"He's got enough players to replace him and others" - Pundit slams Southgate's recent comments after England's draw with Denmark
Pundit Jan Aage Fjørtoft has criticized Gareth Southgate for justifying England's 1-1 draw against Denmark by stating that the team doesn't have a 'natural replacement' for Kalvin Phillips. The Englishmen drew their second group-stage game after beating Serbia 1-0 in their first Euro 2024 clash.
His remark didn't sit well with Fjørtoft, who suggested that the England head coach's remark came at a bad time. He further added that Southgate had plenty of options to choose from. Here's what he wrote on X:
"I think the Kalvin Phillips comment from Southgate was very 'bad timing'. He must read the room. He’s got enough players to replace him and others. An England - team which getting deeper and deeper. An England - team who gives all initiatives after 1-0. A team which doesn’t do high pressing (like most other teams). A team which run around without a visible pattern. That’s on Gareth Southgate."
England took the lead through captain Harry Kane in the 18th minute. However, the lead was neutralized by Denmark's Morten Hjulmand, who scored a screamer from long-range to level the scores in the 34th minute.
Southgate, who played Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield over the last two games, was heavily criticized following the 1-1 draw. The Liverpool fullback didn't finish both games and was taken off in the second half in favor of Conor Gallagher on both occasions.
Responding to questions about his decision to substitute Trent, Southgate said (via GOAL):
"I wanted to get Conor on; we needed some energy and to press better. He's (Alexander-Arnold) had some moments where he's delivered what we thought he would. We know it's an experiment. We know we don't have a natural replacement for Kalvin Philips."
The Three Lions will play their last group-stage game against Slovenia on Tuesday, June 25.
England had lost Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties
Gareth Southgate's men lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties. Luke Shaw scored for the Englishmen in the second minute of the final. However, a goal in the 67th minute from Leonardo Bonucci levelled the playing field.
The Three Lions were ahead in the penalty shootout as well, leading 2-1 after both teams had taken two shots. However, Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford missed their respective penalties, allowing Italy to bag their first-ever major international trophy after the 2006 World Cup.
England became the third host team after Portugal and France to lose a European final. Furthermore, it was their first-ever major final appearance since the 1966 World Cup.