'Defeatist' England aces 'don't look bonded and miss Grealish' as worrying footage emerges

Body language expert Judi James reckons there’s a lack of bonding in the England camp. It’s not been a positive start to Euro 2024 for the Three Lions, despite being unbeaten in Germany so far.

The opening 1-0 victory over Serbia was unconvincing, and the 1-1 draw which followed against Denmark sparked criticism of Gareth Southgate and some of his players for their sub-par performances. Footage of them boarding the coach to head to Cologne on Monday raised fresh concerns.

It showed several players exiting the team hotel on their own and looking far from high spirits ahead of their final group game against Slovenia. James believes a chemistry issue could be contributing to Southgate’s side giving off a defeatist mentality.

She said: “There’s no signs of bonding between them as they walk in separately, and what smiles there are look sickly at a point in the tournament where fans will be hoping they are revved up and brimming with team-based rapport.

“Watching teams like Denmark and Portugal display what looks like a ‘Ride or Die’ mentality out there on the pitch, playing with the kind of speed and urgency that reflects a strong will to win, this England team’s style of body language, which reflects the more ‘steady as she goes, keep it calm’ behaviours out there during their games so far, is beginning to look risky as well as dull.”

James argued the likes of Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and co looked “totally devoid of energy, motivation and positive anticipation” in the clip shared by the social media team. None of the 11 players seen in the 26-second-long video acknowledged the camera.

She also highlighted the absence of Jack Grealish as another contributing factor. The Manchester City winger has had a big impact both on and off the pitch at the two previous major tournaments.

She added: “If an absence should be felt it might be that of known comics, jokers and morale-boosters like Grealish, or even seeing [Harry] Kane out in the hub of the team, patting backs, offering some motivational words and pulling them together at every stage, including this desultory-looking walk from the vending machine to the coach.”

England will look to alleviate the worries with a far more positive showing against Slovenia, who themselves need a positive result to improve their chances of progressing to the knockout stages. The Three Lions are already through to the last 16, but victory will guarantee the most favourable draw.