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Have England Gone Backwards Since the Euros?

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England’s miserable form since their runner-up finish at the European Championship in 2021 continues, as they have been relegated from Group A of the UEFA Nations League. It means they will no longer play alongside the leading countries in the next edition of the tournament.

Their 1-0 defeat to Italy sealed the fate of the Three Lions. They are now without a win in six matches. It is their worst run of form in 20 years, with Euro 2020 now feeling like a distant memory for England fans.

In that run of six matches without success, Southgate’s side suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at home to Hungary back in June. Their performance was much better in their 3-3 draw with Germany in September, however, they were unable to take a victory in that game, despite leading 3-2 with just three minutes to go.

The visitors looked short of confidence at the San Siro in their latest fixture with Italy. They were up against a team who were on a poor run of form themselves and were without many key players. However, England was unable to find the back of the net against the hosts.

Concerns Ahead of the World Cup

The World Cup is the biggest international competition in the sport. It is likely to attract many viewers around the world, including in the US, where, according to a recent ExpressVPN infographic, soccer is among the top five most popular sports to stream. England goes into that competition in terrible form, and they will need to improve if they are to reach the latter stages of the tournament again.

At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, England made it through to the semi-finals. They were beaten by Croatia in extra time of that game. Southgate’s side eventually finished fourth as they lost to Belgium in the third-place play-off.

England showed that they had continued to improve at Euro 2020 as they made it through to the final. It was the first time they got through to a final of a major tournament since 1996. Unfortunately for the hosts, they lost on penalties to Italy.

The 1966 winners have been drawn in the same group as USA, Iran, and Wales in Qatar. They should be able to advance through to the knockout stages of the competition, but their form will have to get better when they take on some of the highest-ranked teams in the tournament.

gareth southgate

Pressure Remains on Gareth Southgate

Southgate was booed by a large portion of the away supporters at the San Siro following his side’s loss to Italy. The England head coach also did not get a good reception from the home fans on the back of their defeat to Hungary earlier this year. The pressure will be on Southgate at the World Cup to show his side’s form over the last 12 months has been just a blip.

In the second half of the game against Germany, he went for a more attacking approach and that helped his team score three goals. With the players he has at his disposal, pundits have been calling for Southgate to stop setting his team up so negatively.

Newly appointed Chelsea manager Graham Potter, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and Thomas Tuchel have been linked with the England job following Southgate’s poor run of form. Potter and Howe are considered two of the brightest English coaches in the Premier League today.

The World Cup is the chance for England the put the last six months behind them. If they can end 56 years of hurt, their recent results will easily be forgotten by fans of the Three Lions.