GARETH SOUTHGATE has the best players in the Premier League, the Bundesliga and La Liga at his disposal.
And yet England still couldn’t defeat a team ranked 57th in the world.
At the moment the Three Lions boss is a reverse alchemist, turning gold into base metal.
They may be through to the knock-out stages but this England side are frustrating an entire nation after another dismal Group C draw.
We thought it couldn’t get much worse than the 1-1 draw with Denmark last Thursday but this was another performance to have you tearing you hair out and swearing at the telly.
How can a side which possesses Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden be as bad as this?
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Slovenia are not very good and were never going to outplay England as the Danes had done.
But despite dominating possession, England barely ever looked like scoring.
Bellingham was anonymous for a second successive game, Foden flattered to deceive and Kane again lacked peak sharpness.
Aside from a barnstorming individual display from Declan Rice, there was nothing to get excited about.
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Nothing to whet the appetite for the knock-out stages, nothing to instil confidence that they can progress much further.
England have won just two of their last eight games and are in a right old two and eight.
This victory means England cannot play any of Germany, France, Spain or Portugal before the final, with those best four teams in this tournament all on the other half of the draw.
England could play any number of third-placed teams in the last 16 – including Holland – in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.
But it’s difficult to make England favourites against anyone in this tournament right now.
They have strung together five poor halves of football since a decent opening Serbia.
As expected, Southgate gave up on Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield as a bad job, bringing in Conor Gallagher in a move which hardly got the nation’s pulses throbbing.
And Gallagher was duly dragged off at half-time after a shocking display.
Rice’s bold pre-match talk of England pressing hard and fast and ‘in your faces’ probably hadn’t accounted for such stifling hot weather even with a 9pm local kick-off time.
Slovenia were unchanged after two decent draws and were certainly no easy meat.
But England started off as scruffily – long balls from Pickford, losing possession easily and conceding the first real chance to Benjamin Sesko who headed straight at the England keeper.
Kieran Trippier was booked early on as England struggled to gain control.
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Foden was being given far more licence to roam, while Jude Bellingham tended to hang wide on the left.
Just as England began to get their passing game going, they thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half.
Rice, who had certainly shaken off the effects of his poor display against the Danes, picked a cunning pass to Foden, who was offside before he squared for Buyako Saka to tap in.
Of England’s midfield three, Gallagher was terrible, Bellingham was so frustrated at his lack of influence that he ended up kicking an ad hoarding, but Rice was sensational.
The Arsenal man had talked a good game on the eve of the match – all gung-ho and ‘up and at ’em – and he was playing the same game, winning the ball high up the pitch and at the centre of England’s best work.
Kane, who was livelier than in the previous two games, had a shot on target and then Foden’s curling 30-yard free-kick was comfortably saved by Jan Oblak.
After John Stones had played a positive pass, Trippier’s dangerous cross was missed by Gallagher, with his head, and Kane, with his feet.
There was more booing at half-time but at least England were showing more desire than as against the Danes.
At half-time, Southgate bowed to the inevitable and replaced Gallagher with Mainoo.
England player ratings: Southgate’s Gallagher experiment fails miserably vs Slovenia
ENGLAND served up another underwhelming performance – but still managed to top Group C.
England dominated the ball, but Southgate will have plenty of questions to answer after a third straight display that lacked inspiration.
SunSport’s Tom Barclay has given his ratings of the England players.
Jordan Pickford – 6
Largely a spectator due to England’s dominance on the ball. Asked the touchline what the Denmark score was during one break in the second half.
Kieran Trippier – 6
The one positive of having a right-footed player playing left-back is that he can dispatch in-swinging crosses, and one such one should have been headed home by Conor Gallagher before the break.
Marc Guehi – 7
Cruyff turn early doors showed his confidence from excellent displays against Serbia and Denmark, and barring one loose pass was good again.
John Stones – 6
One of many to miss his target with his passing. He wasn’t bad but, like others, way off what he has produced for his club.
Kyle Walker – 5
Played so safe, rarely looked to get forward. Was lucky at one point that Pickford was alive to his blast of a pass-back. Sliced cross after break summed up his off-night.
Conor Gallagher – 4
Got the nod after the Trent Alexander-Arnold midfield experiment ended, but was poor, particularly, in possession and replaced at half-time by Kobbie Mainoo.
Declan Rice – 7
Had promised an “in your face” performance from his team, but he was really the only one to produce it. Very good out of possession, much better than against Denmark.
Phil Foden – 7
Liveliest of England’s attacking four by a mile and went close with a stinging free-kick. Booked for dissent, summing up England’s frustration.
Jude Bellingham – 5
Cut a very frustrated figure as he and Harry Kane got in each other’s way at times, while he was often shunted wide left as Phil Foden moved into the middle.
Bukayo Saka – 6
Tapped home on 20 minutes, but it was ruled out for offside in the build-up. OK but once again subbed after the break, perhaps due to fitness concerns.
Harry Kane – 6
Insists he is 100 per cent fit and maybe he is. What is 100 per cent certain is that he has been nowhere near as effective in this tournament as he usually is for England, albeit he was marginally better here.
Substitutes
Kobbie Mainoo (for Gallagher at half-time) – 7
Made a difference when coming on, making England much more positive in their play. So much more confident with his touch than Gallagher.
Cole Palmer (for Bukayo Saka on 71) – 7
Finally made an appearance at this tournament and one clever ball through for Mainoo showed what he can do.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (for Kieran Trippier on 84) – 6
Came on for the final few minutes at right-back, with Walker going to left-back.
Anthony Gordon (for Phil Foden on 88) – 6
Like Palmer, first minutes at the Euros, but too late to make an impact.
The Chelsea man is an honest worker but not an international footballer.
England began to dictate play in the second half, pinning back the Slovenians, winning corners but never quite finding the final ball.
When Slovenia broke, Stones and Guehi got in a terrible tangle and the latter was booked for hauling down Andraz Sporar.
With 20 minutes to go, Cole Palmer replaced Saka for his first involvement in the tournament
Kane was dragged down by Jaka Bijol after turning the centre-half near the edge of the box but Foden wasted the free-kick.
It was harsh to hook Gallagher at half-time… but Mainoo showed he’s the answer, says Jack Wilshere
KOBBIE MAINOO was always my preference to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold in England’s midfield, writes Jack Wilshere.
I think he showed why in the second half against Slovenia.
But I still feel that it was harsh on Conor Gallagher that he was taken off at half time.
Firstly because it was probably our best half of the tournament.
And secondly, because it didn’t feel like a Gareth Southgate thing to do.
It will knock Gallagher’s confidence for sure.
He will have thought that this was his chance, but he only gets a half.
Having said that, despite the disappointing result, the second half was better and Mainoo proved he is the man – or boy – to play there in future.
Read Jack Wilshere’s post-match verdict in full.
Or check out all of Jack’s Euro 2024 columns.
Then Rice took matters into his own hands, surged into the box but blazed wide.
After one swift late interchange Kane fed Palmer but the Chelsea man drove his shot straight at Oblak.
It had been every bit as bad as the Denmark game, as bad as other tournament bore draws against Scotland, the United States, Algeria and Costa Rica.
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Yes, England are through. Yes, the draw looks inviting.
But how is it possible to feel any positivity after sitting through this?
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
