- Southgate has been heavily criticised since England's 1-1 draw against Denmark
- The England boss has been pictured with players that didn't feature in the game
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By Kieran Lynch
Published: | Updated:
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107 View commentsGareth Southgate has been pictured for the first time since England's dismal 1-1 draw against Denmark at Euro 2024.
The Three Lions manager has been left with a lot of pondering to do after a second consecutive lacklustre performance, after they previously took an underwhelming 1-0 victory over Serbia.
Southgate has faced a lot of criticism since last night, as he struggles to get the best out of a talented squad and his tactics coming under heavy scrutiny.
England took the lead through Harry Kane, but much like in the win over Serbia, they dropped deep and invited pressure, allowing Denmark to punish the Three Lions with an excellent strike from Morten Hjulmand.
Southgate has been pictured deep in conversation with assistant manager Steve Holland, as he overlooked a training session involving players who did not feature in the draw with Denmark.
Gareth Southgate has been pictured for the first time since England's dire draw with Denmark
He overlooked a session which involved players who did not feature in the 1-1 draw
Among those players included Anthony Gordon (left) and Cole Palmer (right) who have both not played a minute
Southgate has come under heavy scrutiny for his tactics and for failing to get the best out of his players
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Among those players included Cole Palmer who has not played a minute during the opening two games despite scoring 27 goals and providing 15 assists in all competitions during the 2023-24 season. Anthony Gordon is another player who fans have been calling for to be given a chance.
Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo also featured, amid questions over why Southgate is leaving them out.
Southgate made a bizarre claim after last night's match suggesting that England are struggling to replace Kalvin Phillips.
He has experimented with Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Declan Rice in the opening two games, but the natural right back has been replaced in both games by Conor Gallagher.
Southgate said: 'I wanted to get Conor on; we needed some energy and to press better.
'He's (Alexander-Arnold) had some moments where he's delivered what we thought he would. We know it's an experiment.
'We know we don't have a natural replacement for Kalvin Philips. We're trying different things and at the moment we're not flowing as we'd like.'
England legends Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both criticised Southgate's tactics after the draw.
Fans were left baffled after he admitted England are testing out Trent Alexander-Arnold as a replacement for Kalvin Phillips
England's reserve players will be hoping that Southgate gives them a chance against Slovenia
Southgate pictured in conversation with Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on Friday
Match of the Day host Lineker said Harry Kane's comments that England aren't clear on how to press their opponents is 'beyond concerning'.
He said: 'What I find inexplicable, to be honest... we watched Spain play just now, completely high press, really high, they have excellent technical players - so do England. Why do they not play the high press? Are the not coached to do that?
'Can you do it with Harry Kane? I think you can. However good he is, you've got to buy into this, Harry. That's got to come from the management.'
Shearer meanwhile pointed out that Southgate is not getting the best out of the players.
He said: 'Let's use John Stones as an example. How many times do you see him get the ball and run into midfield or get the ball to his back and turn in the Man City team? So many times, he's brilliant at it. How many times has he done it in the two England games? I can't remember any.
'How many times do you see Declan Rice get that ball and burst forward? How many times have you seen him do it in an England shirt in the last two games? None.
'How many times do you see Foden get the ball in the middle of the park and turn? Maybe once when he had the shot and hit the post.
'Gareth at the minute is not getting the best out of best players.'
Gareth SouthgateDeclan Rice
