ENGLAND
AGE-GROUP CHAMPIONS ARE COMING OF AGE
In their first Euros outing in 1968, England finished third, of four teams. They’re still waiting to improve on that.
Only Belgium and the old Yugoslavia could claim to have performed better at European Championships without winning one. England have been international football’s big underachievers since 1966, from home-soil heroes to the failed Golden Generation. The Three Lions have won one knockout game in the history of this competition. On penalties. As hosts.
Five years ago, new: an unofficial remodelling of English football, led by some of the greatest minds in the game. Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Marcelo Bielsa all arrived, followed by a cast of club legends making early forays into management. Together, they’ve helped to reshape the country’s tactical make-up into something more modern. An Icelandic volcano turned English football to rubble, but something unprecedented has risen from it.
