Carragher Slams England’s Long-Ball Tactic in Euro 2024 Loss to Spain
Former England defender Jamie Carragher was left stunned by the Three Lions’ reliance on long-ball tactics throughout their Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain. The 2-1 loss ended England’s hopes of lifting their second consecutive European Championship trophy.
Carragher, who played a prominent role in England’s 2000s golden generation, took to the pages of The Telegraph to voice his frustration with Jordan Pickford’s repetitive long kicks upfield. Despite acknowledging that Pickford’s distribution had been excellent, Carragher felt that the Everton goalkeeper should have been instructed to retain possession better and not constantly aim for goal kicks.
"I cannot believe Jordan Pickford was under orders to keep giving the ball away with wasteful, long kicks upfield," Carragher wrote. "We did not have enough players ordering him to stop while demanding the ball."
The ex-Liverpool defender highlighted that, in times when possession was scarce, England required their biggest players to show courage and confidence in accepting the ball in difficult areas. According to Carragher, this could have been achieved by the likes of Phil Foden, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham making themselves known and taking responsibility for linking up play.
Instead, Carragher felt that England’s players were far too willing to hide and abandon possession, relying on Hopeful long balls to relieve pressure. This tactic, although occasionally successful, ultimately failed to nullify Spain’s dominance in the middle of the park.
Gareth Southgate’s side struggled to cope with Rodri, Martin Zubimendi, and Fabian Ruiz’s midfield suffocation, with Cole Palmer’s second-half equalizer ultimately rendered meaningless by Nico Williams’s eventual winner.
England’s 58-year wait for a men’s European Championship goes on, with Southgate under pressure to revamp his tactics for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.
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