England into the quarter-finals: Bellingham's savior and Southgate's incompetence

The team has some outstanding talent who always shine, especially Jude Bellingham, but no specific tactical plan to win.

From 90+5 to 91, crazy minutes

In the 5th minute of injury time, the score was still 1-0 in favor of Slovakia and the match was only a matter of seconds. England's hopes of advancing gradually faded. In the stands of Gelsenkirchen, a few frustrated Three Lions fans stood up and left.

The Football Association's communications staff probably had the national team head coach's farewell announcement in mind.

And then there was light at the end of the tunnel. From the right wing, Kyle Walker took a powerful throw-in into the box. It was a desperate approach to goal, not a particularly attacking one.

Marc Guehi, a centre-back, was naturally in the opposition penalty area at this point, jumping high to head the ball back in the faint hope that it would find a teammate, not with any intention.

But, indeed, in the dense forest of blue Slovakian shirts in the penalty area, the ball fell right into an empty space near a player in white. In that situation, the ball was high up, the space was extremely narrow and with his back to the goal, leaning down to hook the ball was almost the only possible option.

Tuyển Anh vào tứ kết: Cứu tinh Bellingham và sự vô năng của Southgate - 1 — England beat Slovakia after a thrilling match in the round of 16 (Photo: UEFA).

However, it should be emphasized that not everyone who leans down will hit the ball. This is one of the most difficult finishing techniques, and only high-level players can perform this technique proficiently.

And luck came once again for England when the "chosen one" to finish that almost desperate move was their biggest hope: Jude Bellingham. Real Madrid's number one star, the leading candidate for this year's Ballon d'Or, did not miss that almost last chance for the Three Lions.

As gentle and graceful as he always played, Bellingham leaned down and hooked the ball dangerously, not giving the opposing goalkeeper a chance to block it.

The score was level at 1-1 and the two teams entered extra time. Just 50 seconds into extra time, Harry Kane headed home to put England 2-1 up, the final score of the match.

It was still a volatile aerial battle situation that relied heavily on luck and individual moments of brilliance. The British breathed a sigh of relief, but the worries and even frustration remained.

Bellingham's savior and Southgate's disappointment

No need to wait for the Euro 2024 finals, last season in Real Madrid's colors, Bellingham often played the role of savior with moments of brilliance in the last minute. He scored against Barcelona, Getafe and Union Berlin.

Bellingham's goal against Slovakia was not a precedent for the Three Lions. He scored the equalizer for England in a 2-2 draw against Belgium at Wembley on March 26, also in the 90+5 minute.

Tuyển Anh vào tứ kết: Cứu tinh Bellingham và sự vô năng của Southgate - 2 — Coach Gareth Southgate caused great disappointment in his tactical application (Photo: UEFA).

After the match, Southgate was full of praise for his student: "With his personality, Jude never gives up and has the ability to create moments that change the game." And Southgate is not only about Bellingham.

The England coach currently has the best squad in the Euros. The English coach has Harry Kane, Bayern Munich's main striker; Phil Foden, the best player in the Premier League last season; Bukayo Saka, the explosive striker, and Declan Rice, the backbone of Arsenal's midfield...

That squad had the class and desire to pull England back from the brink of defeat against Slovakia on their own. Some believe the stars helped the Three Lions pull off a stunning comeback without the help of their head coach.

Others imagine the players winning because of the head coach, or a very few even believe that Bellingham and his teammates shine thanks to coach Gareth Southgate.

Of course, football is all about results. England, under Southgate, are in the quarter-finals of the Euros once again. No big team is wasting time wondering whether the win was deserved, or what it says about the team. There is the next game, the next round and the next opponent to overcome. This time it is Switzerland.

The bottom line is that if England continue to play like this, they will be eliminated. Slovakia are no match for Switzerland in terms of skill, and they are just a minute away from beating England.

Tuyển Anh vào tứ kết: Cứu tinh Bellingham và sự vô năng của Southgate - 3 — Bellingham (left) once again became the savior of the England team (Photo: UEFA).

And to escape defeat, the Three Lions had to produce one of the most spectacular goals in Euro history. Manager Gareth Southgate must now ask himself serious questions about his team's formation. Take away the bright moments against Slovakia, and England are left with only confusion.

Statistics show that Bellingham's masterpiece was England's first shot on target against Slovakia. Before the 90+5 minute, Gareth Southgate's team struggled to find a way to break through the opponent's defense. The Three Lions struggled so much that they almost conceded a second goal after an extremely silly coordination between Kyle Walker and John Stones.

Questions that need answers for England

Not all impressive performances show up on the scoresheet. Bellingham and Kane have been England's saviours, but Saka should also be mentioned as a special case.

It would have been easy for Southgate to listen to outside advice and replace Saka with Cole Palmer. However, the manager has been adamant or conservative in keeping the Arsenal star on the pitch. His faith is well-placed.

Saka responded not with a performance that showed why Palmer had been benched for him, as the Chelsea player still impressed when coming on as a substitute, but with a performance that showed why he was selected by Southgate.

Tuyển Anh vào tứ kết: Cứu tinh Bellingham và sự vô năng của Southgate - 4 — Many challenges await the England team at Euro 2024 (Photo: UEFA).

During the two hours, Saka went through three positions, right forward, left back and right back. No one wants to be rotated that much, especially a star player, but Saka accepted and continued to contribute.

Saka’s case reflects the biggest problem for England. Coach Southgate has at his disposal the best quality players in the tournament and has shown great will and determination. However, this strategist does not know how to arrange the squad appropriately.

The same is true for the positions of Kane, Bellingham or Foden... The problem becomes even more complicated when in the match against Switzerland, central defender Marc Guehi is absent due to suspension.

Will Southgate find a place for Palmer? And if so, who should make way? Bellingham’s goal and Saka’s versatility have impressed, and despite a difficult spell of form, Phil Foden has been the Three Lions’ leading attacker at the tournament.

The problem is how to combine these stars? In midfield, Rice and Kobbie Mainoo are not the perfect pairing.

Many questions are being asked and need immediate answers. Whether Southgate can solve them or not is another matter. So far, despite England reaching the quarter-finals, the strategist has only shown incompetence.