June 16th 2024.
It seems that Erik ten Hag was not particularly impressed with the tactics used by England during their first Euro 2024 match against Serbia. The Dutch manager, who was doing punditry for NOS in his home country, made a sly comment about Gareth Southgate's decisions as the Three Lions narrowly secured a 1-0 victory.
Despite Jude Bellingham scoring the lone goal for England, the team struggled to maintain their lead as Serbia put up a strong fight in the second half. This forced England to play defensively, with ten Hag noting that Southgate was taking a risk by relying on sporadic moments rather than securing a second goal.
During the pre-match coverage, ten Hag had also spoken out about Manchester United's decision to keep Southgate as their manager. And after the game, he continued to question the English manager's tactics, especially since Southgate was one of the top contenders to replace ten Hag before the season began.
According to ten Hag, the way the game played out was a reflection of the manager's vision for the team. He suggested that Southgate was content with a 1-0 lead and chose to "gamble" with the team's fortunes by making them more compact and relying on moments rather than maintaining control of the game.
In other news, Luke Shaw was among the substitutes for England in their match against Serbia, with Kieran Trippier starting at left-back. Shaw had been out of action since February due to an injury, which he had regretted aggravating at the request of ten Hag during a previous match. His chances of making the final squad for the Euros seemed slim initially, but he has been making progress in his recovery and was back in full training this week.
However, ten Hag believes that Shaw's return to the England team will not happen until the knockout stages of the competition. He stated that the left-back will most likely only start playing once England secure their spot in the next round.
England will face Denmark next in their Euro 2024 campaign, with the Danes drawing their opening game against Slovenia. The Three Lions will then conclude their group matches against Slovenia next Tuesday. For more updates and analysis on Manchester United, sign up for our newsletter and rest assured that your privacy is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
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