summed up England’s performance in Monday’s game. However,
all is not lost although England are at an all-time low they can take careful
lessons for the nation’s other top sports such as Rugby and Cricket which have
thrived massively and moved on from disastrous times. There are three things
which England needs to do in order to get on the long road to redemption.
- Admit that they're not as good as they think they are
The Iceland game should prove as a point of humility. England needs to improve drastically and be
better. They're not at an Elite level.
2. Pick players on form and fitness regardless of the clubs
they play for. Carrying half fit players
because of past performances should be utterly scrapped.
3. Find a true sense of identity. Yes, England are looking
for a new manager but a new way of thinking and playing needs to be
implemented.
