June 26th 2024.
Last night, after England's 0-0 draw against Slovenia, their manager Gareth Southgate faced a wave of boos from the disappointed supporters. Jack Wilshere, a former Arsenal player, expressed his concern for Southgate, stating that the mounting pressure on him may be causing him to make unexpected decisions.
Despite securing a spot in the last 16 of Euro 2024 as Group C winners, England's performance was far from impressive. They struggled to create clear chances against Slovenia, a team ranked 57th in the world, which mirrored their lackluster displays in previous games against Denmark and Serbia. In an attempt to shake things up, Southgate made one change to the starting lineup, replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold with Conor Gallagher in the midfield.
However, this experiment only lasted 45 minutes as Gallagher was substituted at the start of the second half for 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo from Manchester United. Despite being relatively unknown, Mainoo impressed on his tournament debut for his country. Wilshere believes that Mainoo has shown he is ready to start in England's next game alongside Declan Rice, but worries that the decision to remove Gallagher at half time may have damaged his confidence.
Speaking to The Sun, Wilshere shared his thoughts on the substitution, saying, "Kobbie Mainoo was always my preferred choice to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold in England's midfield. I think he proved why in the second half tonight. However, I can't help but feel that it was harsh on Conor Gallagher to be taken off at half time. It was our best half of the tournament and it didn't seem like something Southgate would do."
Wilshere also believes that this decision may have a negative impact on Gallagher's confidence, as he would have seen this as his chance to shine but was only given half a game. Despite the disappointing result, Wilshere acknowledges that the second half was an improvement and Mainoo proved himself to be the right choice for the position in the future. "He's only 19, but he has a great understanding of the game and knows what is needed. He's also better on the ball than Gallagher, and he allowed Declan Rice to push forward even more in the second half."
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