Many England players 'too soft' – Carragher
Jamie Carragher has branded England’s players “too soft” following their exit from Euro 2016.
Manager Roy Hodgson resigned after the 2-1 defeat to Iceland meant the Three Lions were knocked out of the competition in France.
However, former England and Liverpool defender Carragher believes the players should take their share of the blame.
He told the Daily Mail: “Too soft. The more I think about England’s humiliation against Iceland, the more those two words come into my mind.
“This is what England’s players have become. The “Academy Generation” — for that is what they are — are soft physically and soft mentally.
“We saw the end result in all its gruesome detail in Nice on Monday when another major tournament ended in calamity and blame.”
Carragher admitted that it was ultimately Hodgson who had to take the blame, adding there was no way he could continue as manager after the way England exited Euro 2016. But he was quick to add that the players needed to step up and accept a large part of the blame as well.
“It never is the players’ fault when England crash out of a competition, is it? Well, it’s time to explode that myth.
“I call some of the squad, I don’t believe it applies to the full group, too soft. It’s always someone else’s fault when they don’t produce — the coach picked the wrong team, someone played the wrong pass — so when I heard suggestions the senior players were unhappy with Hodgson’s training, I was incensed.
“Why won’t they take responsibility? They live lives now with personal assistants, player liaison officers, nannies and agents organising every little detail for them. Some wouldn’t even know how to book a holiday or an appointment at the dentist for themselves.
“It strips character. You can see that in the interviews they give…there really is no point in watching them, as they are afraid of saying anything.”
