You can’t do that.No, you simply can’t. It’s unacceptable, to say the least, to put gigantic pressure on a 19-year-old kid who was ridding an inflated unicorn two days ago. And what you do – you put million tons on his weak shoulders, ordering him to shoot a decisive penalty in the EURO finals.English shoot-out nightmare ends their hopes of glory: Italy are the champions of EuropeOf all the people in the world, it was Gareth Southgate who made that woeful mistake, tarnishing Bukayo Saka’s self-confidence, potentially even jeopardising his further development. The very same Southgate whose entire fruitful career was left hanging in the shadows of that tragic penalty miss in the EURO 1996 semifinal against Germany.Such a powerful image.What would you say whilst experiencing your toughest moments, to your younger self? pic.twitter.com/AMrmVxOAZf— Ben Pearce (@benpearcetalks) July 12, 2021 So instead of relying on the most experienced names in the squad, he has thrown a hot potato in the hands of a freshman whose world has fallen apart in the aftermath of Donnarumma’s save.You can’t do that.As if it was not enough, the England coach made two more unforgivable mistakes that had cost him so much in the shoot-out. Seconds before the final whistle in the extra time, he brought in Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to take penalties. Two genuinely great young players, but with a lack of action nor minutes on this tournament. Bearing that in mind, it’s no wonder they both missed vital shots that could have pushed the Three Lions side straight to the crown. Instead, Southgate’s choice was to pull out none other than Jordan Henderson – almost a veteran with as much experience on the big stage as Saka, Rashford and Sancho altogether.You cant’ do that.What could possibly go wrong… (© Carl Recine – Pool/Getty Images)And you know what else? You can’t be more Italian than Italians themselves, and try to set up almost 120 minutes of ‘catenaccio’, a mind-blowing defensive antifootball. When Azzurri play like that, it seems fitting (although it is not Mancini’s ilk at all), but when you give an order to Kane, Sterling and Mount to diminish their own offensive virtues for the greater good, then the only possible destination for your rollercoaster is – straight to the ground.A single shot on the target (it was Luke Shaw’s opener less than two minutes into the game) for the entire two hours of football can’t take you to the desired glory. Maybe it will provide you with a penalty roulette, but if you put all of your hopes on the wrong cards, defeat is the only possible outcome.You can’t gamble in the finals.0 – Harry Kane didn’t attempt a shot or create a chance for only the second time in his 61 games for England, with the other coming in a 29-minute substitute appearance against Switzerland in 2018. Squeezed. #ENG #ITA #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/IaxPEZ7mJw— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 11, 2021 That’s why Southgate lost even before that Donnarumma’s save.He might be a great person, a true gentleman, a sensible tactician, but what he did last night will go in history as an example of blatant mismanagement.The trauma is coming home. The trophy is already in Rome.By: Bojan Babić
