Our national team is a minor cast member on European stage, and militaristic jingoism is only damaging to ourselves“ACHTUNG! SURRENDER.” The Daily Mirror’s front page on the morning of England v Germany at Euro 96, the last big Wembley occasion a bit like the next big Wembley occasion, made a huge impression at the time.And not because it was particularly inane or stupid, although it was also those things, but because people liked it. It was (kind of) funny in canned-laughter sort of way. Mainly, it said all the things. Related: Lothar Matthäus: ‘We’re favourites if England v Germany goes to penalties’ | Ed Aarons Related: Denmark and rainbow-lit stadiums have shown the way forward on inclusion | Philip Lahm...
Some draw strength from excluding others, but that is wrong, and we have seen fine examples of togetherness at the EurosA European Championship always reflects the way we in Europe shape our lives together. Four things in particular have stood out to me so far in this tournament. On 12 June the continent felt close to a Danish football player. Christian Eriksen had to be resuscitated on the pitch. His teammates, who immediately formed a circle around him, intuitively knew how to stand by him in this stressful situation. It was palpable how much his privacy was worth to them and they protected his dignity in a difficult hour. It was an enormously moving event. Related: Rainbow stadiums: German football...
Jack Grealish made things happen, including the all-important goal, and so may have earned his place for the last-16 tieWith 67 minutes gone at Wembley, with the game starting to sag a little and stretch towards its slightly fretful end notes, Jack Grealish could be seen walking slowly, steeped in a sudden fug of melancholy, towards the far touchline. It was a walk with a touch of theatre, a degree of flounce.It would be wrong to read too much into it. Grealish flounces when he’s happy. He had, earlier, flounced all over the opening 20 minutes of this game, creating the opening goal and, together with the hugely impressive Bukayo Saka, reworking not just the trajectory, but the basic sense...
Arsenal youngster was everywhere against Czech Republic as Gareth Southgate’s side sealed top spot in Group DA curious thing happened on Tuesday night. England played a European Championship game at Wembley and it was – and I had to look this word up, so apologies if the meaning isn’t quite right – enjoyable. People sang and cheered. The national stadium, so often a theatre of irritations, felt happy and alive. England shuffled diffidently – and not without a few alarms – into the round of 16. And on a night when Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire made their returns, England’s leader on the field was a 19-year-old from west London with five caps to his name. Related: England beat Czech...
The throttle must be revved and talent expressed by Gareth Southgate, because it is also the way to winThere is an odd, rather overlooked detail about the recent progress of the England football team. Gareth Southgate has picked 10 different full-back combinations for England’s last 11 internationals. Yes, really. Ten!This has been a giddy two-year journey through James-Shaw, Walker-Trippier, Godfrey-Shaw, Alexander-Arnold-Trippier, Walker-Chilwell, Walker-Shaw, James-Chilwell, Walker-Trippier, Trippier-Chilwell, James-Saka, and James-Maitland Niles. It is a tale of faff, vacillation (and unavailability) that has culminated in the baffling gambit of selecting four different full-backs for the opening two group games of Euro 2020. One question presents itself: why? Related: Raheem Sterling shuts out the noise and takes positives from Southgate | David Hytner...