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Gary Lineker has launched a brutal attack on England and Gareth Southgate following their performance in the Euro 2024 draw against Denmark.
The Three Lions have been widely criticized for their performance in their second match of Euro 2024, as they shut out their opponents after going 1-0 up, conceding and struggling to take control of the game.
It was a more than sub-par performance for the pre-tournament favourites, and Southgate, after the match, admitted that his team had struggled and 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, as Lineker returned from his presenting role to contribute his views during the BBC’s coverage of the match on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, the former England player lashed out at the nation with a brutal one-word verdict on what he experienced from the performance.
Gary Lineker launched a brutal attack against England after their performance against Denmark
“I mean, you can think of all kinds of words and insults if you want, but it was bullshit,” Lineker said. ‘Was he tactically inept? It’s really difficult to criticize Gareth Southgate because he, overall, in the role of England, he has changed the fortunes of England in many ways.
The Match of the Day presenter continued to question Southgate, asking him how he has struggled to get the best out of a team packed with talent.
Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka were withdrawn early in the game, replaced by Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen, while Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold struggled in midfield.
“If someone says that the English team doesn’t try or doesn’t give 100 percent, that’s nonsense,” he added. ‘They are a bit lost tactically. And I’m afraid that’s coming from the manager.
‘It really is. He has to get England to play higher up the pitch, as a unit. Because, at the moment, they are not a unit.
After the match, England captain Harry Kane raised eyebrows when he suggested that England are unclear on how to put pressure on their opponents.
Kane said: ‘We are starting the games well. But when teams leave a few more players behind, we’re not quite sure how to apply pressure and who’s supposed to go.’
Lineker addressed the post-match comments on the BBC, again singling out Southgate for the reason his team is 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 everything, and it can happen.” But with this, he is blessed with the players he has.
But now you have to play high. Now, high line, it must come from the manager. And Harry Kane said in the interview about him, right? We don’t really know how to do it. And I’m thinking…’
Micah Richards, also speaking on the BBC, described the comments as “concerning”, to which Lineker responded: “Beyond worrying.”
England had struggled without the ball in their last match before the tournament began, losing 1-0 to Iceland in a friendly at Wembley.
It was hoped, and in some ways expected, that the return of Jude Bellingham, who had just won the Champions League with Real Madrid, would help this, but little progress has been made.