08 June 2024 , 13:42
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It is fair to say that England’s final friendly before Euro 2024 did not go entirely to plan.
What was supposed to be a triumphant send-off as the Three Lions make the trip to Germany turned into a morale-sapping defeat as Iceland produced an excellent display to win 1-0 at Wembley.
Not only did the result, and England’s performance, conjure up memories of 2016’s infamous Euros defeat to the same opposition that were best left forgotten, but it also posed more questions than answers for Gareth Southgate.
The England boss will have had plenty to ponder as he watched his team booed by the few fans at Wembley that had endured until the final whistle, particularly as he had earlier swung the axe on some of the more established players in the post-season training camp when naming his final 26-man squad for the tournament.
England will welcome back Jude Bellingham for the Euros, with the Real Madrid superstar having been rested for the pre-tournament friendlies after winning the Champions League, and he will surely start the opening game against Serbia following Phil Foden ’s underperformance through the middle against Iceland.
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Foden seemed strangely muted against Iceland as he struggled to recreate the sort of form that won him the Premier League Player of the Year award with Man City.
Southgate must now consider whether to start Foden on the wing, with the England boss having a wealth of attacking talent to choose from - but he did not seem too concerned about the below-par display.
He told Channel 4 : “It's been a strange preparation, in that we're having to get players off after an hour at a time where you really [ought to be] pushing to turn the result around. We've been able to look at people, we've been able to learn about the balance of the team, and of course it's not perfect.
“But I've been involved in a lot of these last matches going into a tournament as a player as well, and almost inevitably players have one eye on what's coming a little bit, in terms of some of the early challenges. So no excuses on the result, we're better than that, but I think there are a lot of things we can put right quickly.ook at people, we've been able to learn about the balance of the team, and of course it's not perfect.”
Southgate has other decisions to mull over, such as who to play alongside Declan Rice in midfield and how to bolster a defence shorn of injured Harry Maguire.
So, how would you line up against Serbia? Use our widget above to select your team and sign up to our England newsletter, bringing you all the latest on the Three Lions from the Euros and beyond.