60 years of hurt. The wait for England to win a major tournament continues. And in all too familiar style.
Echoes of West Ham at their finest as we dropped deeper and deeper, inviting pressure on before finally capitulating. Gareth Southgate got pilloried for it, but what, when it matters has changed since he departed?Don’t get me wrong - being at the business end of major tournaments is far better than exiting early or not qualifying at all, but the heightened expectations bring their own unique style of pain.
Having to endure the ‘every two years’ brigade excitedly and insanely chirp it’s coming home is bad enough, the following days dissection of events even more excruciatingly painful, so much so you yearn for the breakdown of Love Island you usually hear.
Well, for a day, at least.
Tuchel was brought in to finish what Southgate started. Get us over the line against tough opposition. Not shut up shop and limp home. But in all honesty his debut was so similar to what preceded him it was spooky.
From a squad that looked unbalanced to mere glimpses of genius, stuttering progress before a forlorn failed rearguard attempt to defend a slim lead. Same old, just with a boss who was supposed to be progressive.
So what now for England? We just win the next major tournament. So there’s added pressure. Though age appears to be less of a factor in modern football, Harry Kane will be 34 by the time of Euro 2028.
Will we see enough of a change in mentality? Is that elusive player who can augment the undeniable talents of Bellingham and can unlock tightly packed defensive minded teams emerge? Will we ever see a completely fit full back pairing?
But crucially, will we see the requisite three West Han players to actually get us to glory?
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