Gary Lineker has accused Gareth Southgate of insulting England stars at Euro 2024.
The inquest into England’s wretched performance against Denmark – their worst at a major tournament since the humiliating defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016 – is continuing. After Harry Kane ’s early opener, the Three Lions were desperately poor and were fortunate to escape with a point.
Southgate’s experiment of playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield hasn’t work and will surely be ditched for the group finale against Slovenia on Tuesday. After the game, Southgate bizarrely referenced the absence of Kalvin Phillips, previously a mainstay of the midfield but whose club form has fallen off a cliff.
“We have been trying to find a solution in midfield for seven or eight years,” said the England boss. “If we hadn’t had Declan Rice for the last few years, I don’t know where we’d have been.
“Unfortunately, Kalvin [Phillips] wasn’t possible for us for this tournament and Hendo [Jordan Henderson] the same, so we’re trying to find something different.”
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The mention of Phillips shocked Lineker and Alan Shearer, who discussed England’s various problems in the latest The Rest is Football podcast. Shearer said: “I didn’t like Gareth’s comments after the game in terms of Kalvin Phillips."
Lineker added: “It’s insulting to some of the players who are already there, and also it’s wrong because there are players in that squad that could do it.
YOUR TURN! Do you agree with Lineker and Shearer? Tell us in the comments section
Gareth Southgate is under mounting pressure following England's awful display against Denmark (Getty Images)“Even the young players he’s brought in could do it. Adam Wharton could do it, Kobbie Mainoo could probably do it. But the players need instructions, they need to understand what their jobs are."
Shearer agreed, saying: “They absolutely can. If we’ve been relying on Kalvin Phillips for the last whatever years, then that is very worrying for me. I don’t think we have [been relying on him]. I didn’t understand his comment at all.”
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