Gareth Southgate, Head Coach of England, looks on alongside Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 matc…Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
England was ‘not a happy camp’ after what Gareth Southgate did to Manchester City star
A decision Gareth Southgate recently made regarding one Manchester City player left some members of the England camp disgruntled.
England fans are waking up gutted this morning after watching the Three Lions lose the final of Euro 2024.
Spain won 2-1 in Berlin, with Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal getting the goals. Cole Palmer equalised within minutes of coming on for England.
But Spain ran out deserved winners in the end. And after the game, the sensational Rodri was presented with the Player of the Tournament award.
England’s luck finally ran out against a great team, and the inquest is now in full swing about the tournament, and what happens with the national team from here.
Ahead of the tournament, Southgate made one huge decision that is now coming back into the spotlight following last night’s defeat.
England may have come up just short in Germany, but fans are now beginning to reflect on the last four weeks and what a poor showing it actually was.
England just didn’t click for the most part.
Southgate put square pegs in round holes, and just never released the shackles. England became a ‘moments’ team, and did not take any games to their opponents.
Some potential difference-making players didn’t get enough minutes, like Palmer and Anthony Gordon. And some didn’t get any at all – because they weren’t there.
The Athletic have reported today about the omission of Jack Grealish ahead of the tournament. The suggestion is that it didn’t go down well with some.
The publication have said that ‘some visited Grealish in his bedroom, expressing disbelief’. He had hung around after the decision, as did Harry Maguire. James Maddison left the camp almost immediately.
The report goes on to say ‘some players simply felt Grealish should have been included because of his quality and big-game experience’.
When Grealish did eventually leave, he wished his teammates the best, but was said to be in no mood for pleasantries with Southgate. He was ‘shocked’ and ‘deeply upset’, and ‘it was not a happy camp that evening’.
It had been suggested last month that some players felt it was a ‘mistake’ from Southgate not to include him.
Grealish should have gone to the Euros despite Man City form
Grealish will be the first to admit he wasn’t at his best in 2023/24 for Manchester City.
But the decision to leave him out of the Euros squad felt harsh at the time, and it hasn’t really looked any better as the weeks have gone on.
Despite England getting to the final, there were times when Grealish’s creativity could have been helpful.
It is interesting to hear about how that decision from Southgate did affect the mood of the camp.
We as fans are always going to be given the impression by Southgate and the players that everything is fine and happy behind the scenes. But one wonders if that Grealish decision, and the way England struggled, made things difficult.
