The No. 1 favorite to win Euro 2024, the Three Lions, are having a rough go of it.
The Three Lions narrowly defeated Serbia 1-0 in their Euro 2024 Group C opener. In the second round, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Denmark. Criticism of the England squad is mounting. They"ve been called the strongest squad ever assembled, but the reality is different. They"re nowhere near the favorites.
Southgate's tactics have not escaped criticism either, especially his decision to play Trent Alexander-Arnold, the English Premier League's (EPL) leading fullback, in central midfield. The criticism hasn't stopped. Alexander-Arnold started both games in the midfield.
After the Serbia game, and again after the Denmark game, the criticism has been directed at Alexander Arnold. The criticism has also been directed at Gareth Southgate for playing him in the midfield. While many pundits warned that the midfielder would be a failure, Southgate didn't listen.
After the Denmark game, Southgate said, "We know that Alexander-Arnold is an experiment. We don't have another player to replace him. We are trying different things. But at the moment it hasn't gone the way we want it to. We need to play better. I understand that people were disappointed with our performance. But there is a reason for that. We will make it better," he said in his defense.
Before Euro 2024, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney responded: "I would never play Alexander Arnold in midfield. I've seen him play in 토토 midfield a few times and I think his quality has dropped a lot. I think he should fight for the right fullback position," he said.
"Midfield is a very important position. I would start 19-year-old Kobi Mainu over Alexander Arnold in this position. If I were the coach, I would do that 100%. It's not that Alexander Arnold can't play there, but I saw him play against Everton. I saw the passes he made, it was unbelievable," he emphasized.
Another Spurs legend, Roy Keane, has also weighed in, and he too has concluded that Alexander-Arnold's use in midfield was a failure.
"Southgate's gamble on Alexander-Arnold has failed," Keane told ITV Sport after the Denmark game. He's been subbed out in both games. It's not a good sign. I always thought it was a gamble to play Alexander-Arnold in midfield, he hasn't played in that position every time for Liverpool. People say he flows from fullback to midfield, but flowing is not the same as starting in that position," he pointed out.
"I used to play in the midfield," Keane said. It's a tough position. Alexander Arnold hasn't been good enough in two games. It's not all down to him. Southgate has to sort it out. It's a big gamble to throw a full-back into the center. You can't do this against France or Spain. This is how England looked against two teams they thought they would be comfortable against. They have tougher tests ahead. It was too much to ask of Alexander Arnold and he was not up to it."
