While England already have one foot in the knockout round of Euro 2024 and can finish no lower than third in their group, they need to make their presence felt at a tournament that has seen optimism around them wither after two lacklustre games.
England need to avoid defeat in Cologne to guarantee progress and will definitely top the group with a win. If Denmark fail to beat Serbia in the other Group C match, England will qualify regardless of their result against Slovenia.
Supporters and pundits have levelled scathing criticism at Gareth Southgate’s England side after their 1-0 win over Serbia and anxious 1-1 draw with Denmark that saw fans boo them off the pitch before the players beat a hasty exit from Frankfurt Arena.
Southgate had some concerning post-game comments, pointing to the players’ conditioning after long and gruellingly seasons.
“We are not pressing well enough, with enough intensity,” he said. “We have limitations in how we can do that with the physical condition.
“We cannot press as high up the pitch as we might have done in the qualifiers, for example,” he added.
“And not keeping the ball well enough. It’s as simple as that. We have to keep the ball better and build with more control. Then we will be defending less and we’ll have more confidence.”
