England Hold on to Beat Serbia in First Game of Euro 2024
It wasn’t easy by any means, but the Three Lions came away with three points in their first game at Euro 2024, defeating Serbia 1-0. The lone goal came from Jude Bellingham off of a deflected Bukayo Saka cross that the Real Madrid midfielder headed home. England had a few chances to extend the lead, most memorably through a Harry Kane header that was saved, but ended up spending a lot of the second half defending their lone goal. Ultimately, their effort was successful, albeit unconvincing compared to the starts that other contenders like Germany and Italy got off to.
Every tournament much is made of England manager Gareth Southgate’s lineup selection, and today was no different. A few eyebrows were raised at the selections of Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield in particular. One of the best pure strikers of the football in the world, Alexander Arnold plays right back for Liverpool but has long been believed to have the talent to work as a midfielder. That is where he was deployed against Serbia, and he looked like a player who lacked midfield experience. That’s not to say he won’t improve with time, but when juxtaposed with world-class midfield partners in Bellingham and Declan Rice, it seemed obvious that Alexander-Arnold was not that kind of player. It became even more obvious when Conor Gallagher was substituted in for Alexander-Arnold and immediately looked more comfortable in the middle of the park, having played there his entire career. Alexander-Arnold is too talented not to play for England, but where he is deployed will be something to watch going forward.
The Man of the Match, for me, was Jude Bellingham. In recent years at major tournaments, Harry Kane has stood out as England’s best player when you watch them game by game. Today, Bellingham took up that mantle. He looked like a player who had just spent a season winning La Liga Player of the Season at Real Madrid and winning a Champions League. More composed, and seemingly more aware that he was the best player on the pitch. Bellingham was not shy about his abilities in this game, and he was right to be that way. He was fouled constantly by a Serbia team that could not keep up with him. He played eye-catching and soothing long passes. Bellingham did my personal favorite thing midfielders can do which is make dead-sprint late runs into the box to get on the end of a cross to score a goal. He is worth every bit of the hype. I have been a fan of his for a few years now, and this was the best he has looked in an England shirt. While still only 20 years old, he no longer looks like a youngster in the squad. He looks like a leader, and it is remarkable.
Declan Rice also deserves mention in the Man of the Match conversation. Though he played in a more advanced role this season at Arsenal, Rice was perfectly composed playing in a more defensive role. He advances the ball so well, wins it back with ease, and never wastes possession. Rice’s Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka was the final standout England performer, providing an assist and generally looking threatening throughout the game when no one else seemed to do so for England.
As for the more disappointing performers, Phil Foden is the headliner for England. Much is expected of Foden coming off of a season where he won Premier League Player of the Season at Manchester City. City is a side that likes to possess the ball and slowly advance it, so it wasn’t exactly shocking that Foden struggled mightily to play on the counterattack, killing three such instances with giveaways and generally slow play. This was a game crying out for Marcus Rashford, who Southgate left at home for the Euros. When England were forced to sit deep and defend for periods in the second half, they could have used a speedy outlet looking to score or create goals on the counter. That is Rashford’s game in a nutshell and the opposite of the talented Foden. England will need more from him.
As for Serbia’s night, it was an encouraging loss in the sense that they will believe they can hang with anyone. Serbia are a top-heavy team, with their strength being their two strikers: Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic. They each ended the game with one big chance of falling to their feet, although Vlahovic’s was an effort from distance. They need more service, both in crosses from the wing, and passing through opposing back lines. If Serbia can provide their strikers with quality service and defend as they did for most of today’s game, they can qualify for the knockout stages.
England were in a similar predicament in the last Euros tournament. Southgate had to work out his lineup a little bit before settling on the group that carried them to the finals for the most part. He has a group he now knows he can trust: Kane, Saka, Bellingham, Rice, John Stones, and Jordan Pickford. Everyone else, regardless of their performance against Serbia, could stand to have their assignments reevaluated. Is Foden worth deploying on the left wing again when he clearly needs the ball in pockets of space between the lines? Was Marc Guehi good enough to keep his place? Where do you play Alexander-Arnold? Will Kieran Trippier keep his place at left-back if Luke Shaw is fit? Is Kyle Walker a liability in possession? All of these questions will be considered as England progresses. Regardless, a win is a win in knockout football.
For their next game, England will take on a better side in Denmark, who they defeated in extra time at Euro 2020. Denmark disappointingly tied Slovakia in their first game of the group stage. They pose similar levels of goal threat to Serbia through Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund. The Danish also have a greater creative threat in the form of veteran midfielder Christian Eriksen and have excellent defensive quality at their disposal with Andreas Christensen and Joachim Andersen.
