A team and a manager to be proud of says Collymore

When Ollie Watkins slammed home the last-minute winner for England against the Netherlands in the semi-final of Euro 2024, a nation cheered with him.

It’s the first time in history that a Three Lions side have reached a major final that hasn’t taken place in England, and it marks a new dawn for English football.

Though Gareth Southgate’s side are still to get over the line in a major tournament, he has shown the way, in terms of how to get the best out of a group of players.

Calm and measured but with a steely determination, Southgate has gone about his business with aplomb, and though England started slowly in the competition, they remain one of only two teams left standing.

The smart money will be on Spain to wipe the floor with England, however, it’s just 11 vs 11 and anyone can have an off day.

Even if England, ultimately, fail at the final hurdle again, Southgate can leave the post with his head held high.

“I really enjoyed England’s performance against the Netherlands. It was a lot more assured, a lot more assertive, a lot more aggressive. When the Dutch scored, there was always an element of ‘here we go again,’ but England got that slice of luck with the penalty. I’d be very disappointed if that was given against me as a player and I was very surprised that the referee’s original decision wasn’t upheld. Incredibly fortuitous,” Stan Collymore said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“After that I thought for pretty much the entirety of the match, 70 plus minutes, England were the better team.

“It shows how far we’ve come that the expectation in this tournament to date hadn’t been met, and for an England team to dominate possession of the ball against the Dutch is quite remarkable – and that may not get commented on as much as it should.

“It’s a massive vindication of the St George’s Park project, of English coaches and English coaching, and of the talent that we’re now producing.

England have a team to be proud of…


Source link : https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/07/11/collymore-england-squad-manager-proud/

Author : Jason Pettigrove

Publish date : 2024-07-11 14:32:38

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