June 17th 2024.
During England's first match of Euro 2024, Gareth Southgate made a substitution with only 20 minutes remaining. He brought on Conor Gallagher to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, much to the confusion of football legend Gary Lineker. Lineker questioned Southgate's reasoning for the substitution during the tense 1-0 win over Serbia.
The winning goal was scored by Jude Bellingham with a powerful header in the 13th minute. It was a crucial victory for England as they began their Euro campaign in Gelsenkirchen. However, their performance was uninspiring for the majority of the match. The team struggled to connect in their attacks and allowed Serbia to put pressure on them. In fact, Jordan Pickford had to make a great save in the closing minutes to prevent Serbia from equalizing.
Despite the less-than-ideal performance, England was able to secure three points and top spot in their group. Southgate was satisfied with the team's resilience in the second half and spoke to BBC Sport after the match. He also praised Alexander-Arnold's performance in the middle of the park and explained his decision to bring on Gallagher in place of the Liverpool star.
Lineker, who had been hosting the BBC's coverage of the match, shared his thoughts on the game and England's performance on The Rest Is Football podcast with Micah Richards. He pointed out the talent on the team, specifically mentioning Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze, and noted that it will be interesting to see how Southgate manages the left-hand side in future matches.
Lineker also discussed the team's tendency to sit back and defend a lead, something that has been criticized in the past. He speculated that it may be a result of human nature to protect what you have, but also acknowledged that England's strength lies in keeping the ball and moving forward. He described the match as "strange" and felt that England needed someone to calm things down rather than bring on a player like Gallagher, who is less likely to keep possession.
Despite the underwhelming performance, Lineker is confident that England will "find their feet" and progress in the tournament. He drew on his own experience playing in tournaments and emphasized that the first game is always difficult and edgy, but things can change quickly. He believes that every game is different and that England will continue to improve as the tournament goes on. In the end, Lineker reminded listeners that it's important to focus on the positives and not get too down about one match.
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