England received a pep talk from a yoga guru after manager Gareth Southgate admitted his stars were feeling exhausted.
The under-criticised England manager is considering making changes to his squad and formation ahead of Tuesday’s final Group C match against Slovenia.
And Southgate admitted his players, including captain Harry Kane, were lethargic in Thursday’s lackluster 1-1 draw with Denmark.
The players took part in a yoga session led by Dr Rebecca Jade at the Blankenhain base.
“We just didn’t put enough pressure on them with enough intensity,” Southgate said.
“There are limitations to how you can achieve that given your physical requirements.
“For example, we can’t press high up the pitch like we did in the qualifiers and we don’t keep the ball well. That’s it. We need to keep the ball better and be more in control and play the game.”
“That way they’ll be less defensive and more confident.”
Kane was substituted in the 70th minute against Denmark and has struggled for clarity since returning from a back injury sustained towards the end of last season.
“Harry has only played 90 minutes once in the last five or six weeks,” Southgate said.
Regarding making any changes for the Slovenia match, Southgate said “everything is on the table.”
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“We will look at our performance and our next opponent and come up with the best solution for the next game.
“Against Denmark I felt it was right to give confidence to the players I selected in the first match because we had won the last game.”
England vs Denmark rating
England were held to a lackluster 1-1 draw with Denmark.
SunSport’s Tom Barclay gives his assessment of the Three Lions team.
Jordan Pickford: 6
He looked a little nervous early on in the game but was unable to keep out a powerful shot from Morten Hülmand and produced a superb parry after the break.
Kyle Walker: 7
He raced around a sleeping Victor Christiansen (a feat he will forever have nightmares about) and then fed Kane from a deflected cross to give England the lead.
John Stones: 6
Well, he barely played for Manchester City in the second half of the season, but then he’s had some injury and illness issues over the past month, so it makes you wonder how fit he is.
Mark Guehi: 8 and My Starman
Crystal Palace’s centre-backs were sharp with their interceptions and sure distribution, producing another truly encouraging display.
Kieran Trippier: 6
Like Stones, he was fine, but England’s lack of a natural left-footed player at left-back is an issue and they need Luke Shaw back as soon as possible.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 5
The experiment with Trent in midfield was unconvincing, apart from a good pass to Saka, especially when his passes were off, as they were here. Substituted after 54 minutes.
Declan Rice: 5
England had to cover some considerable ground after worryingly setting themselves back in the first half and then conceding a few goals in front of their back four.
Bukayo Saka: 7
While it wasn’t as exciting as the first half against Serbia, there was another solid display from the right winger who has been the most consistent attacking player through both games.
Jude Bellingham: 6
The team’s performance was far from the impressive one they showed against Serbia, and many of the players looked tired.
Phil Foden: 7
They were far more aggressive than they were against Serbia, but that wasn’t difficult to do, and they had a couple of dangerous shots from distance, including one that hit the post in the second half.
Harry Kane: 6
He scored the essential opening goal, his 64th international goal, but then lost the ball to Denmark for the equaliser and was surprisingly substituted.
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Conor Gallagher (for Trent, 54 mins): 7
A carefree clearance, with Christian Eriksen lying in wait and putting his foot in without hesitation.
Ollie Watkins (Kane, 70 mins): 6
Bellingham came on and put a beautiful ball into the goal, but couldn’t score from an acute angle.
Jarrod Bowen (69th minute, for Foden): 6
Joachim Mahle received a yellow card after a terrible tackle.
Eberechi Eze (69th minute, for Saka): 6
It was his first time in the tournament, but he barely made it.
England players were given a series of stretching exercises by NHS doctor Jade, who runs the health retreat.
Motivational messages were plastered on the walls of the gym, where exercises like “downward facing dog” were performed.
One read: “Be courageous. Be a leader. Be persistent. Be responsible. Be victorious.”
Another person said: “Find your own greatness.”
In Denmark yesterday, CEO Kasper Hjelman took a day off to create “hygge,” a Danish word that means escaping the hustle and bustle of everyday life and enjoying life’s quieter pleasures.
“It’s our first day off since June 3, so it’s important to get away for a little while,” Hülmand said.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do. People just need to let their wounds heal.”
Meanwhile, Southgate said he always expected the road to winning the Euros would be difficult.
He added: “We have to guide the team through the difficult times ahead but we must stay on the right track and stay focused on the challenges ahead.”
“We’re trying to do something that’s never been done before, so it’s going to be a bit of a rollercoaster.”
“When you try to achieve something extraordinary, it’s not going to be smooth. It’s very difficult.”
“So we have to accept the level of expectations and we have to accept the field we’re in.
“And we have to find a better way to play.
“We’re in a different situation to previous competitions but in other respects it’s exactly the same in that we only have four points from two games, but we know we need to improve our performance levels even more.”
“We have some strong leaders in our locker room who have been through situations like this and they will be the ones to inspire others.”
“We have to play better. We’re not going to run away from that reality.”
“We have to find a solution for that.”
Pundits and legends attack England
Pundits and legends alike lined up to criticise Gareth Southgate’s side after a lackluster 1-1 draw with Denmark.
Here’s the best one of them all…
Alan Shearer
“It was a terrible performance, especially after we had taken the lead in the match.
“I don’t think any of the England players can look at themselves and say, ‘I did my job tonight’.
“England were too sloppy in possession, lost the ball too much and got caught too much.
“The energy was gone, the pace was gone, the guile was gone. Southgate is simply not getting the best out of England’s best players.”
“It is a concern and Gareth will be subject to serious questions.
“You saw the England players lying on their backs. They looked totally exhausted but there’s no excuses.”
Gary Lineker
The BBC presenter described the performance as “lifeless and lifeless”.
Speaking about Harry Kane, he said: “The manager needs to demand more. When I perform like that it’s only natural.”
Rio Ferdinand
“The players are not the same as they are when they are playing for their clubs and that is a big concern.”
Roy Keane
“Courage and bravery, we don’t see that very often.
“The balance is off. Bellingham is waving his arms.”
“This is a big test for Gareth. He seems to be overthinking things.”
Jamie Carragher
“What worries me most about watching this and the rest of the tournament?
“England look totally exhausted. They can’t get close to the ball.”
“The surest sign of fatigue is a deep depression.
“Declan Rice has to cover so much ground. No one can convince me that this is a strategy.”
Jack Wilshere
“It’s strange that we’ve been leading in both games so far and just haven’t had the confidence to play calmly and be in control.
“But what worried us most was that Denmark had a clear style of play and we didn’t.”
