"They think it's all over. It is now." And isn't that a relief? England's performances at Euro 2024 have been so tough to watch it has felt like an endurance race and the only positive to take from the drab 0-0 stalemate with Slovenia was the knowledge that the group stage has come to an end and things can surely only improve.
England finishing top of their group would normally be something to celebrate but their three matches in Germany had no one smiling as Gareth Southgate's side served up utterly uninspiring football against mediocre opposition, forcing anyone who had the Three Lions down as pre-tournament favourites to reassess.
Southgate has borne the brunt of the criticism and it is hard to not be concerned by the trajectory his team are on. They have won six of their 13 matches since last September, earning just two victories from their last eight matches.
The last time England picked up five points in a European Championship was in 2016, when they sunk to a humiliating defeat to Iceland in their next match. Then again, they had a similar run of results in the group stage of the 1990 World Cup, when they went on to reach the semi-finals.
England can now start thinking about their last 16 match on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen although they will not learn their opponents until the group stage finishes on Wednesday night. And they have a lot of thinking to do.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from England's journey through Group C...