Gareth Southgate, England’s head coach, shockingly claimed that his team is struggling with the absence of Kalvin Phillips. His remarks came after being criticized for ‘experimenting’ with Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield in England’s two EURO 2024 matches.
Southgate opted to start right-back Alexander-Arnold in the midfield in England’s 1-0 win over Serbia and 1-1 draw with Denmark. His decision to play the Liverpool star in this new role earned harsh criticism after England’s lackluster performance versus Denmark. Notably, Alexander-Arnold, 25, was substituted with Conor Gallagher after 54 minutes.
Post-match, Southgate stated that the team’s underwhelming performance was partly due to the struggles in pressing and ball retention. Meanwhile, regarding Alexander-Arnold’s position, he clarified it as an experiment, adding they’re looking for other options who could replace Phillips.
“He’s (Alexander-Arnold) had some moments where he has delivered what we thought he would. We know it is an experiment – we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips – but we are trying some different things. At the moment, we are not flowing as we would like, that’s for sure,” Southgate said post-match.
Southgate further explained why he substituted Gallagher in the second half, noting the team’s need to enhance their pressing game.
“I wanted to get Conor on; we needed some energy to press better, and Conor does that very well,” the coach added.
Here’s why Kalvin Phillips is not included in England EURO 2024 squad
Phillips didn’t make it to the England squad following his limited playing time at City and a disappointing loan stint at West Ham. The 28-year-old defensive midfielder was a pivotal figure in the English side, who was instrumental in the previous EURO, where they reached the final. He holds 31 international caps to his name but hasn’t been selected for the Three Lions since November 2023.
Also read: Euro 2024: Roy Keane bashes England star Trent Alexander-Arnold over his performance against Denmark
