Euro 2024

JAMIE O’HARA highlighted two changes to England’s starting 11 and insisted: “It isn’t rocket science.”Gareth Southgate played a 4-2-3-1 formation for the Three Lions’ opener with Jude Bellingham heading in the winner. Jamie O’Hara wants some big calls made by Gareth SouthgateCredit: The SunBut Bellingham operating as a No10 forced Phil Foden out to the left with Bukayo Saka on the right. Foden struggled to make an impact and ex-Tottenham defender O’Hara wants to see winger Anthony Gordon replace him against Denmark. He told Grosvenor Sport: “For me, you’ve got to start Anthony Gordon at left wing over Phil Foden. “Gordon has had a great season for Newcastle – he works hard, he’s direct and he makes things happen. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”He’s good enough for this level and I would drop Phil Foden for him – as mad as that sounds.” Gordon got 11 league goals for Newcastle last season and has made three senior England appearances. Southgate also made the bold decision to play Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield next to Declan Rice. But O’Hara argued: “Trent Alexander Arnold in the middle didn’t work, he’s not a midfielder. Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSEURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY”He’s a right back who can play inverted and drop into certain roles, we need to change that midfield up. Who do you play in there? “You could go for Conor Gallagher or Adam Wharton, there’s a few options there. Wyett ratings England v Serbia”You could put Kobbie Mainoo in there, but I think that’s a big step up for him. Trent gets caught on the ball too much. “I said this before the tournament, it isn’t rocket science, I’ve been a footballer and people know the game. “When you play in midfield, you get caught on the ball if you’re not playing in there week in week out. “It’s a completely different position to right back, the way you move, the way you see, the awareness you need to have and how you have to protect the ball in certain areas when you come under pressure – it is completely different.”O’Hara called for Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold to be droppedCredit: GettyO’Hara wants Anthony Gordon to replace Foden on the leftCredit: Rex More

THIS is the shocking moment a giant swarm of bees looking for a new home invaded a Euro 2024 stadium.Sharp-eyed officials spotted the swarm nesting near an LED advertising board just hours before Germany and Hungary clash in Stuttgart.Bees built a nest on the advertising board at the Stuttgart ArenaCredit: NewsflashThe pesky insects are not the first to disrupt the EurosCredit: NewsflashTrained firefighters were called to solve the situationCredit: NewsflashBut trained firefighters had to race to the Stuttgart Arena around 3pm Tuesday to tackle the swarm of bees.The honey-producing insects had built a nest inside an advertising board by the side of the pitch.Officers from Stuttgart’s fire brigade raced to the scene, wearing protective white suits, boots and masks.Pictures showed the firefighters in specialist bee-keeping equipment helping to transfer the swarm to temporary hives.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThey managed to remove the bees after an hour’s patient and delicate work and handed over to an experienced beekeeper, Bild reports.It was the second time the nectar-loving nuisances had set up home in the Stuttgart Arena in a month.A fire brigade spokesman said: “The digital advertising board had to be partly dismantled to get the bees out.”A member of the stadium’s technical staff supported us in our efforts.Most read in Euro 2024″The bees had to move house once again, just like they did in May when VfB Stuttgart played Bayern Munich.How hosts Germany look to return to their best for Euro 2024BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSEURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY”On that occasion a swarm of them arrived in the stadium.”Luckily no fixtures were scheduled for the Stuttgart Arena on the Tuesday.”At no time were players or spectators put in danger.”BBC pundits were attacked by hornets during the half-time break of England’s win over Serbia.Germany head into their second Euro 2024 group stage as the most in-form team of the tournament – but today’s opposition will not be easy.The hosts hammered Scotland 5-1 to lay down a marker to their rivals.Meanwhile, Hungary were beaten 3-1 by Switzerland in their very first match of the tournament.Germany showed ruthless all-out attack against Scotland with Jamal Musiala the star man.But Arsenal’s Kai Havertz also got a goal and assist to give him the perfect start to the tournament.Germany have failed to hit the same heights of their 2014 World Cup win in recent tournaments following a transitional period.But they look to have come out the other end of it with a fearsome mix of experience and prospect.Ex-Chelsea centre-back and two-time Champions League winner Antonio Rudiger at the heart of defence and former Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan in midfield.READ MORE SUN STORIESHungary have it all to do to pull of what would be a remarkable upset but their form heading into the Euros offered some hope.But if the opening match is anything to go by, Germany are in no mood to show mercy.Germany are in fine form heading into their second group stage matchCredit: GettyBBC and ITV’s Euro 2024 line up in fullHere’s how each channel will line-up:

BBC presenters:
Gary Lineker, Alex Scott, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman
ITV presenters:
Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods 
BBC pundits:
Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Rio Ferdinand, Ellen White, Frank Lampard, Ashley Williams, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Frank, David Moyes, Rachel Corsie and James McFadden
ITV pundits:
Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Karen Carney, Graeme Souness, Eni Aluko, Ange Postecoglou, Danny Rohl and Christina Unkel
BBC commentators:
Guy Mowbray, Robyn Cowen, Vicki Sparks, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower and Jonathan Pearce
ITV commentators:
Sam Matterface, Clive Tyldesley, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen and Joe Speight
BBC co-commentators:
Danny Murphy, Martin Keown, Jermaine Jenas and James McFadden
ITV co-commentators:
Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist and Andros Townsend More

CLIQUES that were commonplace in the England camp in tournaments gone by have been well and truly consigned to history.Players used to stick with those they knew best when with their country, usually from their club, as Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and others have often recounted over the years.Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrated together against SerbiaCredit: APJordan Pickford and Kieran Trippier are good palsCredit: GettyDeclan Rice and Ivan Toney have formed a close bondCredit: GettyGareth Southgate has worked hard during his eight years to transform all that – and now bromances that you perhaps would not expect are popping up all over the squad at Euro 2024.Declan Rice and Ivan Toney? They have never played together at club level and only a handful of times for England, but are thick as thieves.Lewis Dunk and Dean Henderson? They play for arch-rivals Brighton and Crystal Palace, but that has not stopped an unlikely alliance from forming.It underlines how Southgate has broken down those barriers which he likely experienced himself as a player.READ MORE ON ENGLANDRemember, he was a relative outsider in the Three Lions squad to those at big-four clubs, having represented Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough.Some friendships go way back and are being rekindled out here at England’s training camp in Blankenhain, eastern Germany.Phil Foden and Cole Palmer have relished spending time together again, having done so for years for Manchester City before Palmer was sold to Chelsea for £45million last summer.Foden, who edged out Palmer to win the Footballer of the Year award this season, revealed: “Me and Cole have been hanging out quite a lot when on camp.Most read in Euro 2024BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSCole Palmer and Phil Foden are close from their days together at Manchester CityCredit: PA“We’ve been going to the sauna and steam, playing a bit of padel.“He’s someone I know really well from club and is a close friend.Conor Gallagher on Marc Guehi bromance“I’ve been training with him for many years at City, I know his talent and how good he is and he can only get better.“He’s someone I can see having a big effect on the tournament when he gets his opportunity.”Padel is just one of a number of down-time sports available to help build dressing-room harmony, along with golf and table-tennis.NFL nuts Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon were chucking an American football to each other ahead of a light training session on Monday.Players up for the press conference have taken on the media at darts, as has been the case since Southgate took over (the press are currently leading 3-1).John Stones and Kieran Trippier gatecrashed Jordan Pickford’s presser to see how their good mate fared, finding it hilarious as he slumped to defeat against talkSPORT.Trippier and Pickford are often pictured together on England dutyCredit: RexTrippier, Pickford and John Stones have a good understanding on and off the pitchCredit: GettyThe trio play for City (Stones), Newcastle (Trippier) and Everton (Pickford), and even though they have represented England many times together, it still speaks to how buddying-up is happening irrespective of club loyalties.There was also enjoyment had from riding the £3,400 state-of-the-art e-bikes as part of Monday’s recovery session – even if Foden did reveal Bukayo Saka, who is popular with everyone in the squad, had some trouble with the gears!Like Foden and Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi also have a long-standing friendship and have been besties since they were little playing in the Chelsea academy.They won the Under-17 World Cup together in 2017 and had a season in the Palace team in 2021-22 when they both joined the South Londoners, Guehi permanently and Gallagher on loan.The current Blues midfielder said: “There’s a lot of great friendships in the squad.“I think a big part of enjoying training and enjoying every minute of this tournament is getting along with everyone and having a good time and being relaxed off the pitch so you can do your best on the pitch. Marc is a top guy, top player.”In our downtime, there is a lot of stuff to do. You have basketball, table tennis, darts. Mario Kart. I am spending a lot of time with Marc having day-to-day competitions. Whoever wins the most competitions in a day wins that day and gets a point. Right now, it is 3-2 to me.”We only had one game of Mario Kart and Marc beat me. My excuse is that he has got younger sisters so he has got to play with them. We play table tennis a lot and it is a lot easier. I think I have got the better of him in that but there are many days for Marc to come back.”Me and Marc go way back. We both joined Chelsea academy right at the start when we were seven or right and we played together at Swansea and Crystal Palace. Wherever I have gone he has followed me. He is a great friend of mine and a top player.”Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher were team-mates at Crystal PalaceCredit: GettyThe pair are clearly still good friends two years on from Gallagher’s Palace loanCredit: PAGuehi, 23, and Gallagher, 24, both featured in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Serbia, the former from the start and the latter off the bench.That game also highlighted how close Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham and Liverpool man Trent Alexander-Arnold have become.Bellingham celebrated his early winning goal with a routine with TAA where they both held their hands in front of their faces, in reference to a game England players have been playing for years called Werewolf.They were then snapped recreating the post in training on Monday by photographer-for-the-day Rice, who completed the Three Lions’ three-man midfield along with the duo against the Serbs.The kindred-spirit nature of Rice and Toney’s friendship meant they knew they would hit it off before they had even played together.Bellingham and Alexander-Arnold are another close pair in the England squadCredit: AlamyThey celebrated Bellingham’s goal against Serbia with a Werewolf moveCredit: GettyHow England rated vs Serbia… as Bellingham shines but TWO big names get 5s
JUDE BELLINGHAM was England’s head boy as Gareth Southgate’s side made a winning start in Germany.
The Real Madrid superstar oozed class throughout and broke the deadlock with only 13 minutes played thanks to an excellent header, dispatching Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.
But, despite the brilliant start, it was a nervy affair here in Gelsenkirchen.
Serbia exerted significant pressure in the second half, with a few narrow escapes for Southgate’s men.
Harry Kane barely had a kick and the Premier League’s player of the year Phil Foden struggled to have any influence on the left of the Three Lions’ front three.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated England’s stars… with TWO stars getting just a 5.

Rice and Toney have never been club team-mates but have become friends with EnglandCredit: GettyRice, sold by West Ham to Arsenal last summer for £105m, explained: “When I was at West Ham, he used to banter me on the pitch all the time.”Toney, 28, elaborated: “He would do a diag (diagonal crossfield pass) and, say it went out of play, I would say ‘good pass’.“We are kind of like the same people, (we have) the same interest.”Rice, 25, added: “The way we are, how he is, it’s the same type that I like to be. It’s easy.”Rice even went so far as to say that if there was one squad-member he had to spend a year with marooned on a desert island, it would definitely be Toney.He has introduced the Brentford striker to golf out here in Germany, while the pair have been playing Uno and are often the DJs in the dressing room.They are also part of a four-man, gym-bunny group that also includes Liverpool defender Joe Gomez and Ezri Konsa, of Aston Villa.One of the games the squad have been enjoying playing is who can handle the heat in the sauna for the longest.Toney has a strong reputation for it, but Gomez appears to be the king of the heat.Speaking on the FA’s Lions’ Den, Rice revealed: “Loads of the lads are in the sauna. This guy’s (Toney) mentality in the sauna is nuts.“He just keeps adding the water in and the steam just hits you. He’s just there, like that (arms folded, relaxed) and I’m like (sweating).”Toney added: “You’ve got to be the last man standing. To be fair, I got beat the other day. Joe is something else.“You have to have that competitive edge. I think everyone’s got it in the team. It’s enjoyable, even with the sauna. Last man standing. When there’s six or seven of us, it’s who crumbles first.“Obviously Ez (Eberechi Eze) is moaning all the time, he drops out, then it’s a little domino effect.”Fellow sauna enthusiast Palmer, 22, is also known to be very close to fellow youngster Kobbie Mainoo, 19.That is despite the pair growing up on the opposite sides of Manchester, with Palmer City and Mainoo United, underlining how club rivalries seem to count for nothing in this squad.Dunk made that exact point when explaining his friendship with Eagles stopper Henderson, 27.The Brighton captain, 32, said: “I’ve been getting on with Dean Henderson really well.READ MORE SUN STORIES“You just get comfortable with someone, easy to talk to, quite funny, a little bit stupid! No, he’s a good lad.”Neatly summing up what Southgate has created as England manager, Dunk added: “There’s no rivalries in this camp, I can tell you that.”
Bromances in England squad
CLIQUES that were commonplace in the England camp in tournaments gone by have been well and truly consigned to history.
Declan Rice and Ivan Toney? They have never played together at club level and only a handful of times for England, but are thick as thieves.
Lewis Dunk and Dean Henderson? They play for arch-rivals Brighton and Crystal Palace, but that has not stopped an unlikely alliance from forming.
Phil Foden and Cole Palmer have relished spending time together again, having done so for years for Manchester City before Palmer was sold to Chelsea for £45million last summer.
NFL nuts Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon were chucking an American football to each other ahead of a light training session on Monday.
John Stones and Kieran Trippier gatecrashed Jordan Pickford’s presser to see how their good mate fared, finding it hilarious as he slumped to defeat against talkSPORT.
Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi also have a long-standing friendship and have been besties since they were little playing in the Chelsea academy.
Jude Bellingham and Liverpool man Trent Alexander-Arnold have also become close – evident in the Werewolf celebration they performed against Serbia.

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TURKEY and Georgia fans brawled in a fan zone following the fiery Euro 2024 clash between the two nations yesterday.The two sides met at a sodden Signal Iduna Park in their Group F opener.A brawl broke out at a fan zone in PolandViolent scenes echoed what had happened in the standsBefore the match, fears were raised that kick-off could be delayed, with torrential rain falling and chaos descending in the stands.Supporters in certain areas of the ground found themselves drenched as water cannoned down from the roof.And in shocking scenes, fans of the two nations could be seen throwing punches and grappling as cops struggled to bring order.With just a thin rail dividing the two sets of supporters, things kicked off more than an hour before the game.READ MORE ON EURO 2024Eventually riot police restored order, with the game able to kick off at 2pm UK time as planned.That wasn’t the end of the day’s fighting, however, with supporters in Poland continuing the scrap.A fan zone in the Polish city of Gorzow Wielkopolski reportedly hosted supporters of both nations.In a video circulating on social media, the rival sets of fans could be seen fighting.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSSupporters clashed ahead of the game in DortmundCredit: ReutersPunches were thrown in the fiery bust-upCredit: ReutersRiot police were deployed to break things upCredit: AFPAs other supporters watched on from deck chairs, several fans became embroiled in the disturbing scene, with punches and kicks thrown.With nobody immediately on hand to break up the fight, tempers appeared to flare for around a minute before the brawl broke apart.Turkey vs Georgia Euro 2024 clash at risk of postponement as TWO waterfalls flood from roof and violence breaks outEURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANYOn the pitch, Turkey beat Georgia 3-1 in one of matchday one’s most exciting matches.Mert Muldur gave them the lead on 25 minutes, only for Metz star Georges Mikautadze to equalise shortly after the half hour mark.Real Madrid wonderkid Arda Guler restored Turkey’s lead with a stunning strike on 65 minutes.Deep into stoppage time Georgia threw everyone, including their goalkeeper, forward in hunt of an equaliser.And Kerem Akturkoglu made them pay, rolling the ball into an unguarded net in the 97th minute.Turkey will return to action on Saturday when they face Portugal, also in Dortmund.While on the same day, Georgia will take on the Czech Republic in Hamburg, with both sides looking to get off the mark. More