Markus Babbel Says “Germany wouldn’t have any fear coming up against England”

Former German international and Liverpool defender Markus Babbel says Germany will have no fear if they come up against an England side who have been terrible so far at Euro 2024.

Babbel sat down with bet365 to discuss all things Euro 2024 in his home country and he didn’t hold back when asked about England’s performances in the group stages, and Germany’s chances should the sides meet in the final.

When he was asked who the underperforming sides were so far, Babbel had this to say: “Most of the top players in top teams are performing, the team that stands out in a bad way is England. 

“Maybe France also, but in the game against the Netherlands, they had so many chances. They were very solid in the back, they created many chances.

“France look more ready than England at the moment.” 

You can read what else Babbel said on England’s Euro 2024 chances below including who is to blame for England’s performances and Harry Kane’s trophy curse, which continued when moving to Babbel’s former club Bayern Munich.

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Q: Would Germany have any fear coming up against England?

MB: “Germany wouldn’t have any fear coming up against England. England might well have the best players but they have been so poor.

“If you see how England play, you get tears in your eyes. I’m not sure what they are trying to do, if you look at Trent Alexander-Arnold he is incredible for Liverpool and then for England you’d think it was his twin brother.

“There are top players, but no one is performing, England can’t be worse than they were in the group stage. I wish that Germany would have played against England because it was the easiest draw if you go by the group games.

“If they perform like they can then it will be difficult to beat them, but at the moment they look awful.”

 

Q: Who is to blame for England’s poor performances?

MB: “Both the England players and the manager are to blame, but if the players are not performing then it is the job of the manager to change things up to find players who can play together.

‘Cole Palmer played a fantastic season with Chelsea, Anthony Gordon played fantastically for Newcastle. You have so much talent on the bench, so take one out if he’s not performing or if he’s saying that he can’t play in a certain position.

“The job of a manager is to find the best XI for their country.“

 

Q: What have you made of Jude Bellingham’s performances?

MB: “The body language from Jude Bellingham, my God, what’s going on with him?

“Maybe he thinks that because he won the Champions League that now he’s the absolute superstar of England? Come on. If I was playing with him, I would kick him up the backside.

“He’s a top, top player. There’s a reason why he won the Champions League with Real Madrid because he’s an outstanding player, but when I see his body language, I go mad.

“He’s still a young player. If Harry Kane was doing it then maybe. He has played so many years in the Premier League and was often the top scorer. Okay, I’d understand that.

“But, Bellingham? Come on.

“He’s doing well with Real Madrid but when you’re playing for England you have to give everything. If you don’t want to run, that’s not good enough for me because I expect so much more from this kind of player.”

 

Q: Are German fans aware of Harry Kane’s ‘trophy curse’?

MB: “Harry Kane is so unlucky because he has performed fantastically. He was unbelievable in his debut season with Bayern Munich and still didn’t win a trophy.

“He came at the wrong time to Bayern Munich because there are many problems at board level and there are many problems on the pitch. They’re trying to change it now, but the supporters love him because he’s one of the best strikers in the world and he decided to come to Bayern Munich.

“He is a gentleman. Bayern Munich fans support him. They love him. Even in Germany as a whole they are saying, wow, what a top guy he is. He doesn’t act like a superstar star.

“Just like Jurgen Klopp, he is a normal one.The supporters see that he is a massive name, maybe the biggest name by Bayern Munich, but he is normal. He is one of us.

“So he has done a fantastic job for Bayern Munich and was very unlucky that he came at the wrong time, but you will see that there will be a lot of changes in the summer and we will see the direction that this great club is going.”

 

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