Wayne Rooney has turned his attention to the England players as he continues his investigation into the Three Lions’ disappointing performance against Denmark at the 2024 European Championship.
Gareth Southgate’s side have come under heavy criticism for a display that saw them hold on to a 1-1 draw in their second match of the tournament in Germany on Thursday evening.
Harry Kane had opened the scoring for the pre-tournament favorites but concerns following a narrow win over Serbia in the team’s opening match were raised again after Morten Hjulmand’s strike gave Denmark the minimum they deserved.
The performance has left fans and pundits alike pondering what went wrong and how the pre-tournament favorites can improve their fortunes for the remainder of the competition.
Former Three Lions striker Rooney quizzed the players on BBC Sport and suggested the problems run deeper than the manager’s responsibility.
Wayne Rooney led criticism of England players as he continued investigation into their Euro 2024 match against Denmark
The Three Lions struggled throughout the match and received a lot of criticism for their performance
Gareth Southgate was quizzed by Rooney and suggested the players should look at themselves
“I think it was a flat performance, there was no energy or balance in the team,” Rooney said. ‘I also put it on the players. When Harry Kane says he didn’t know what to do after the match… the players need to take responsibility.
“I think for Gareth and Steve Holland, I’m pretty sure they’re working on a game plan. Gareth now has the chance to reassess. I hope he makes a few changes to get us back on top.”
A number of questions have been raised about the qualities of Southgate, who has struggled to get the best out of some of Europe’s best attacking talent, including Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Kane.
Although he criticized the players, Southgate could not freely escape Rooney’s analysis.
“You can’t go to a big tournament and say you’re experimenting, that’s a strong word,” Rooney added. ‘If England don’t get far in this competition, [Southgate] might regret that.
‘When the squad was announced I wondered where Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden would fit in the same team and I think it shows. ‘For me, [Southgate] We should play Bellingham a little deeper and give Foden the freedom.”
Plymouth Argyle’s new manager also named a player left out of the tournament due to a difficult run of form since leaving the Premier League.
England have missed leaders in the dressing room, Rooney said, suggesting a former member of the leadership group should have been brought to Germany.
‘There is a lack of experience in the team and of voices, you need voices behind that. I would have taken Jordan Henderson, he’s a voice,” Rooney continued. “The lack of experience, with young players, especially when you go up a goal, you panic.”
He suggested Jordan Henderson should have been taken to Germany because of his ‘experience’
The former Liverpool captain missed out on a place in the squad, with Southgate citing fitness issues as the reason
Henderson was denied a place in the initial 33-man training squad, with Southgate citing his fitness as the reason for his absence.
The former Liverpool captain has struggled for form since leaving Liverpool last summer, but endured a nightmare spell in the Saudi Pro League before moving to Ajax.
He played 81 games for England, but his international career now seems all but over.
