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British GP: Are McLaren drivers of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri the team to beat at Silverstone? | F1 News

On: July 6, 2024 By: admin

Lando Norris thinks McLaren must improve despite making a perfect start to the British Grand Prix as he topped both of Friday’s practice sessions.

Norris was over three tenths clear of the field in second practice, with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri being his closest challenger.

Sergio Perez was the first non-McLaren car in third but 0.434s behind, while Max Verstappen was only seventh in the sister Red Bull car.

Intriguingly, Norris pointed out the pace of Mercedes when discussing his day.

“A good start to the weekend. It wasn’t like the cleanest. It didn’t feel that comfortable this morning but through the sessions we made some tweaks and I got in a much nicer window, which is important around here,” said Norris.

“It’s quite on the nose and quite sketchy and pretty high-speed. Tricky, but I’m happy. I think we made some good progress.

“I think we’re pretty tight and even with Mercedes, they seem probably just as quick as us. They just didn’t turn up the engine and do as much in the final run. So I think we’re in a good place but we probably have a little bit more to find.”

Mercedes looked good on the medium and hard tyres but Lewis Hamilton was in a group from sixth to 10th that were around seven tenths off Norris’ blistering pace on the softs.

Hamilton, who has won the British Grand Prix a record eight times, doesn’t seem to agree with Norris’ comments.

“I felt fine, generally felt good, just not as fast as the guys ahead, like the McLarens,” he said.

“We don’t have upgrades this weekend. We have some small tweaks to things, but not necessarily upgrades.

“Every time we add something to the car we are going in the right direction, but the others bring upgrades at the same time.

“We were six and a half tenths off in that session. I don’t know if it’s truly exactly six tenths, but we’ve got some work to do.”

Norris open to wet weather

Rain is forecast throughout the weekend at Silverstone, which could change the already-mixed pecking order completely.

Norris is one of the best drivers in the wet as he showed in the first half of last month’s Canadian Grand Prix and when he took Sprint Qualifying pole in Shanghai earlier this year in the rain.

“I always enjoy both conditions. I would prefer if it was one or the other. And honestly, on a home race, I would probably prefer if it was just dry because we seem like we’re in a good place and I wouldn’t want to go too far away from that,” he said.

“But it’s Silverstone, it’s England, so I’m ready for everything, but my preference would probably be to stay dry.”

There has been talk of whether the three British drivers of Norris, Hamilton and George Russell can all stand on the podium this Sunday.

Russell comes into the weekend on the back of winning in Austria but thinks Mercedes are a little behind McLaren and Red Bull.

“First practice was really good. The car was feeling great. We struggled a bit more this afternoon,” he said.

“It got a bit windier and I don’t think we quite nailed the tyres. We are probably similar competitiveness to the last few races.”

Verstappen seemingly relaxed

Not for the first time this year, Red Bull appear to be on the backfoot after the Friday of an F1 weekend.

Verstappen finished second practice in seventh but set his best lap much earlier than his rivals, so had the worst of the track conditions.

“On the soft it didn’t go so well in FP2, the medium a bit better, so a bit of work to do,” said Verstappen.

“We tried a few things on the car from FP1 to FP2, so just have to analyse a bit what to do better for tomorrow.”

Red Bull’s Milton Keynes factory is just a half an hour drive from Silverstone, so the team will be working tirelessly through the night to work out the best set-up.

Verstappen, who leads Norris by 81 points in the drivers’ championship, has only won the British Grand Prix once but didn’t rule out Red Bull bouncing back come qualifying on Saturday.

“We tried a few things so we just now need to analyse all of that and then that will give us a direction for tomorrow, where naturally with the weather it will rain a bit, so we’ll all have to take that into account,” he said.

Perez missed out on first practice as Red Bull ran F2 driver Isack Hadjar as part of the mandatory requirement to run a rookie in at least two practice sessions this season.

The Mexican gave more away about Red Bull’s pace and admits they should have more pace to come.

“It was a solid session because we lost the whole morning. It was good. The car is feeling good,” said Perez.

“I think we need to find some balance, especially in the slow and medium speed. In the high-speed, the car feels nice. There should be some nice potential for us later on.”

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

England team news: Kieran Trippier and Bukayo Saka in line to start as wing-backs against Switzerland | Football News

On: July 5, 2024 By: admin

England boss Gareth Southgate is expected to switch to a back three for the first time in three years in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland, with Kieran Trippier in line to start at right wing-back and Bukayo Saka at left wing-back.

Sky Sports News has reported in the last few days that Southgate has been working on a new game plan in training this week to try to kick-start England’s performance levels.

The England manager has tried a host of different players in different roles at their Blankenhain base in recent days, but it now looks like he has settled on Trippier and Saka to give his team some much-needed width.

Southgate spoke glowingly of Trippier in his pre-match news conference, saying he has “done a brilliant, brilliant job for us.”

Trippier played as a right wing-back in the last competitive match when Southgate used this formation – the Euro 2020 final against Italy three years ago – but he has been deputising at left-back in a flat-back four so far in this tournament.

It looks like the 33-year-old’s experience and extra defensive nous has put him ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold in Southgate’s thinking.

On the left, it seems Southgate was determined to get a left-footed option as wing-back, but he is expected to opt for Saka instead of Luke Shaw – who has not played any football since mid-February but was declared fit enough to start by Southgate on Friday.

“Luke Shaw is available, available to start,” Southgate said at his pre-match press conference. “But Kieran has done a brilliant job for the team.

“He obviously doesn’t give us the natural balance of a natural left footer but his leadership, his talking is phenomenal and helps his team-mates to play the game. It’s a dying art – good talkers on the pitch, you can’t have enough of them.

“He has adapted and done a brilliant, brilliant job for us.”

England play Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals in Dusseldorf on Saturday. Gareth Southgate’s side reached the last eight after a dramatic 2-1 win over Slovakia, with Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick equalising in the 94th minute before Harry Kane scored the winner in extra-time.

The Three Lions topped Group C with a win over Serbia and draws with Denmark and Slovenia. However, their performances throughout the tournament have underwhelmed, with Gary Neville saying: “If we don’t raise the performance levels, we’re going out on Saturday.”

If England beat Switzerland, they will play Netherlands or Turkey in the semi-finals in Dortmund on Wednesday; kick off 8pm UK time.

The final is in Berlin on Sunday July 14; kick-off 8pm UK time.

Neville: Southgate must take risks

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville speaking after the win over Slovakia:

“Four times this England team have played in this tournament where they’ve been below par. They will hope this is the catalyst for what would be improved performance levels and a change of direction in performance.

“Winning is everything in tournaments, but performances matter because eventually there’s only so far you can go being the inferior team. Not playing as well and winning will eventually catch you out and I think it will catch England out on Saturday if they keep playing at the same level.

“Let’s be really clear. Three weeks ago, if you had handed this England squad, Gareth Southgate, the players, and us as fans, Switzerland in the quarter-finals, we would have bitten your hand off.

“But Switzerland are playing well, they’re a decent team. They are not to be disrespected and they won’t be by the players, but if we don’t raise the performance levels, we’re going out on Saturday.

“We were fortunate to get past Slovakia and rode our luck in the group where if Denmark scored one more goal, we would have played Germany.

“So we’ve rode our luck twice now, it could be written in the stars that we ride our luck all the way to the final, but my head is telling me we will hit a major obstacle if we carry on and we need to take risks to free ourselves up.

“We looked like England teams of the past where they looked frightened to death.”

Aramco Team Series: Leona Maguire takes two-shot lead into final round as Team Hall and Team Nadaud head to London play-off | Golf News

On: July 4, 2024 By: admin

Ireland’s Leona Maguire will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Aramco Team Series individual event in London, with two teams heading to a play-off.

Maguire added a second round of 72 to her opening 66 at Centurion Club to reach eight under par, with Solheim Cup team-mate Georgia Hall her nearest challenger on six under following a second successive 70.

After making a bogey on her first hole of the day, the 10th, Maguire responded with a birdie on the 13th, only to give the shot straight back on the next.

Birdies on the third and sixth ensured Maguire remained on top of the leaderboard as Hall suffered a poor finish to her round, the world No 38 racing to the turn in 31 but coming home in 39 after dropped shots on the seventh and eighth.

Team Nadaud and Team Hall finished tied at the top of the leaderboard at the conclusion of the 36-hole team event which means, with both teams level on 24 under par, they will play off for victory at Centurion Club at the end of the third round on Friday afternoon.

Team Hall is made up of Hall and Hannah Burke alongside Morocco’s Lina Belmati and amateur Shane Hart-Jones, while Team Nadaud includes Nastasia Nadaud, Czechia’s Kristyna Napoleaova, Spain’s Mireia Prat and amateur George Brooksbank.

“It is really windy out there; it’s probably a two to three club wind in places,” said Maguire.

“It’s getting swirly in between the trees as well. You really have to commit to your shots. It’s a tough test out there, you have to take advantage of those par-fives and par is a really good score on quite a few holes out there.

“It’s almost playing a little bit linksy. The course is drying out, it’s getting firm and fast, and quite strong wind. It was swirling in places, so you’re just trying to hit a few punchy shots that I probably haven’t used in a while. It was definitely a welcome back to European golf. It’s a good test and I enjoyed it.”

Watch the Aramco Team Series event in London live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Friday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Mix, the red button on Sky Sports Golf and – for free on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube channel. Stream the Ladies European Tour and more with NOW.

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Leona Maguire grabs early lead at Aramco Team Series event in London as Charley Hull withdraws mid-round | Golf News

On: July 3, 2024 By: admin

Leona Maguire produced a brilliant birdie burst to grab a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Aramco Team Series event in London, where Solheim Cup team-mate Charley Hull was forced to withdraw mid-round.

Maguire made five birdies in a six-hole stretch on her way to a bogey-free 66 at the Centurion Club, lifting her to seven under and a shot clear of Austria’s Sarah Schober.

The Irishwoman made back-to-back birdies from the fifth and made three more from the eighth around the par-73 layout, then took advantage of the par-five 13th to pull level with Schober.

Maguire also birdied the par-five 15th to grab the outright lead and closed out her round with three straight pars, on a day where only 23 of the 108 players in the field finished in red figures, with the Solheim Cup star also sharing the lead in the team competition with Nuria Iturrioz and Georgia Hall.

“We were all making a few birdies today which always helps and there were no dropped shots on the team card either which I think helps a lot in these conditions,” Maguire said. “It was very comfortable out there and nice to roll in a few.”

Iturrioz birdied three of her last six holes to post a four-under 69 and share third spot with England’s Megan Dennis and Wales Chloe Williams, while Hall is within four of the early lead thanks to an opening-round 70.

“I could have hit it a bit closer today,” Hall said. “My irons and distance control wasn’t that good but all in all we battled really well together. When one of us made a bogey, the other two came in and that’s what’s really important in this team format.”

Maguire team contains England’s Liz Young, Spain’s Marta Sanz Barrio and amateur Yana Wilson, while Hall’s quartet contains Hannah Burke, Morocco’s Lina Belmati and amateur Shane Hart-Jones, with the three teams sharing top spot on 14 under.

Hall withdrew from the event on medical grounds having played six holes of her opening round, with the Englishwoman now hoping to be fit for next week’s Amundi Evian Championship – the fourth women’s major of the year.

Watch the Aramco Team Series event in London throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Thursday from 3.30pm on Sky Sports Mix, the red button on Sky Sports Golf and – for free on the Sky Sports Golf YouTube channel. . Stream the Ladies European Tour and more with NOW.

Matthew Mott: England head coach claims he can make team ‘bigger, badder and better’ after World Cup exit | Cricket News

On: June 29, 2024 By: admin

England head coach Matthew Mott has faced down his critics, claiming he and captain Jos Buttler are the right men to make the side “bigger, badder and better” after their T20 World Cup semi-final exit.

The days of England being able to boast about being the kings of limited-overs cricket are officially over as they surrendered their T20 crown in a 68-run thrashing to India on Thursday, having already lost their 50-over title in abject fashion late last year.

Mott, who is halfway through a four-year contract, has faced scrutiny over his position, with Buttler also under pressure.

Speaking after their 50-over World Cup failure last November, England director of cricket Rob Key Key said: “I feel this should actually be the making of those two as a partnership. If it isn’t, it isn’t, and you move on.”

Mott told reporters on Friday: “Obviously we’re in a results driven business and you guys [in the media] will have your fun at our expense I’m sure.

“But when you wake up in the morning and have a crack, do your best, you can sleep at night knowing sometimes results are out of your control. I absolutely love what I do, I’m excited about where we can go.

“We’ll lick our wounds in the next week or two and then I’m sure we’ll get back to planning. We’ll take time to reflect when we get back and then hopefully come back bigger, badder and better.

“Jos and I as a partnership have been galvanised in the last six months. You learn more about leadership in times of adversity.

“I think if you asked around the dressing room, we’ve got a lot of people in the support staff that have given credit to the leadership group for the way we’ve stuck together in tricky circumstances. Sometimes it’s not all about results.”

Atherton: Mott’s future ‘is in the balance’

While England were ruthless against their associate opponents in the T20 World Cup, hammering Oman, Namibia and the United States, their efforts against full member nations were less than stellar in the Caribbean – losing to Australia, South Africa and India, and winning just once against the West Indies.

Former England captain, Sky Sports‘ Michael Atherton, believes Mott’s future “is in the balance” as a result.

“I don’t feel it has been like the 50-over tournament where England made every wrong call virtually and you could point the finger at management and say ‘why have you done this?'” Atherton said.

“Buttler hates it when you hark back to the 50-over World Cup but that is part of the context.

“England have lost nine and won three against full member nations in those two World Cups, which to my mind is a reflection that the side is not as good as it was. Semi-finals is about their level and they are not quite measuring up to the top teams.

“Mott’s future is in the balance. I think Buttler is in a much stronger position because players are less expendable than coaches. You can get coaches but there are not many Jos Buttlers around.

“That said, Mott is two years into a four-year contract and if you do make a change, you’d better be damn sure you make a change for the better and that is not always straightforward.

“Coaching national teams is not the plum job it once was. The best candidates want franchise jobs as there is less impingement on their family time.”

England endured a curious T20 World Cup campaign, coming within 45 minutes of exiting in the first round as a result of two washouts before progressing on net run-rate. They never quite put a complete performance together, with their best result against the West Indies wiped out less than 48 hours later by a mis-managed chase against South Africa.

“I think we were good without being great. If we’re being honest, we weren’t quite at our best, and we were hoping to peak at the right time,” Mott added.

“We’ve had a funny tournament, it’s a hard one to digest in terms of how good we’ve been or not been because it’s been so disjointed.

“As the defending champions coming in here, we’ve made a semi-final. That’s not where we want to be, but it’s not a disaster either.”

Watch the T20 World Cup final in Barbados from 3pm on Saturday (3.30pm first ball), live on Sky Sports Cricket.

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Grace Kim hole in one earns her team share of Dow Championship lead after second round | Golf News

On: June 28, 2024 By: admin

Grace Kim had a hole-in-one and combined with Auston Kim for eight birdies for a nine-under 61 and that earns them a five-way share of the lead in the Dow Championship.

The best score of the second round actually belonged to the Danish pair Nicole Broch Estrup and Nanna Koertz Madsen, who birdied their last two holes for a 10-under-par 60.

Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho of the United States had a 64, the same score they had in foursomes during the opening round, to also sit in among the bunched leaders at 12 under, along with the Thailand tandem of Jaravee Boonchant and Chanettee Wannasaen and Taiwan duo of Ssu-chia Cheng and Wei-Ling Hsu.

Three other teams, including England’s Charley Hull and Georgia Hall, are one shot behind. Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson are two shots back at 10 under.

Grace Kim said of her ace at the par-three seventh hole: “I’ve had a lot of close shaves, and this is actually my first one, so it’s very exciting.

“I was obviously just trying to put it close. All I see is it kind of disappear.”

Grace and Austin Kim birdied their next hole, and then had five more on the back nine.

“A lot of good came from that hole, courtesy of Grace,” Auston said. “It felt really positive going forward from there.”

Watch coverage from day three of the Dow Championship, live on Sky Sports Golf from 11pm on Saturday.

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Lance Stroll: Aston Martin driver signs contract extension to stay at team until at least 2026 F1 season | F1 News

On: June 28, 2024 By: admin

Lance Stroll’s expected stay at Aston Martin has been formally confirmed with the Canadian penning a contract extension to continue at the team into the sport’s new era of regulations, which begin in 2026.

Stroll, whose father Lawrence owns the team as part of a consortium, has been with the Silverstone-based outfit since 2019 and the extended deal means he will stay as team-mate to Fernando Alonso for at least the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

Alonso signed a two-year extension to commit his own future to the team in April.

Although currently enduring a disappointing season after a standout 2023, Aston Martin retain big hopes for the future and will switch to a works supply of Honda engines when F1’s new power units regulations are introduced for 2026. They have also held discussions with Adrian Newey in an attempt to sign the design genius when he leaves Red Bull in the first part of next year.

“I’m super happy to have committed to staying with the team for 2025 and beyond,” said Stroll.

“It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in the last five years; we’ve grown so much as a team and there’s still so much more to look forward to.”

The 25-year-old Stroll, who began his career at Williams before joining his current team when it was known as Racing Point five years ago after his father had rescued the outfit from administration, claimed two podiums and one pole position for them in 2020 in what stands as his best season so far.

But the Canadian has yet to either out-qualify or out-score any of his three team-mates – Sergio Perez (2019-2020), Sebastian Vettel (2021-2022), Alonso (2023-present) – over a full season.

Stroll has 17 points to Alonso’s 41 so far in a difficult 2024 for Aston Martin, with a best race finish of sixth at April’s Australian GP.

Mike Krack, Aston Martin’s team principal, added: “We are delighted to confirm Lance’s future with Aston Martin Aramco.

“He has played a key role in building this team. His technical feedback, alongside his committed simulator work, has helped contribute to the continuous development of the car each season.

“The consistency and stability of both Lance and Fernando remaining with our team is a great platform to continue to realise our ambitions. We look forward to creating some more incredible memories and achieving further success together.”

With Alpine confirming a contract extension for Pierre Gasly in the hour before Aston Martin delivered their own news on Stroll at the start of media day for the Austrian GP, just seven seats on the 20-car 2025 grid now remain unfilled.

F1 2025 field


Team	Driver	Driver
Red Bull	Max Verstappen	Sergio Perez
Ferrari	Lewis Hamilton	Charles Leclerc
McLaren	Lando Norris	Oscar Piastri
Mercedes	George Russell	???
Aston Martin	Fernando Alonso	Lance Stroll
RB	Yuki Tsunoda	???
Alpine	Pierre Gasly	???
Haas	???	???
Williams	Alex Albon	???
Sauber	Nico Hulkenberg	???

Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule

Thursday June 27
12.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday June 28
7.50am: F3 Practice
9am: F2 Practice
11am: Austrian GP Practice One (session starts at 11.30am)
12.55pm: F3 Qualifying
1.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3pm: Austrian GP Sprint Qualifying (session starts at 3.30pm)*

Saturday June 29
8.25am: F3 Sprint
10am: Austrian GP Sprint (race starts at 11am)*
12.25pm: F2 Sprint
2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday June 30
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

F1’s triple-header continues at the Austrian Grand Prix this coming week – with the Sprint format returning at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Gareth Southgate must ignite England’s attacking play at Euro 2024 – or it will be end of the road for him and his team | Football News

On: June 26, 2024 By: admin

You can’t start a fire without a spark – and England have no spark.

Yes, there was a slight improvement in performance level but that was only in the second half and it wasn’t enough to inspire any confidence that England are going to win the Euros for the first time this summer.

The first half against Slovenia was just more of the same. At times it was like one of those games from the 1970s before the backpass rule was introduced when players would just pass the ball between themselves at the back. It was all sideways and backwards. There was no movement off the ball and no bravery on the ball. There was no width, no invention and no cutting edge.

Marc Guehi looked assured at the back and Phil Foden tried to make things happen but that was about it and it was no surprise to see England booed off at half-time. Jan Oblak didn’t have a difficult save to make and when he was beaten by Bukayo Saka from close range, the goal was disallowed because Phil Foden was offside in the build-up.

If this was the England reset we had been promised then another reset was going to be required. Gareth Southgate and his players had accepted that the performances against Serbia and Denmark had not been good enough. They had honest and frank discussions and the problems had been addressed on the training pitch. Southgate had admitted that the team was not functioning and it was his responsibility to find solutions.

To be fair to Southgate, there were some signs of life in the second half. Kobbie Mainoo made a difference when he came on for Conor Gallagher at half-time and Cole Palmer received the biggest cheer of the night from England fans when he replaced Saka after 70 minutes.

England looked much better balanced and more compact with Mainoo in midfield and Palmer looked at home at this level. Southgate has to be bold and put Mainoo and Palmer in his starting XI for England’s last-16 game on Sunday.

With Mainoo in midfield England managed to pin Slovenia down in their own half for most of the second period. Even though they didn’t create that much more than the first half, England looked more threatening and the increased tempo forced Slovenia to settle for the draw they hoped would get them through to the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time.

Slovenia were more than the sum of their parts while England continue to be the opposite. A squad with so many exceptional players should not be producing the kind of performances fans have witnessed so far in Germany. It’s pointless to keep looking back but this was a game where an in-form Jack Grealish or Marcus Rashford or Raheem Sterling could have made a real difference.

While Slovenia celebrated their progress in front of their fans, England players walked off to boos after finishing top of the group. Southgate also had two plastic glasses thrown at him by disgruntled fans.

Watching Slovenia made your mind drift back to the days when England used to line up in the same 4-4-2 formation, a formation which will surely come back into fashion one day. There is no way an England side with a strike partnership of Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins or Kane and Ivan Toney would so ineffective against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia. Surely Kane would be much more at home and dangerous linking up with a strike partner rather than dropping deep or leading the press – or closing down as it used to be called in the old days.

So, what next for Southgate? Sunday’s game could be his final game as England manager. Even though the FA want him to stay, it is difficult to see how he will continue in the job long-term. Southgate will be asked about his future when he speaks to the media on Saturday. He will say the focus has to be on the crucial game the following day.

That will be the right answer. Southgate never wants to make anything about him. The team always comes first. In the meantime he has to find that missing spark. Otherwise he’ll just be dancing in the dark.

Harry Kane, Gareth Southgate say England’s team press failing after Denmark draw – what’s causing the problem at Euro 2024? | Football News

On: June 21, 2024 By: admin

England’s team press ranks as the third-worst at Euro 2024 – so what’s causing the breakdown?

Harry Kane has admitted England are not sure how to press when opponents start dropping deeper after two lacklustre showings at Euro 2024.

One of the many criticisms of England is playing too deep, especially out of possession, and therefore being unable to play out from the back.

Kane told BBC Sport: “It’s something we’ve got to try to get better at, not just when we score.

“We’re starting games well, but when the opponents are dropping a few players deeper we’re not quite sure how to get the pressure on and who’s supposed to be going.

Gareth Southgate added: “We’ve played teams who are quite fluid in back threes, it’s not easy to get pressure on them, but we’ve definitely got to do it better than we have in these two matches.”

“[Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield is] an experiment, we know we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips but we’re trying some different things – and at the moment we’re not flowing as we’d like.”

So, when are England sitting deeper and how is that affecting the press?

How bad is the press?

When it comes to the press, the numbers support Kane’s comments: England rank third-worst at the tournament so far for allowing opponents to make passes freely without intervention.

The metric visualised below measures the average number of opposition passes a team allows before making a defensive action – so, a lower number is better.

Ukraine rank top with the most intense press, allowing opponents to make fewer than eight passes before making a defensive action. The Three Lions allow opponents more than three times as many passes – 23.1 to be precise.

Only Romania and Albania have been less effective at Euro 2024 so far.

Southgate’s side also rank third-worst for high turnovers – averaging just four per game.

Another metric supports Kane’s concerning comments about England being unsure when and who presses in the final third, three times fewer than table-topping Portugal.

The graphic below reveals England have impressive defensive solidity in their defensive half, but the ineffective press raises red flags in the opposition half – an area where most England players excel for their domestic clubs

Bukayo Saka has been typically hugging the touchline down his favoured right channel and has also posed the greatest threat, while Phil Foden has been roaming into his more dangerous central areas, resulting in a lopsided attack, which could contribute to pressing problems.

England sitting deep: What does the data say?

The graphic below summarises it perfectly: almost all outfield players averaged in their defensive third while they held their early, one-goal advantage for 16 minutes.

The graphic below elaborates on how England retreated after scoring, revealing the swing of final-third passes during the game – with the Danes hitting a match-high level of dominance before their 34th-minute leveller.

Against Serbia, Southgate’s side started the game wholly dominant, but that control ebbed incrementally after Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock, with the Serbs enjoying the lion’s share of attacking threat after the break.

Additionally, England are playing deeper than at previous tournaments, with four outfield players averaging in their own half at the World Cup in 2022 – rising to six at Euro 2024. The forwards – especially Harry Kane and Phil Foden – are also playing far deeper.

The general message emanating from the England camp is to stay calm, but the comments made by Kane and Southgate are concerning.

The majority of England’s squad players are accustomed to high-press styles at their domestic clubs, so harnessing those qualities and finding an effective balance across midfield and attack appears to be critical if England want to progress… at all.

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Euro 2024: Scotland rated worst team in round one, England’s Jude Bellingham with best individual performance so far | Football News

On: June 19, 2024 By: admin

Scotland produced the worst team performance of the opening round of games, with their players averaging just 3.8 out of 10 in the player ratings by skysports.com readers.

The miserable opening night thrashing by Germany, which saw Steve Clarke’s side battered 5-1 by the hosts, has left Scotland with it all to do ahead of their second Group A match against Switzerland on Wednesday.

Ryan Porteous was sent off just before half-time against Germany and has been suspended for both that Switzerland game and the final pool match against Hungary. His nightmare Euro 2024 start saw him handed a rating of just 2.9 – the worst mark out of the players to appear so far in the tournament.

Unsurprisingly Germany’s demolition job saw their players garner a high-ranking average mark of the championships to date, with 6.6 being the average grade given out to their players.

That was a long way off the 7.9 Slovakia’s players averaged for their shock win over Belgium but Germany’s score does include Jamal Musiala’s 8.2 – which is the second-highest individual score from the opening fixtures.

Taking top spot is England’s match-winner against Serbia, Jude Bellingham, who scored 8.3 on average. That put him head and shoulders above his team-mates, who averaged 6.3 for their efforts – the eighth-best team score so far.

Notably in the England team, Phil Foden was the lowest scorer. The Premier League player of the season was given a 4.9 by our readers for his ineffective display from the left side of the attack.

Other standout names include Man Utd’s Christian Eriksen, whose super display for Denmark against Slovenia earned him a mark of 8.1, while Newcastle’s Fabian Schar scored an 8 for Switzerland.

Remaining group games

Wednesday June 19
Croatia vs Albania (Hamburg, kick-off 2pm UK time)
Germany vs Hungary (Stuttgart, kick-off 5pm UK time)
Scotland vs Switzerland (Cologne, kick-off 8pm UK time)

Thursday June 20
Slovenia vs Serbia (Munich, kick-off 2pm UK time)
Denmark vs England (Frankfurt, kick-off 5pm UK time)
Spain vs Italy (Gelsenkirchen, kick-off 8pm UK time)

Friday June 21
Slovakia vs Ukraine (Dusseldorf, kick-off 2pm UK time)
Poland vs Austria (Berlin, kick-off 5pm UK time)
Netherlands vs France (Leipzig, kick-off 8pm UK time)

Saturday June 22
Georgia vs Czech Republic (Hamburg, kick-off 2pm UK time)
Turkey vs Portugal (Dortmund, kick-off 5pm UK time)
Belgium vs Romania (Cologne, kick-off 8pm UK time)

Sunday June 23
Switzerland vs Germany (Frankfurt, kick-off 8pm UK time)
Scotland vs Hungary (Stuttgart, kick-off 8pm UK time)

Monday June 24
Croatia vs Italy (Leipzig, kick-off 8pm UK time)
Albania vs Spain (Dusseldorf, kick-off 8pm UK time)

Tuesday June 25
Netherlands vs Austria (Berlin, kick-off 5pm UK time)
France vs Poland (Dortmund, kick-off 5pm UK time)
England vs Slovenia (Cologne, kick-off 8pm UK time)
Denmark vs Serbia (Munich, kick-off 8pm UK time)

Wednesday June 26
Slovakia vs Romania (Frankfurt, kick-off 5pm UK time)
Ukraine vs Belgium (Stuttgart, kick-off 5pm UK time)
Czech Republic vs Turkey (Hamburg, kick-off 8pm UK time)
Georgia vs Portugal (Gelsenkirchen, kick-off 8pm UK time)

Tag: Team