BBC commentator Alan Shearer admitted he did not enjoy watching the second half of England’s 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday night.
The Three Lions made a winning start to their Euro 2024 campaign with Jude Bellingham scoring the only goal of the match.
Gareth Southgate’s men controlled the first half and took a deserved lead into the break.
However, after the break they found themselves trapped and held on in the final stages of the game.
When the final whistle blew, match commentator Shearer said it was a “tough watch”.
Alan Shearer admitted he found the second half of England’s win over Serbia difficult
BBC pundit Rio Ferdinand agreed, saying: “Alan Shearer said it in a comment there: we suffer.” We seem to lack a little composure at times. And sometimes it got a little complicated.
“But I think you have to get what you can from that game, the clean sheet and a new pair of backs.” What a great world to get that clean sheet and a win is a win. It’s not at all about how you start, but how you finish.
Micah Richards also felt that England seemed lacking in confidence after the break.
“I just think in that second half they lacked that faith,” he said. ‘You know, when you went to a game and you stuck your shoulders out, and for the first 30 minutes, they were brilliant.
Phil Foden and England got the three points but the performance was a bit disappointing
Rio Ferdinand said the Three Lions lacked composure and suffered after the break
‘Sometimes, and unconsciously, we all do it when, when you have a clue, you try to protect it. And I think that’s the negative side of what we’re seeing today. I just think that with the players we have, we should be able to control games better, even when we are not pushing for another goal.
‘Tactically, I didn’t like what England did in the second half. They were careless in terms of positioning, they fell a little more. I just think panic started and Serbia and I said before the game that they were a good team.
“They are a physical team. They have very good players against a better team, they will punish you. And I know it’s just the beginning of the tournament, but it’s something they need to learn from and they need to learn quickly, because, yes, in the second half, “They were disappointing.”
Jude Bellingham’s 13th-minute header gave Gelsenkirchen the win
“I don’t want to be too critical, because England won the game, but we’re just talking about the positions. This is in the first half, and then look in the second half how much they’ve dropped. I just think panic stations appear, and if we want to reach far in this tournament, we have to be able to handle the ball in these situations that can make us advance.’
Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas wants to see more of England’s great players.
‘It’s all about mentality. You can’t tell me that players like Trent, like Foden, like Bellingham, like Rice, don’t have the quality to hold the ball anywhere on the field.
“But the question is whether you want it enough to make a difference and have the ball for your team.” Do you want things to happen? Do you like having the ball under pressure?
Cesc Fabregas has called for some of England’s most important players to step up and dominate
‘Yeah, I didn’t think the second half was a bit disappointing. I would say that is the correct word. And I think players like Foden, you know, need to step up. You know, this is the time for them to grow and become a great tournament behind the countries that support them.”
“Although the players, yes, they must take responsibility and show that composure that we see all the time in club football,” Ferdinand added.
“But I think that the structure of the team must also allow the players to do that too in these moments, to get higher up the field, to create those spaces in the pockets, the rotations that we saw in the first half. But I agree with “What Cesc said there. The big difference is that when the England team was put under pressure, they didn’t respond in a really positive way.”