‘Simply not good!’: European media are left unimpressed by Euro favourites England’s hard-fought 1-0 win over Serbia, as L’Equipe give one defender 3/10 and Mundo Deportivo say ‘Bellingham and little else’!
The England stars came in for sharp criticism from the European media after working to a 1-0 win over Serbia to start their Euro 2024 campaign.
There were whispers of a new golden generation taking part in the tournament, but this crop of hopefuls failed the eye test of Europe’s cynical scribes.
Jude Bellingham headed in a header after 13 minutes that unseated Gareth Southgate, but England later ceded chances to Serbia.
What did Europe have to say?
John Stones received a rating of 3/10 from the French sports newspaper L’Equipe for his performance.
Jude Bellingham was the toast of the European media, but they found little else to praise
John Stones received a match rating of 3/10 from the French sports newspaper L’Equipe
Per Mertesacker criticized in the German press a ‘very weak performance by the English’
They felt he was struggling from the first minute in his battle with striker Dusan Vlahovic and ‘his blunders multiplied’ throughout the match.
L’Equipe noted that his defeat to Iceland and his subsequent illness were factors that meant he was ‘not in the best of form’.
German exhaust BIL called Bellingham ‘the only one who stands out’ – despite England having a host of top stars, including Premier League and Champions League winners.
Per Mertesacker â current academy boss and former Arsenal defender â called it a ‘very poor performance from the English’, while Chris Kramer labeled it: ‘Just not good’.
BILD wrote that England will have to ‘step up their game’ if they want to lift the European Championship trophy on July 14.
There in Spain, Mundo Deportivo felt there was ‘Bellingham and little else’ to shout about for Southgate’s men.
In an underwhelming match against the national team, they wrote that England had fought through a ‘boring and very even game’ and believed England would have found it ‘difficult’ against stronger opponents.
They said Harry Kane was anonymous and while they praised Bellingham’s involvement, they also criticized him for going ‘too far in the field’.
Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo wrote that England were ‘boring’ and would have fought against stronger opponents
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka partly impressed L’Equipe, but were given a 6/10
Were there any positives?
L’Equipe liked what they saw from Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, praising ‘the quality of his set pieces, his precise crosses to the left and the precision of his passes’.
The Paris publishing titans were pleased with Saka’s assist and how he “executed a series of astonishing dribbles down his line” and praised his support for Kyle Walker, although they noted his influence faded in the second half.
Alexander-Arnold and Saka were both rated a six by L’Equipe, while Bellingham scored a seven – not bad considering their tendency to be extra tough.
Spanish newspaper MARCA were also more lenient in their assessment of England’s approach in the latter stages, thinking this signified England’s understanding that ‘in a short tournament it is more important to win than to convince’.