Gareth Southgate: England Must Improve Despite Slovakia Win

Gareth Southgate acknowledges that England “should be better than they have been” at Euro 2024, but their dramatic last-16 win over Slovakia has boosted their confidence. The Three Lions were on the verge of an early exit before Jude Bellingham’s spectacular overhead kick equalized in stoppage time and Harry Kane secured the win in extra time, setting up a quarter-final clash with Switzerland on Saturday. Southgate believes this victory will instill belief in the squad.

“We know we should be better, but we’ve had to adapt with many young players in key positions and solve problems throughout the camp,” he said. “The standout is the players’ togetherness and spirit.” England’s lackluster performance against Slovakia followed a similarly underwhelming group stage, despite progressing as group winners.  Southgate compared this to England’s slow starts in the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96, where they eventually reached the semi-finals.

“Everyone now looks back at Euro 96 differently. We were average against Switzerland and Scotland, and Spain should have beaten us. The 1990 World Cup was similar; you go through these moments in tournaments.” Southgate also praised their quarter-final opponents, Switzerland, who are ranked 19th in the world and eliminated holders Italy in the last round. “They’ve had consistency and their system is difficult to press. Their rotation is good, and once ahead, they are hard to break down. They are a very good side,” he noted.