England had been in a position to safe qualification for the final 16 of Euro 2024 on Monday night time with out kicking a ball to considerably ease the stress forward of Tuesday’s last Group C match in opposition to Slovenia. However whereas a spot within the knockouts is within the bag, there may be nonetheless loads at stake in terms of the Cologne conflict.
Firstly, Gareth Southgate will need to keep away from ending second within the group, as that may imply Germany would lie ready in spherical two. The England boss will even need to see a much-improved exhibiting from the lacklustre effort in opposition to Denmark on Thursday to make sure that his aspect have some momentum going into the enterprise finish of the match.
That is more likely to imply modifications to the beginning XI, with media stories claiming that Conor Gallagher is about to exchange Trent Alexander-Arnold within the beginning line-up, as Southgate calls time on the Liverpool man’s tenure in central midfield – with former England striker Gary Lineker admitting he feels sorry for 25-year-old.
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“I do really feel a bit for Trent Alexander-Arnold,” Lineker mentioned on the BBC. “I really feel like he’s been frolicked to dry a little bit bit. His supervisor’s mentioned he’s been an experiment and now it appears to be like like an experiment that’s not labored.
“It’s very arduous to play in a brand new place even when a workforce’s enjoying nicely. Nevertheless when a workforce’s struggling and a workforce is disjointed and never collectively and never getting up the pitch it turns into very troublesome. I do really feel for him as a result of he’s an unbelievably gifted participant.”
These ideas had been echoed by Wayne Rooney, who didn’t suppose Alexander-Arnold ought to have been tried within the centre of the pitch to start with.
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BBC Sport Euro 2024 pundit Wayne Rooney (Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
“I’ve been fairly vital of Trent,” mentioned the previous Everton and Manchester United star. “I like Trent as a participant, as a full-back or as a right-back coming in on the proper time, however I believe to play him in the course of the pitch in worldwide soccer, it’s so completely different to enjoying as a full-back.
“I’ve mentioned it many occasions, I wouldn’t have performed him there. However he’s bought Mainoo, he’s bought Wharton. For me, I play Jude within the center subsequent to Rice and also you get your width with Gordon and Foden.”
England tackle Slovenia in an 8pm kick-off on Tuesday, realizing {that a} win would seal prime spot, no matter how the Danes honest in opposition to Serbia within the different Group C conflict.
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