Why are England’s players so much better for their clubs than we are seeing at Euro 2024?

There is a case to be made that England had the best player in Spain (Jude Bellingham), Germany (Harry Kane) and England (Phil Foden) last season.

And yet for all the individual brilliance we witness from those players and many other members of Gareth Southgate’s squad in club matches week in, week out, there is a disconnect with what we have seen from them at Euro 2024.

Why is that? There are many factors, but one notable element is that several players are being asked to perform different roles for the national team from the ones they are used to with their clubs. Even if they are nominally operating in the same position, they are not playing in the same way.

Our writers who watch them every week explain how they are best used for their clubs, and what they are doing (or being asked to do) differently for England.

John Stones

How he plays for Manchester City

It has been a while since he moved into midfield alongside Rodri, actually: he missed much of last season through injury and towards the end of the campaign Pep Guardiola achieved his ‘extra man’ in advanced areas of the pitch by moving Josko Gvardiol up from left-back.

When Stones does step up from centre-back, he positions himself next to Rodri so he can take the ball from the goalkeeper during build-up, and when the ball moves up the pitch he has often made a difference in the final third by running from deep, sometimes in behind the opposition defence, to disturb the opposition’s marking of City’s more naturally creative players.

He was a revelation in that role when City won the treble in 2022-23 because, aside from the passing options in his own half and the late runs from deep in the final third, he helps City manage possession in the middle of the pitch, allowing the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Foden to stay higher.

When he is not doing that role, he is a far more traditional centre-back, not asked to make many contributions beyond the halfway line, although he has a very cool head in his own half and will play a big part in City moving the ball through the lines.

How he plays for England

Quite similarly to how he plays for City when not asked to move into midfield. England’s build-up play has been shocking compared to City’s, most notably against Serbia on Sunday when Jordan Pickford spent the second half ignoring all of the options in front of him so he could boot the ball directly to Harry Kane.

This is not a ‘City good, England bad’ argument, because Guardiola has also used long kicks from the goalkeeper to bypass man-to-man marking, and in those scenarios Stones is not seeing much of the ball either. But then again City do at least get men around the target man for second balls. England did clearly try to rectify that in the Denmark game, to their credit.

England’s passing network against Denmark

If Stones looks a little off-colour this summer, albeit not by much, that would be no different to how he looked for City last season, given all of his injuries. He had fitness concerns heading to Germany anyway, so with that in mind, and the fact he is not being asked to move into midfield (maybe the two things are related? If not, it would be nice to see it tried), then it is no surprise we have not seen the eye-catching Stones of two seasons ago, and that is fair enough.

Sam Lee

Declan Rice

How he plays for Arsenal

This is a question that has a few different answers depending on two factors. One is which point of Declan Rice’s debut season you are looking at, and the other is who the opposition were.

Mikel Arteta’s plan was always to use the midfielder in multiple midfield roles in 2023-24. That became apparent as early as August.

Rice started as a No 8 in the Community Shield against Manchester City, to help Arsenal’s press become more aggressive, which was a recurring theme against top teams. A week later, and for most of the first half of the season, he played as a No 6. From there, Rice dominated midfield defensively and either made driving runs forward or looked to find more creative players.

It was not until the second half of the season that he started to flourish in an attacking sense. Used as a left-sided No 8, there was more emphasis on what he did in possession. He was making more off-ball runs, which contributed to his tally of seven goals, and was becoming more comfortable receiving in those pockets.

His emergence as a set-piece taker helped him reach eight league assists too — five of those were from set pieces.

How he plays for England

While there has been a clear evolution in Rice’s role at Arsenal, his responsibilities for England have not changed as drastically of late.

Some may view him going from an attacking No 8 with Arsenal to a No 6 with England as a major change, but that has been his role under Southgate for years. He was England’s deepest midfielder at the 2022 World Cup, with Bellingham and one of Mason Mount (two games) or Jordan Henderson (three games) ahead of him.

That represented a change from their previous tournament, Euro 2020, where Rice and Kalvin Philips started every game as a double pivot in midfield.

This has put more focus on Rice’s deep playmaking abilities, which were on display in the 2022 World Cup, as well as his defensive ones. They were below par against Denmark, however, as he made panicked decisions on the ball, giving the Danes encouragement.

An air of panic was not just visible with Rice, however.

England’s back line also struggled to play forward effectively under pressure. Some of that will be down to the angles Rice and other midfielders offered them, but this starting XI is fundamentally different to that of 2022.

A right-footer at left-back closes off any build-up on that side, while a left winger who constantly drifts inside leaves no out ball further forward. A midfield partner (Trent Alexander-Arnold) who has not started there regularly adds another change to the dynamic. It leads to the picture becoming less familiar when making split-second decisions, although that relationship could improve over time.

Rice is not playing in a new or overly different role for England, but the impact of certain decisions around him are being seen.

Art de Roche

Trent Alexander-Arnold

How he plays for Liverpool

Trent Alexander-Arnold broke into and became a mainstay of Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League-winning side under Jurgen Klopp as a dynamic, attacking right-back.

The defender possesses a passing range others can only dream of and he became an assist machine, providing chance after chance from wide areas. Defensive question marks have always hung over him, but his attacking contributions far outweigh any deficiencies in that area for his club.

Alexander-Arnold was a midfielder in Liverpool’s academy and the debate about whether he should be moved into a central role has rumbled on. Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff began to tinker with the defender’s role to try to maximise his ability, but they were small tweaks rather than big tactical changes.

Liverpool’s struggles during the 2022-23 campaign forced Klopp to rethink his setup. The biggest shift was that Alexander-Arnold’s role changed so he became an inverted full-back. It allowed him the freedom to drift into central areas during build-up play and influence the game from central areas before dropping back into right-back when possession was lost.

It continued into last season, varying from opponent to opponent. Before the turn of the year, Alexander-Arnold moved into the No 6 role during games, but Klopp was reluctant to start him there. Injuries then halted his season and when he returned to his inverted full-back role he was less refined than when the change was initially made.

How he plays for England

Southgate isn’t interested in Alexander-Arnold inverting from right-back for two main reasons. He wants Kyle Walker as part of his defensive line and he decided the 25-year-old is one of his midfield options.

The Alexander-Arnold ‘experiment’ began with him operating as the right-sided No 8 in a 4-3-3. England’s approach has shifted to a 4-2-3-1 in the lead-up to the European Championship, with the Liverpool player being asked to operate in a double pivot with Declan Rice.

Alexander-Arnold is new to the role and he is not accomplished at certain aspects. Building play from deep while facing his own goal is not as natural for him as receiving the ball with time and facing forwards as he does at right-back for Liverpool. He has not looked entirely comfortable on or off the ball. He needs help to control a game.

To capitalise on his excellent passing range, Alexander-Arnold needs those in front of him to stretch the pitch wide or in behind. Bellingham, Foden and Kane all want the ball to feet and drop into pockets – too often crowding each other’s space – so everything is too compact, as you can see from England’s pass network below.

His creative juices cannot flow, although his three chances created against Denmark was the most of any England player in tthe game, despite being substituted on 54 minutes.
He needs help from those around him, but it is made more difficult when his quality has forced Southgate to decide on a team that contains England’s best individual players, and lacks a clear attacking style.

Andrew Jones

Kieran Trippier

How he plays for Newcastle United

Trippier is not just Newcastle’s right-back, he is critical to their attacking game plan. Eddie Howe’s offensive setup is essentially built around the 33-year-old.

For 18 months, Dan Burn was deployed as a left-back in a 4-3-3 system out of possession, but in a hybrid role whereby he would then slip inside as a third centre-back when Newcastle had the ball. That was to permit Trippier to operate as an auxiliary winger, with the freedom to progress down the right and whip crosses into the box.

Across the 2023-24 Premier League season, per 90 minutes, Trippier attempted 8.5 crosses, made 2.8 successful crosses and played 11.4 passes into the opposition box. He also made 21.5 passes ending in the final third per 90, showing how he both bombards the penalty area with crosses and also aids Newcastle in progressing upfield with the ball, usually by playing passes down the line or inside.

The result was 10 top-flight assists and 11 in all competitions, the third-highest in the Premier League and the most for a defender.

Howe even opted to move Tino Livramento, another right-back, to left-back when Burn was injured in November so that Trippier could continue operating down his preferred flank.

Trippier is a key offensive weapon for Newcastle, from open play and set pieces, and that is because they operate to his strengths and allow him to use his excellent right-footed delivery at every opportunity.

How he plays for England

A natural right-footer, Trippier is being used as a left-back behind Foden, who is nominally operating as a left-sided attacker but is often drifting inside.

While defensively Trippier has largely been sound, even if he is not the quickest, his offensive characteristics which make him so effective for Newcastle have been nullified. Rather than get to the byline and put balls into the box, or whip in dangerous outswinging crosses from deep positions, Trippier has often tended to pass inside or give possession to the attackers.

Using data from Opta via fbref.com, Trippier has yet to attempt or complete a cross in the tournament so far and has made just one “key pass” which has led to a shot, which came against Denmark. He has also averaged just two passes into the final third, so Trippier is not really progressing England upfield either.

In essence, Trippier is Newcastle’s playmaker from deep and his club team-mates try to find him at every opportunity. For England, given the creative talents higher up the field, that is not the case and Trippier is averaging around half the number of touches per 90 (52) that he does for Newcastle.

With Luke Shaw unfit and a lack of left-footed defenders, Trippier is very much a makeshift option and it is not his fault he is shackled in that role.

Chris Waugh

Phil Foden

How he plays for Manchester City

How long have you got? It was only in the last couple of months of the season that he began to start in the middle (rather than drift in there from wide) and over the years he has fulfilled all sorts of roles. The fact he does drift in from wide shows how versatile he is, having enjoyed his breakthrough season in 2020-21 on the left wing, followed it up with a very complete year contributing as a false nine, and then winning Player of the Year this season playing on the right (sometimes moving inside, sometimes staying there) and then through the middle (with a bit on the left at the end, too).

He takes up spaces behind the opposition midfield and gets himself on the half-turn so he can quickly spin and get running at the defence, and he arrives late into the box to score goals, if he is not banging them in from outside the area. During last season he began to dominate games like De Bruyne has done for years at City, which took his game to the next level.

How he plays for England

In some ways, a lot of the above still applies. The argument made by Cesc Fabregas after England’s victory over Serbia certainly does: it cannot all be about England getting the best out of Foden, he also has to do more himself. He did lose the ball quite often in that match, and even in a better showing against Denmark he leant back and shot over the bar after creating a good chance for himself.

But it is also true that some of the good positions he has taken up, like he does at City, have not been spotted by his team-mates. City are a purring machine and so if Rodri finds De Bruyne through the lines and Foden is stood in space as the third man, the Belgian will find him with one touch.

That has not really happened with England, as the pass to ‘De Bruyne’ has either not been made, or the ‘De Bruyne’ has taken another option. Against Denmark, Foden did fire off some shots that were reminiscent of his work at City, for example his low drive that hit the post.

That, then, is similar to what he does for City but England are not quite as well-oiled as that, which is more a statement of fact than a criticism. Look at those Pickford long balls in the Serbia game; if England are playing like that, most of the others are not even going to be in the game, and possession is going to be lost anyway. That, obviously, is a massive difference.

Sam Lee

Jude Bellingham

How he plays for Real Madrid

When Bellingham arrived at Real Madrid last summer, coach Carlo Ancelotti thought a lot about how best to use his talents in combination with the other players in the squad.

That meant almost inventing a completely new hybrid role for Bellingham — in a loose and fluid 4-3-3 shape, flanked by Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in attack.

When Madrid had the ball, Bellingham attacked through the centre, linking the midfield to the two wide players, and often arriving late into the penalty area at just the right moment to finish off moves.

It worked spectacularly well. Bellingham scored 11 goals in his first 12 Madrid games, and kept finding the net through most of the season — including spectacular late winners in both La Liga Clasicos against Barcelona.

This did not happen by chance. Ancelotti and his staff worked on this plan in pre-season, then tweaked it after some issues in early games. Bellingham’s defensive responsibilities were made clear, his job was to drop to the left of the midfield four when Madrid lost the ball.

It also helped that Bellingham was coming into a very established structure at Madrid, with a lot of midfield colleagues who are expert at their jobs. This included Toni Kroos’ ability to construct moves from deep, Eduardo Camavinga’s industry and aggression on and off the ball, and Federico Valverde’s athleticism and tactical intelligence.

How he plays for England

Bellingham’s role for England, especially so far at these Euros, looks much less defined.

In the opener against Serbia, he covered a lot of ground, as he also does for Madrid, but for England he seemed to want to control what was happening a lot more.

That still included the trademark late arrival into the penalty area to bravely head home England’s goal in that game…

… but at other times it meant he was in a deeper playmaking role, looking to do the job others (especially Kroos) usually do for his club team.

Against Denmark it was difficult to see exactly what Bellingham’s role was — you could have some sympathy given the lack of midfield platform behind him, with neither Rice nor Alexander-Arnold looking at all comfortable.

At club level, Bellingham often links very well with Vinicius Jr within a left channel, with the Brazilian using his speed and direct running to pull apart opposition defences, and the Englishman then thriving in the spaces that result.

With Foden drifting inside from England’s left, it can seem that both he and Bellingham are trying to do the same job. There ends up being a lot less space to work in and, while Bellingham does not lack technical quality in tight areas, the result has been more confusion.

Dermot Corrigan

Conor Gallagher

How he plays for Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino made good use of Gallagher’s versatile skill set at Chelsea last season, shifting his midfield role as circumstances and injuries required (see graphic below).

The Argentinian’s preference was to unleash the 24-year-old out of possession as a pressing monster in the No 10 role, working with Chelsea’s attackers to build a formidable first line of resistance that harried opposing defenders into errors and generated valuable turnovers.

He was even encouraged to break into the opposition penalty area when the opportunity presented itself, and found his scoring touch in the second half of the campaign, ending up with five goals and seven assists in the Premier League.

But whenever Enzo Fernandez or Moises Caicedo were unavailable, Pochettino did not hesitate to trust Gallagher as one of the deeper midfielders in his 4-2-3-1 system, receiving the ball in tight spaces from his centre-backs or goalkeeper before moving it quickly, simply and safely.

Gallagher is underrated technically, but his athleticism and relentless intensity were the qualities that made him truly indispensable to Chelsea in the 2023-24 season.

How he plays for England

Southgate also wants Gallagher to provide energy, particularly in pressing, for an England team that has looked lacklustre at Euro 2024. Playing with Bellingham, the midfielder granted the most freedom to break forward and attack the opposition penalty area, Gallagher will need to sit a little deeper and do the bulk of his work in the middle third of the pitch.

Gallagher can still be of value there, bringing a level of tenacity and physicality next to Rice that Alexander-Arnold does not, but any opposition turnovers he generates in the vicinity of the halfway line will yield less attacking upside for England.

GO DEEPER

Gallagher set to replace Alexander-Arnold for Slovenia game

Pressing is also a collective discipline. Gallagher may be outstanding at it but if his team-mates do not match his application and intensity in a coordinated effort, England are unlikely to feel much benefit from his presence in that regard.

Gallagher’s experience and lack of clear weaknesses appeal to a pragmatist like Southgate. He is unlikely to be a huge difference-maker but he tends to help his teams in a variety of ways over a game, and that is what England are banking on.

Eberechi Eze

How he plays for Crystal Palace

Eberechi Eze has a unique talent for escapology. Even playing out on the left, where he is not as effective, he comes inside to entangle defenders, glide away from them and drive towards goal. His balance and poise to shift his body weight are majestic.

During Roy Hodgson’s two spells at Crystal Palace he thrived playing both narrow on the left in a 4-4-2 and in the advanced role of three centre midfielders. Under Oliver Glasner, he has continued to show himself as one of Palace’s most important players, this time as one of two No 10s with freedom to roam around the attacking areas and the instruction to get in behind defenders.

He is at his best when given that opportunity to drive at opponents and he can keep the ball at close quarters in awkward situations.

“It feels like fun, running past players, playing passes, assisting and scoring,” he told The Athletic last year. “I just enjoy playing football and it’s like I’m at peace. That’s all it is for me.

How do you get the best out of him? “A structure of knowing what I need to do, but the licence and freedom to express myself and do what I think is right at any given moment,” he said. “I feel like if I’m given that licence then I’m able to be free and create and that’s when I can make things happen.”

That has yet to come on the international stage.

How he plays for England

Eze’s first notable involvement for England at Euro 2024 came 10 minutes after his introduction as a second-half substitute against Denmark. Receiving a pass from Crystal Palace team-mate Marc Guehi, he turned into space and quickly threaded a clever through ball for Ollie Watkins to chase. In the end, it was a touch too heavy and the Danes had a goal kick but the idea was there.

His role for England, in the limited time he has spent on the pitch — this was his senior tournament debut and he has just 140 minutes across five appearances with one start — is hard to define given the nature of those matches and the difference in personnel.

But he has generally featured wide left in a front three with little, if any, licence to come inside and impact the game in the way he has done so successfully for Palace. Eze is not suited to being this wide and using him there will not achieve the best results from him.

Then there is the issue of those infrequent appearances. Understandable though it may be, given other options in the side, that is not conducive to replicating his club form. Eze’s most impactful performances come from starting games — he can take time to get into matches and being a substitute relatively late on will do little for either Eze or England.

Matt Woosnam

(Top photos: Getty Images)