"They're playing like a bunch of muted, terrified snails" - Piers Morgan calls out England squad for their Euro 2024 performances
British TV personality Piers Morgan has slammed the England squad for their performances at EURO 2024. The Three Lions have reached the quarter-finals of the competition, but they have had some luck and rare moments of pure magic.
In the group stages, they scored a total of two goals against lower-ranked teams in Denmark (1-1) and Serbia (1-0). They could not manage more than a draw against both Denmark and Slovenia (0-0), which saw them enter the knockout stages after racking up just five points.
In the Round of 16 against Slovakia on June 30, they were a hair's breadth from getting knocked out of EURO 2024. However, five minutes into injury time, Jude Bellingham scored the equalizer before Harry Kane put them ahead in extra time.
They may have gotten to the quarter-finals, but their sub-par performances have not gone down well with Piers Morgan, who has criticized the England squad. In a conversation with talkSPORT, he said:
“It's been shocking. Let's remind ourselves that Harry Kane was the best player in the Bundesliga, Jude Bellingham the best player in LaLiga, Phil Foden the best player in the Premier League."
“Why are we playing like the way we're playing? These are the best players in Europe. They've won all the awards for their leagues but they're playing like a bunch of muted, terrified snails," he added.
He continued lashing out at them:
“And I'm very struck by a little interview that Phil Foden's given where he says that it's not Southgate's problem but in training he's telling them to press further up, be higher up the pitch, move it at a faster tempo."
“So why aren't they doing it? I've watched the last three games. If they expended as much energy this team as they do in criticising people who criticise them… if they expended that energy on the pitch, working out how to play to their potential in this tournament, we would win this at a canter," Morgan said.
England will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals of EURO 2024 on Saturday (July 6), and they will be hoping to improve their performances.
Piers Morgan slams Jude Bellingham after midfielder pulls England into quarter-finals of EURO 2024
Jude Bellingham might have been the shining light at the EURO 2024 for England, but his overall performance has not impressed Piers Morgan. The TV personality hailed him as "one of the world's greatest players right now," but criticized the Real Madrid midfielder. He told talkSPORT:
"He's on Instagram posting Theodore Roosevelt speeches about the man in the arena, like he's somehow gone to war and he's being singled out and targeted for unnecessary criticism."
"No, Jude, you've been playing like a turkey for the last three games and you need to step up and you need to be the Jude Bellingham which was ripping teams apart in La Liga for Real Madrid," he added.
The TV personality will be hoping that England can redefine their style of play and showcase more quality against a strong Swiss side.