Gary Neville called on England manager Gareth Southgate to make significant changes after yet another drab performance in the first half of their Euro 2024 last 16 clash with Slovakia. A goal from Ivan Schranz gave the underdogs a narrow lead going into the break, following a familiar insipid display from England.
Southgate had made just one change to his starting XI, with Kobbie Mainoo replacing Conor Gallagher in midfield. But the performance in the opening 45 minutes was, like against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia, flat and uninspiring.
And Neville did not pull any punches in his assessment of the first-half display. “This has got Iceland vibes written all over it,” he said in the ITV studio. “It’s now or never for Gareth. He’s got to interfere, he’s got to rip up the script and twist.
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“It’s not a case of one or two substitutes, we’ve got to see three. He’s got to change the whole narrative and start right now. After 10 minutes if it doesn’t change I’d make another two substitutions.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold, it’s illegal that this lad is not on the pitch today. Keep doing the same thing and you get the same result. It’s got to change now. We’ve heard a lot about spirit but that was going back to yesteryear; that was a group of players that weren’t together.”
Roy Keane was equally damning, adding: “You can’t keep waiting. It’s the biggest team talk of Gareth’s career. I’m looking at them and thinking ‘are they a team?’ They have to get more energy and find a way back into the game. A bit like Italy yesterday, they look like they’ve run out of energy. Top players are making sloppy mistakes and giving the opposition encouragement.
“How many more excuses can we make? It’s been going on for months. This is not a group that’s in it together. All the top managers are gamblers. He’s got to gamble. Quality’s no good unless you’ve got fight and desire.”
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