19 June 2024 , 21:30
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England boss Gareth Southgate has insisted he is not worried about Erik ten Hag’s criticism of his tactics.
Manchester United boss ten Hag told Dutch TV during England’s win over Serbia that Southgate tends to get a lead, then sit back and rely on “moments” rather than trying to dominate.
Southgate said: “During the course of a tournament there’s obviously millions of opinions in different directions and so whilst I’m not reading a thing, or listening to a thing, you become aware of these things because they get sent to you.
“There was a moment where we weren’t in as much control of the game on Sunday as we would’ve liked, and we felt that was a good moment for Conor Gallagher to come into the game. He did the job.
“I think there are different moments, different flows of games, moments where you’re in control and you can push forward, moments where you’ve got a different problem to solve. Every coach would reflect on that.
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“I was really pleased with Gallagher, Kobbie, Bowen when they came on, I felt they all contributed really well to the team. Within 30 seconds Bowen produced a cross that on another day makes it 2-0 and there’s a different narrative around the whole performance.
“I accept everyone’s going to have different views and I’m really calm about that.”
The England boss also insisted none of his players heard any racist abuse from Serbia fans.
UEFA have launched a full scale investigation after one of their “crowd spotters” identified a Serbia fan making monkey noises during Sunday’s game. However, the Football Association did not make a complaint and the investigation has been driven purely by UEFA who have also charged Serbia with displaying an inflammatory Kosovo flag.
When asked whether the FA or the players had heard anything, England boss Southgate said: “No, we're the same. Not something anybody seems to be aware of from our side.
“That's all we know, that UEFA are investigating something, and we don't know any more than that really.”
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