Southgate Remains Steady Amid Criticism, Set to Make Minimal Changes for Slovenia Clash
England manager Gareth Southgate is determined to steer clear of knee-jerk reactions despite facing criticism for his team’s underwhelming performance at Euro 2024. The Three Lions currently sit atop Group C with four points, heading into their final group match against Slovenia on Tuesday night.
Following a lackluster 1-1 draw with Denmark, Southgate’s squad has come under fire from fans and pundits alike. However, media outlets have previously reported that Southgate is opting for stability with only one change in the lineup. Conor Gallagher is expected to start, replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold in Cologne.
Southgate’s decision underscores his belief in the current squad’s potential to secure a strong tournament run, despite the early setbacks. England will look to solidify their position and advance confidently to the knockout stages with a decisive performance against Slovenia.
“Well, the big risk is you have a knee-jerk reaction and you move away from things that are going well,” Southgate said.
“You can rip everything up and go in a completely different direction but what’s actually going well? We don’t want to lose what’s going well.
“Then it’s ‘OK, how can we add to what we’re doing?’ Your best players are still your best players.
“We might not have functioned as a team as we would have liked for a large part of the second game and a half of the first game.
“But that doesn’t mean what we’ve been doing for the last two years, in particular, and the period before that… we shouldn’t be throwing everything out of the window.
“That’s where we have to stay calm, make sensible decisions, make the right calls, keep everybody on track.
“We were pretty certain four points would qualify us and then it’s about winning the group.
“We’ve trodden this path before. We’re exactly where we were points-wise in the last Euros – scored a goal more and conceded a goal more.”
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