England’s stars came in for razor-sharp criticism from the European media after they laboured to a 1-0 win over Serbia to begin their Euro 2024 campaign.
There had been whispers of a new golden generation coming into the tournament but this crop of hopefuls failed to pass the eye test for Europe’s cynical scribes.
Jude Bellingham thundered home a header after 13 minutes to spring Gareth Southgate out of his seat but England ceded chances to Serbia later on.
So, what did Europe have to say?
John Stones was slapped with a 3/10 rating by infamously harsh French sports newspaper L’Equipe for his performance.
Jude Bellingham was the toast of the European media – but they found little else to praise
‘Bellingham and little else’ was the assessment of Spanish outlet MARCA in the aftermath
‘WITHOUT ROARING WITH PLEASURE: Even if they succeeded in imposing themselves, the Three Lions delivered a disappointing performance overall, notably marked by a drop in intensity in the second half’ wrote L’Equipe
John Stones was handed a 3/10 match rating by French sports newspaper L’Equipe
They felt he struggled in his battle with striker Dusan Vlahovic from the first minute and ‘multiplied his blunders’ throughout the game.
L’Equipe noted that his knock against Iceland and his subsequent illness were factors in him being ‘not in the best form’.
They also handed Harry Kane a 5/10 for his subdued performance up top.
Joining him on that uninspiring rating were Phil Foden, Marc Guehi, and Kieran Trippier, while Jordan Pickford and Kyle Walker only got a 6/10 despite England’s clean sheet.
German outlet BILD singled out Bellingham as ‘the only one who stands out’ – despite England having a host of top stars, including Premier League and Champions League winners.
Per Mertesacker – Arsenal’s current academy boss and former defender – argued that it was a ‘very weak performance from the English’, while Chris Kramer branded it: ‘Simply not good’.
BILD wrote that England will have to ‘step up their game’ if they are to lift the European Championship trophy come July 14.
Over in Spain, both MARCA and Mundo Deportivo felt that there was ‘Bellingham and little else’ to shout about for Southgate’s men.
L’Equipe also gave 5/10 ratings to Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Marc Guehi and Kieran Trippier
Per Mertesacker slammed a ‘very weak performance from the English’ in the German press
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo wrote that England were ‘dull’ and would have struggled against stronger opponents
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka partly impressed L’Equipe but were given a 6/10
Gareth Southgate got the most out of Bellingham by deploying him in the number 10 role
None of England’s back five scored above a 6/10 with L’Equipe despite keeping a clean sheet
In a sweeping broadside against the national team, they wrote that England fought through a ‘dull and very even duel’ and believed England would have had a ‘tough time’ against stronger opponents.
Kane was anonymous in their view and while they praised Bellingham’s involvement, they also criticised him for going ‘too far down the field’.
Were there any positives?
L’Equipe liked what they saw from Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, lauding ‘the quality of his set pieces, his precise crosses for the left side, and the precision of his passes’.
The Parisian paper liked Saka’s assist and how he ‘carried out a series of astonishing dribbles along his line’ and praised his support for Kyle Walker, though they noted that his influence faded in the second half.
Alexander-Arnold and Saka both got a rating of six from L’Equipe, while Bellingham scored a seven – not bad considering their penchant for being extra-harsh.
MARCA were also more lenient in their assessment of England’s approach in the latter stages, thinking it signified England’s knowledge that ‘in a short tournament it is more important to win than to convince’.
