Harry Kane has strongly denied the rumours that he had to call an emergency meeting with his players after their dismal showing against Denmark at the Euros.
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Meanwhile, England’s showing against the Danes may be described as catatonic at times, despite the skipper himself giving them the lead in the game 18 minutes into the first half.
While much was made post-match of the uneven playing surface in Frankfurt, this did seem to play a factor as many of the Three Lions’ midfield passes were sent wayward as they struggled to maintain their footing.
Even the goal itself came from a deflected Bellingham pass that slowed up to reach Kane when the same pass on a different surface might have skidded out of reach.
The Captain himself gave the ball away 10 minutes before the break, with Hjulmand taking full advantage and thrashing an equaliser home from 25 yards.
From then on, England were simply not good enough as they failed to convert any further chances.
The display has been roundly criticised with reports soon emerging of an emergency meeting being called by Kane.
This created a hotbed of misinformation and speculation, like we saw with the Cristiano Ronaldo armband fiasco at the last Euros.
Harry Kane clarified the situation, emphasising the routine nature of the team’s post-match activities.
According to Kane via talkSPORT, no such meeting took place and he had no idea where the rumour had originated.
He went on to explain that the players had a typical debrief with Gareth Southgate before being given a family day where they were allowed to spend seven hours with loved ones.
Kane also mentioned that it was an important day for the players to just switch their minds off after what has been a gruelling tournament already after just two games.
With constant pressure of expectation from the media and fans, the squad is likely to be feeling the heat as outlet after outlet has criticised how disjointed the team has seemed at times.
Facing the added expectations of the English fans, who are well-known to expect nothing less than a trophy in every major cup (to the mirth of many foreign fans), the squad will have to show a marked improvement in their next encounter.
That game will be against Slovenia on Tuesday, June 25.
Given the constant noise, social media attention, and stories surrounding their every move, it’s no surprise that misguided rumours seem to be pervading it all too.
With the likes of Bellingham, Kane, and Foden bearing the brunt of fan expectation, the star-studded team will have their work cut out for them to improve sentiment.
Despite the first two games resulting in a hard-fought and somewhat lucky win against a gritty Serbian side and now a draw with Denmark, nothing less than a win will be needed for the team to move into the next phase with their tails up.
Still favourites to progress as group leaders, it’s the performance of the team that most fans want to see improve.
With the reputation of many of their star players haunting them so far, most fans are waiting to see them produce the kind of displays they are known for at club level.
Either way, the Euros has so far proven to be an exciting tournament, with terrific goal numbers adding to all the fanfare.
However, with the likes of Germany and others looking in fine form, England certainly needs to improve if they are to get anywhere close to claiming their first Euros title.
For gambling enthusiasts, now might be the time to try out online casinos rather than suffer the ignominy of any more upsets in the Euros.
Despite England’s appearance in the Euro 2020 final, this time around the going seems a lot tougher.
Photo by Peter Glaser on Unsplash
