Former England defender blasts Three Lions’ ‘disjointed’ performance against Iceland

Matthew Upson has branded England’s performance in their 1-0 defeat to Iceland on Friday as ‘flat and disjointed’.

The Three Lions were undone by a 12th-minute Jon Thorsteinsson strike at Wembley in their final warm-up match before Euro 2024.

Gareth Southgate’s men managed just one shot on target all night compared to Iceland’s four in a performance that left many worrying about their prospects in Germany this summer.

Former Arsenal and West Ham centre-back Upson — who represented England at the 2010 World Cup — certainly wasn’t impressed.

“What a tough watch that was,” Upson said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “It’s not pleasant going into a major tournament.

“Even if they didn’t play that well or had an off night that’s fine, but what’s been delivered there was really flat and disjointed. It didn’t have the character at all. So flat from England.”

‘Dismal and boring’ England leave fans worried

With England’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia just nine days away, it’s perhaps understandable that a number of players never got out of first gear.

Many will have been focusing on avoiding injury ahead of the big kick-off, perhaps not quite putting in the hard yards they would in a competitive match.

Even so, it was the lacklustre manner of the performance against an Iceland side currently ranked 72nd in the world that has worried Three Lions fans most, watching their side create just one big chance all night.

“We had no width, there was no punch of directness or aggression or physicality in the play,” Upson added. “It was really quite dismal. It was a bit boring to watch.”

Source link : https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/06/07/former-england-defender-blasts-three-lions-disjointed-performance-against-iceland/

Author : CJ

Publish date : 2024-06-07 21:22:17

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