Southgate explains Harry Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold substitutions in England's draw against Denmark at Euro 2024
England were held to a 1-1 draw in their second Euro 2024 match against Denmark on Thursday, June 20. Gareth Southgate's men put in an underwhelming performance against the Danes, and the manager explained two of his substitutions during the encounter.
England got off the mark early in the game with Harry Kane scoring in the 18th minute, slotting him a low-cross by Kyle Walker.
However, Denmark equalized just 16 minutes later with Morten Hjulmand scoring one of the goals of the tournament. He fired a shot from about 30 yards out, which pinged off the crossbar and went into Jordan Pickford's goal.
Southgate's men lost their initiative after Denmark's goal and failed to create enough chances. In a move that shocked pundits and fans alike, Gareth Southgate replaced talisman Harry Kane in the 70th minute with Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
In an interview with BBC One, the English manager explained his decision.
"We needed energy. We have had two games and we needed fresh legs, we needed energy to press. And at that stage of the game… Harry has only had one 90 minutes [for Bayern] in over a month so that was the decision we took," Southgate said.
The 53-year-old also replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold with Conor Gallagher nine minutes into the second half. It is interesting to note that the Liverpool man started the game in midfield instead of his usual right-back position.
"We wanted to get Conor on, we needed some energy, we needed to press better," Southgate added.
Southgate further explained that Alexander-Arnold showed his true potential in spurts across the match. Moreover, he accepted that he didn't have a conventional replacement for Kalvin Philips.
"He’s had some moments where he has delivered what we thought he would. We know it’s an experiment, and we know we don’t have a natural replacement for a Kalvin Phillips, but we are trying some different things, and at the moment, we are not flowing as we like," he concluded.
England fans are being scrutinized for controversial chants in Euro 2024
The behavior of England fans in Germany for Euro 2024 has come under scrutiny after a number of fans were caught chanting controversial chants and alluding to Germany's plight after World War II.
A report by the BBC has claimed that English fans were spotted doing the "10 German Bombers" chant and continued to do so despite warnings from the British and the German police.
BBC Sport also reported British fans were singing and chanting about World War II in front of the Germans. The same chants were also heard during England's first game against Serbia in Euro 2024.
The German police have explained that although chanting these songs isn't an offense, it is considered extremely impolite. Meanwhile, British authorities have suggested that the offenders could be prosecuted with a fine if they don't stop chanting despite warnings.
England's next fixture in Euro 2024 will be against Slovenia on June 25. The Three Lions currently lead the Group C table with four points to their name.