Gary Lineker has launched a brutal attack on England and Gareth Southgate following their performance in the Euro 2024 tie against Denmark.
The Three Lions have come in for a lot of criticism for their performance in their second match of Euro 2024, after seeing off their opponents after going 1-0 up, conceding and struggling to take control of the match.
It was a more than below-par performance from the pre-tournament favourites, with Southgate admitting after the match that his side were struggling and that he was finding it difficult to find a replacement for Kalvin Phillips.
However, there was no place to hide when it came to criticism from fans and pundits, with Lineker returning from his role as presenter and giving his opinion during the BBC’s coverage of the match on Thursday evening.
Speaking The rest is football podcast, meanwhile, the former England man entered the nation with a brutal one-word assessment of what he expected from the performance.
Gary Lineker has launched a brutal attack on England after the match against Denmark
The Three Lions have come in for a lot of criticism after their second Euro 2024 match
Lineker questioned the tactics of Gareth Southgate, who admitted his side had struggled
“I mean, you can come up with all kinds of words and expletives if you want, but it was damn,” Lineker said. ‘Was it tactically clumsy? It’s really difficult to be critical of Gareth Southgate because, in his role as England, he changed the fortunes of England in many ways.”
The Match of the Day presenter continued to question Southgate, wondering how he has struggled to get the best out of a squad packed with talent.
Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka were all subbed off early in the match, replaced by Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen, while Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold struggled throughout in midfield.
“If anyone says the England team isn’t trying or giving 100 percent, that’s nonsense,” he added. ‘Tactically they are just a bit lost. And that comes from the manager, I’m afraid.
‘Really and truly. He must ensure that England play higher up the pitch as a unit. Because at the moment they are not a unity.’
After the match, England captain Harry Kane raised eyebrows when he suggested England are unclear on how to pressure their opponents.
Kane said: “We are starting the games well. But if the teams drop a few players deeper, we don’t really know how to increase the pressure and who is the one who should go.”
After the match, captain Harry Kane said his side are ‘not quite sure how to pile on the pressure’
Lineker admitted the England forward’s comments are ‘beyond worrying’
Responding to the post-match comments on the BBC, Lineker once again pointed the finger at Southgate for why his side are struggling without the ball.
“It comes from the manager,” he said. ‘And I hate to say it, but it’s not too late, because England are top of the group and all that, and they can get through. But with this, he is blessed with the players he has.
‘But you have to play high now. Now, high line, it has to come from the manager. And Harry Kane said in his interview, right? We don’t really know how to do it.’
Micah Richards, also speaking on the BBC, described the comments as ‘worrying’, while Lineker responded: ‘More than worrying.’
England had struggled in their final match without the ball before the tournament got underway, losing 1-0 to Iceland in a friendly at Wembley.
It was hoped and somewhat expected that the return of Jude Bellingham, who had just won the Champions League with Real Madrid, would help, but little progress has been made.
Linker continued with the press, adding: ‘Which I find inexplicable, to be honest… we’ve just seen Spain play, absolutely high press, really high, they have excellent technical players – that goes for England too. Why don’t they play the high press? Aren’t they coached to do this?
Lineker added that the lack of high press ‘must come from management’
He wondered why England are not coached to defend high up the pitch given the quality of players they have at their disposal
There are calls for some changes to be made, with the likes of Cole Palmer (left) and Anthony Gordon (middle) not appearing for even a minute
‘Can you do it with Harry Kane? I think you can. No matter how good he is, you have to believe in this, Harry. That has to come from management.’
Southgate is expected to make changes to his squad for England’s final group match against Slovenia on Tuesday, although Kane is likely to keep his place.
There are calls for Cole Palmer to see some action after playing less than a minute in the tournament, while Trent Alexander-Arnold’s trial in midfield is unlikely to happen.
Other attacking options include Anthony Gordon, who is also yet to play a minute, while there have been voices in favor of introducing Adam Wharton into midfield.
