9 big strikers! England's Euro squad is top-heavy Brazil forgot the lessons of the past

Snow Wolf Kanball

2024-06-07 13:52Posted in Guangdong sports creators

In the early morning of June 7, Beijing time, the England team announced the 26-man squad for the 2024 European Championship in Germany. Harry Maguire, Grealish and other famous players were unexpectedly defeated. Even so, Southgate still has a total of nine strikers selected in this list, which can be called top-heavy.

England have Harry Kane, the best centre-forward in world football, and this time, he has no worries about helping. The likes of Bowen, Eze, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Tony and Watkins were all selected, and it is worth mentioning that although Bellingham is a midfielder, it is normal for him to be included in the striker ranks this time considering he has scored 23 goals for Real Madrid this season. It is estimated that in the European Championship, Bellingham will be very forward, and can even form a double center forward with Kane if necessary.

Compared with the talent in the front line, the England team only has five players in the midfield: Rice, Gallagher, Menou, Arnold and Adam Wharton, among them, Arnold is still a defender, and the 20-year-old Adam Wharton and 19-year-old Menou are both playing for senior England for the first time in international competitions, and it is more appropriate to feel the atmosphere of the tournament.

At the back, Gareth Southgate dropped the experienced veteran Harry Maguire due to an injury that almost certain he would miss out on the group stage. In this case, Southgate chose to cut his love. But looking at the eight players at the back, the 33-year-old Manchester City captain Walker and Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier are reassuring, Alexander-Arnold plays in midfield because he can't provide reliable defense at right-back. Luke Shaw and John Stones have been hampered by injuries this season and have not played much. Konsa has only played three warm-up games for England before. As for the 32-year-old, Dunk has only played a few warm-up games for England before.

There is a lot of talent up front, with few midfielders and few reliable people at the back. Southgate's selection of this squad will inevitably make people sweat for the Three Lions. In fact, before that, there was already one team that became the opposite example, and that was Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

On that occasion, then-Brazil coach Tite also called up a full nine forwards in the 26-man squad. As a result, although Brazil easily qualified for the group stage, they only scored three goals. In the quarterfinals, Brazil defeated South Korea 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. However, it was also their last moment in Qatar. In the quarterfinals against Croatia, although Neymar scored the first goal in extra time, the Croatian team not only managed to tie the score, but also won 4-2 in a brutal penalty shootout to advance to the last four. Brazil, who had 21 shots on goal in 120 minutes, had to go home.

In fact, in a tournament like this, defense is always the most important. In the 98 World Cup, the host French team finally won the cup with its impregnable defense. In the last European Cup, the Italian team, which was not too good, finally won the Delaunay Cup with the outstanding performance of the two old defenders Bonucci and Chiellini and the brilliance of the striker. Southgate's somewhat desperate approach makes it difficult to look forward to an otherwise star-studded England team.

View original image 53K

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•