Slovakia are better than Iceland were at Euro 2016, here’s what Southgate must do for England to avoid another upset
I was in the England team the last time we played Slovakia at a major tournament.
The circumstances were very different. It was the last group game at Euro 2016 and a 0-0 draw was enough for us to get through to the knockouts.
Then we played Iceland and everyone knows what happened. Sunday’s game against Slovakia could present similar challenges and we don’t want a repeat of the result.
The most important job for Gareth Southgate and his coaches is a psychological one.
Because of the way the team has struggled in the group games against teams playing in a block, it is understandable players might feel concerned.
It’s human nature, that if you overthink things, you go into worst-case scenarios. Gareth and his backroom team will do all they can to not allow that to happen.
They need to focus on what it will take to win, not talking or thinking about what happens if we don’t win.
The Iceland game might be on a few players’ minds, especially those like Harry Kane, Kyle Walker and John Stones who were actually there.
But one of the main things Gareth has done well is build a culture and an environment that can manage situations like this, with leaders in the team.
Since Iceland, we have played in knockout games against teams we should beat and we have beaten them. This team know they can do it because they have done it before.
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It was different back in 2016. There was a lingering feeling from the years of the Golden Generation that had not won something when people thought they should.
The perception was a little bit, “These big players, do they really care? They don’t really play for England like they do for their clubs”.
At the 2014 World Cup we had gone out in the group stage. There was pressure on us going into Euro 2016.
Sometimes it felt like people were waiting for England to fail. But a lot of the time we did!
Under Gareth, we have broken that cycle. We don’t want to slip back into it, despite the negativity there is around the team at the moment.
The manager and his coaches need to strike a careful balance between highlighting Slovakia’s strengths and where they can hurt us, and emphasising that we are superior in most positions.
Slovakia are almost certainly better than Iceland were in 2016. They will have their chances in the game. But England are superior and I’m confident they can avoid a repeat of the Iceland game.
Looking at this current England team, back then we had similar struggles when we faced a team that just sat in a block.
There was no space to play between the lines. We had a lot of possession in front. We missed that final pass and final moment of quality.
But although there are similarities, the outcome should be different today.
England were a bit better against Slovenia at playing through the lines with speed.
There was a move towards the end where Anthony Gordon punched through the lines to Kobbie Mainoo and combined. We have to do that more.
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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.
If Luke Shaw is fit enough, I would like to see him get 60 minutes so he is ready if we get through.
I would like to see Declan Rice holding on his own, with Anthony Gordon playing wide left, Bukayo Saka on the right, with Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham in the middle.
But it seems the only change will be to start Mainoo. That in itself will make a difference.
He can be the player who makes that pass, or the one who receives it, and there were signs, in the second half against Slovenia, of a good understanding between him and Rice.
We will have to be patient to earn those opportunities to play the key pass. We have to move the ball side to side and make their lines shift across a little bit quicker.
Then, when the moment comes, go through, because we have the quality to do that.
If it doesn’t happen, with the success of the changes in the last game when Cole Palmer and Gordon came on, I’d have them ready earlier, maybe at half-time.
Gareth will be trying to highlight the progress they had in the last game.
This is about taking the next step. If you look at previous winners of the tournament, they weren’t always firing from the start.
We will have to peak at some point and hopefully that will be in the final.