England aim to defy critics and find rhythm in the sun against Slovenia
It looks like England's football team will have good weather for their match on Tuesday night. After a lot of rain and cloudy days at Euro 2024, the forecast is for clear skies and temperatures around 25C (77F) when the team plays against Slovenia in Cologne. We'll have to wait and see if the team plays as well as the weather looks.
For the past four days, England has been facing criticism and reflecting on their lackluster 1-1 draw against Denmark. This performance has raised doubts about their chances of winning the title they are aiming for. This disappointing result has brought back memories of a similar match against the USA in Qatar. Despite not playing, the pressure is mounting on Gareth Southgate and his team as they advanced to the last 16 after Albania's loss to Spain.
The coach of the England team is planning to make some adjustments for their last match in Group C. They need to win in order to secure the top spot and a favorable match-up in the next round. It seems that Trent Alexander-Arnold might be taken out of the midfield, and there could be changes on the left side where England has faced challenges. Good news came from the team camp on Monday as Luke Shaw, the first-choice left-back, returned to full practice. Unfortunately, he won't be able to play in the upcoming game against Slovenia.
The other team is ranked 57th in the world, which is lower than Iraq and Saudi Arabia (England is fifth), but they have not lost a game in the tournament so far. They have a good chance of moving on to the next round. Slovenia is strong at defending and scoring quickly on the counterattack, which could make them tough for England to beat. Their coach, Matjaz Kek, believes that luck will be on their side in this game.
Setting aside strategies, team members, and fate, many fans have been concerned by the visible lack of energy and poor performance recently. This has led to questions about whether the pressure of wearing the England shirt is affecting the players, which is a new issue during Southgate's eight years as manager.
The discussion sparked a disagreement between ex-footballers and current players. Gary Lineker criticized Denmark's performance on his podcast, calling it "poor." Harry Kane, England's captain, responded by saying former players should consider how their comments affect current squad members, adding that some people use podcasts to promote themselves. Lineker, on his podcast, then blamed the media for Kane's response, saying journalists were trying to create controversy instead of asking the tough questions themselves.
Regarding the fans, who have mostly been a good presence in Germany, there have not been any new safety issues reported to the UK Football Policing Unit as of Monday afternoon. The Cologne police have labeled the match as a “yellow game” with higher risk, but they are prioritizing a de-escalation approach and are feeling confident about handling the large number of fans expected in the city, many of whom do not have tickets.
Cologne is much larger than the previous host city, Frankfurt, and the main fan area at Heumarkt can accommodate 50,000 people. Fans are encouraged to participate in the pre-game "fan march", a tradition at this tournament that has been highlighted by parades from Scottish and Dutch supporters. However, England has not yet taken part in this.
"Fans from England can gather at Josef-Lammerting-Allee for a fan march to the stadium," said Sascha Wallmeroth, the head inspector of Cologne police, in an interview with the Guardian. He mentioned that he believed English supporters would not take advantage of the meeting point, but rather choose to make their own way to the stadium.
