England drew 1-1 against Denmark after a dire of game of football, and suddenly the country's great hopes of winning the tournament have been punctured.
Beforehand English pundits like Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, and Ian Wright were all very confident about this team reaching the final, praising the likes of Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Phil Foden as the saviours who will bring The Three Lions to glory.
In equally dramatic fashion, they drew their second game in the group, and they are now crucifying the players, the manager, the system, and you can't take a leisurely stroll through social media now without seeing at least one ex England player berating the team in a fit of rage.
Their ability to hit both ends of the spectrum, starting off with unrealistic expectations and then plummeting straight to crisis mode overnight isn't a new thing when it comes to the build up surrounding the England team.
Léigh an scéal seo trí Ghaeilge ar Liathróidí.ie brúigh anseo.
Former Ireland star James McClean was asked about the hype machine that follows the English into all of these tournaments before they played Denmark, and his words were prophetic.
"That's always been the English hype and media around the team", said McClean.
"It's always over the top, for a country that's won one World Cup, and has never won the Euros, they are very expectant and very arrogant about their chances.
"Before a ball is kicked they are always plotting a route to the final, so they need to tone it down a bit, because they are always over the top."
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James McClean doubles down on Declan Rice criticism
The Derry native hit the nail on the head with that analysis, and he then proceeded to double down on his criticism of Declan Rice.
The Arsenal midfielder was briefly a teammate of McClean with Ireland before switching allegiances, and earlier in the week the Irishman was critical of the player.
"I think Declan Rice is very overrated," the Wrexham star told RTÉ.
"Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a very good footballer but the way the English media wax lyrical about him, I think it’s completely over the top.
"For me, he’s not world class. World class to me is someone who gets in every single side in the world and I don’t think he does that.
"I don’t think he gets in the Manchester City side ahead of Rodri. I don’t think… Kroos is now retired but, to me, Toni Kroos is world class, he dictates the game."
🇩🇰 v 🏴
"For a country that's won one World Cup & have never won the Euros they're very expectant & very arrogant about their chances." - James McClean says English expectations are over the top.📺 @RTE2 and @RTEPlayerhttps://t.co/XnOP6grnB7#Euro2024 #DENENG pic.twitter.com/79qLYIzsRZ
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 20, 2024
After a disappointing performance against Denmark, Rice was one of the players that had England fans pulling their hair out with frustration.
Spotting his opportunity to say 'I told you so', the former Premier League star made his point again.
"I think Denmark's won the midfield battle in that half," he said at half-time on Thursday. "I made comments about Declan Rice yesterday which people have got their knickers in twist about.
"But I think for a £100million player, I want to see more than just five-yard sideways and backwards passes. He attempted one forward pass in the half and it went straight into the keeper's hands.
"I want to see him do more. Break lines."
Despite drawing with Denmark, England still sit top of their group and if they get a win or draw in their next game against Slovenia on Tuesday, then they will qualify for the knockout stages.
