England can't keep getting away with it. (And it probably won't.)
We’re now four games into England’s run through Euro 2024.
Four games, including a near-defeat against Slovakia in Sunday’s Round of 16 matchup, if not for Jude Bellingham’s and Harry Kane’s miraculous heroics. In case it isn’t clear already, that is plenty of a sample size to make this firm declaration:
I don’t think the Three Lions possess enough spark to win the second-most prestigious men’s soccer tournament in the world. What a shocker, I know.
In tournaments like this, star power can occasionally be enough to lift otherwise uninspiring teams. With players like Bellingham and Kane in tow, among others, arguably no team left in the Euros has as much star power as England. However, cohesive team play with a real flare always comes above sheer talent. It just does. There’s a reason Bellingham’s and Kane’s goals were England’s only two shots on target (!) over 120-plus minutes of game time.
If the most talented teams simply won every tournament, England would have already won another World Cup or its first Euros a long, long time ago.
And I’m not entirely sure the English have enough of that flare, even if they can still pull wins out of their you-know-what:
ENGLAND SURVIVES
Slovakia is eliminated
pic.twitter.com/JfwlORIpjB
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 30, 2024
England will play Switzerland in the quarterfinals next Saturday. At the time of this writing, oddsmakers have not yet released their expectations for the matchup, but I imagine the English will be favored because of the roster they have on paper. I, personally, would tread lightly on that front after seeing how the impeccably experienced Swiss took Italy apart in their Round of 16 duel.
In fact, I probably wouldn’t favor England at all. Why?
Switzerland actually seems to channel cohesive team play combined with the requisite flare necessary to win it all:
ANOTHER FOR SWITZERLAND
Switzerland now holds a 2-0 lead over the defending champs in the second half
pic.twitter.com/4fvhW4HKss
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 29, 2024
England remains alive at Euro 2024. It has the “easier” side of the remaining bracket, too. Expecting it to keep this magic carpet ride going purely on the uncanny ability of Bellingham and Kane to play heroes would be foolish.
