Gareth Southgate and his players were jeered and had a couple of plastic pint cups hurled their way in Cologne while, back at home, the odds on England winning Euro 2024 were being slashed by the bookmakers. Go figure.
The two do not marry together conventionally but they happened simultaneously on Tuesday evening. It was not down to a surge in optimism following the goalless draw against Slovenia — on that evidence, England have a lot of improving to do — but because of the way in which the tournament is shaping up.
There is no doubt that the knockout stages of the tournament appear a little lopsided. On one side there are four of the favourites: Spain, Germany, Portugal and France, while England find themselves on the other side after winning Group C.
A free draw after the group stage, similar to what happens in UEFA’s club competitions, would still see the favourites heavily tipped, even though they could still meet each other down the line. But the path was pre-determined and the brackets looked unbalanced before a ball was kicked.
As France failed to win their group, with an impressive Austria claiming that spot instead, it means that there will be four heavyweights along Belgium and Denmark all vying for a place in the final on July 14.
That does pose the prospect of some mouth-watering quarter-finals — the possible double-header of Spain versus Germany and Portugal against France on a Friday evening would be Euro heaven — but it means that only two of the four would reach the semi-finals.
Whereas the bottom side of the draw, on paper at least, is there to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck. It is still strong, as any half of a Round of 16 should be, but the three highest-ranked teams already there all won just one game each in their groups.
Switzerland take on Italy on Saturday and so one of them will exit before the quarter-finals and England, should they defeat Slovakia on Sunday, would face the winner. The most testing semi-final on current form would be with Austria.
It is never worth plotting a route to a final, so often it does not work out quite as planned. But the way things have fallen should offer inspiration to Southgate and his players.
“We shouldn’t be seduced by which half of the draw,” the England manager told ITV Sport on Tuesday. “We have to take a step at a time. Tonight was an improvement. We’ve got to improve to win the next round.”
In his post-match press conference, he added: “We have huge respect for all of the teams you’ve mentioned but equally, there are some very good teams on our side of the draw.”
Southgate not 'seduced' by easier draw
This is not the first time that England have found themselves considered by outsiders to have benefitted from the luck of the draw.
At the 2018 World Cup, Southgate’s team faced Colombia, Sweden and Croatia en route to the semi-finals — the other side featured five of the six top-ranked teams.
Although in Euro 2020 they met Germany, albeit an underwhelming version, they then were pitted against Ukraine and Denmark before losing to Italy in the final. Their World Cup campaign 18 months ago had them take on Senegal in the last-16, but were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals.
As has long been the case with England, they tend to get eliminated from tournaments by the first team above them in the rankings. Rarely do they get the better of a nation considered to be favourites.
Southgate may not want to be ‘seduced’ by the draw but it should not be ignored either. After an unconvincing group phase, whereby they just about got the job of qualifying as group winners done with performances that raised more questions than answers, England face the prospect of three games across 11 days against teams that have hardly sparkled either to secure a place in the final.
Rather than outside critics, that should be the fuel used to relight the fire inside the England camp and sharpen minds. Southgate knows that if he guides England to that Berlin showpiece, the troubles of the past week or so will be a distant memory.
Of course, lessons should still be taken from their three group games. The accusations thrown at England have gone from a ponderous style of play, unbalanced line-ups, questionable tactics and fatigued players. Things have unravelled rather quickly, the noise has been deafening and emotions are running high.
Clearly, England need to improve to stand a chance of defeating any team that they face and, fundamentally, it is down whether they currently have it in them to rally effectively.
Yet, despite their unconvincing display on the pitch, England still find themselves in a promising position off it. Using the lopsided nature of the draw could be the springboard that they need to save this tournament and prevent Southgate’s tenure from ending in such a sorry fashion.
