England face Serbia in Euro 2024 opener with weakened defence

DORTMUND – England face the first test of their credentials as one of the Euro 2024 favourites when they launch their campaign against Serbia on June 16, with injuries and illness adding to worries about an already depleted defence.

Manager Gareth Southgate – under pressure to win their first major men’s trophy since the 1966 World Cup – must decide whether to risk centre-half John Stones, who has just overcome injury only to be hit by a virus this week.

Stalwart centre-back Harry Maguire failed to make the squad due to injury and his likely replacement Marc Guehi has no previous tournament experience and missed three months of Crystal Palace’s season with a knee injury.

Guehi is set to partner Stones, who is not 100 per cent but has declared that he “feels great physically”.

Left-back Luke Shaw also looks set to miss the Group C opener in Gelsenkirchen as he recovers from a hamstring problem suffered in February, with right-footed Kieran Trippier likely to play on the left until Shaw can return.

“My concern is defensively, even if Harry Maguire was in the squad I would still have one or two concerns. I think he will be a miss in both boxes for and against set pieces,” former England striker Alan Shearer said.

“Defensively there’s a worry, but going forward and in midfield they are as good as anyone.”

The backline could be an issue, but the Three Lions boast one of the most potent attacks in Germany.

Captain Harry Kane will be flanked up front by in-form Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, with Champions League-winning playmaker Jude Bellingham offering attacking threat from midfield.

The 30-year-old Kane scored 44 goals in 45 games in all competitions for Bayern Munich is his debut season. He also contributed 12 assists.

“I’m not saying we’ll definitely win the tournament, but we have a really good chance,” he said.

“In England’s history, we’ve struggled to get across the finish line at major tournaments. Now I feel like this team is extremely hungry. We want to make history and win the title.”

England were close to ending their title drought when they made it to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals. They then lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy merely via a penalty shoot-out, and have great ambitions this time to finally clinch victory, counting on their attacking prowess.

But first, the unavoidable question will still come back to what Southgate does with his defence.

The patched-up backline will come up against a Serbia side with an experienced attack led by Aleksandar Mitrovic, who notched 28 goals in 28 matches in the Saudi Pro League and is a major threat in the air.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic has scored 13 times for Serbia in 27 games and former Southampton forward Dusan Tadic will also complement the attack.

Pivotal to England’s hopes of minimising pressure on their defence will be Declan Rice, who is expected to play more as a midfield shield to protect the back four.

Another big question is who Southgate picks to play alongside Rice with hard-running Conor Gallagher, 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo and possibly the even less-tested Adam Wharton, 20, in the frame.

If England can establish a solid base, fans can then expect flair from their front line with exciting young talent in the form of Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze all poised to feature from the bench. AFP