Former England captain Alan Shearer has advised Gareth Southgate to make three daring changes to the starting lineup of the Three Lions ahead of their matchup against Slovakia in the Euro 2024 round of 16.
The next match for England is on Sunday, June 30 at the Veltins-Arena against Slovakia.
Having won one and drawn two of their group matches although only scoring two goals, England emerged victorious in Group C with five points.
To take on Slovenia, players like Conor Gallagher of Chelsea, Bukayo Saka of Arsenal, and Phil Foden of Manchester City were included in the starting lineup.
Due to their various struggles throughout the match, the coach had to substitute Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, and Manchester United’s youthful player Kobbie Mainoo.
Up the pitch and in midfield, the replacements outperformed their counterparts who made way.
“He [Southgate] brought Mainoo on at half-time, I thought the other subs were left far too late,” Shearer said on BBC One (via METRO). However, all three had the necessary impact on the game.
“I thought Mainoo was excellent; he entered the game in midfield and provided a unique midfield option by winning the ball back and generating opportunities to receive it.
Palmer entered the room on the right side and had an extremely impressive appearance. He made a significant impression; his ball movement and confidence were excellent.
“We haven’t seen a lot of [their combinations] in the first two games, and Palmer’s introduction definitely changed that.”
