GARY NEVILLE slammed Gareth Southgate and demanded three substitutions were made at half-time against Slovakia.
England put in another poor performance in the opening 45 minutes and went in at the break 1-0 down after Ivan Schranz’s strike.
Neville was furious alongside fellow ITV pundits Roy Keane and Ian Wright as they hit out at Southgate’s tactics and team selection.
With the ex-England right-back saying a change out wide was needed, with Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon coming on.
And Neville wanted Trent Alexander-Arnold to replace Kieran Trippier, so Kyle Walker could switch flanks to left-back.
Neville ranted: “He’s tried minimum interference but I was sat on a bench in Nice eight years ago when England played Iceland – this has got Iceland vibes written all over it.
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“It’s now or never for Gareth. He’s got to interfere and rip up the script he’s had all tournament, we’ve watched this now for three-and-a-half games.
“We tried to be really positive and thinking this would be the game today that England would turn.
“He’s now got to twist. I don’t think it’s a case of one substitute, I think he’s got to get three on the pitch.
“I think we’ve got to see Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Anthony Gordon. He’s got to shift the whole narrative around this game.
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“That is not changing unless he does something right now.”
Neville continued: “I would probably switch Kyle Walker over – that be the first.
“Then, after ten minutes if it doesn’t change, I’d make another two.
“Gordon will give you a runner and we know Palmer is in better form at this moment in time that the players that are out on that pitch.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold – it’s illegal that lad is not playing football in any game like this for England.
“We cannot have Walker and Trippier and left and right-back when we are on the ball most of the time when that is the kid that is the best football player we’ve ever seen at right-back in this country.
“He’s got to be on the pitch.”
Keane added: “It’s now or never. He can’t keep waiting. The waiting is over now.
“This is the biggest team talk of Gareth’s career. He’s got to make changes.
“I’m looking and thinking ‘are they a team, are they in this together?’ All these question marks are there now and it has to be changed.
“The only encouragement is, I think, that the set-piece delivery has been decent. That’s about it.
“He has to make changes, has to get more energy, he has to find a way back into the game. They look so flat – a bit like Italy – they look like they’ve ran out of ideas.
“They are not pulling together, no demands on each other, we see Walker, John Stones, really top players making sloppy mistakes.
“It’s given the opposition encouragement. Nowhere near good enough.”
Keane then added: “How many more excuses can we make? The structure, the team shape, the characters, Luke Shaw, Jack Grealish… it’s been going on for months and months.
“This is not a group that’s in it together. They’ve got to find something, which can still happen as it’s only 1-0.
“There is a time to panic, and there’s a time to get the balance right. Don’t go gung-ho, it’s only 1-0.”
Keane then finished with: “He [Gareth] has got to get the group of players in the dressing room and ask ‘what are you going to do about it?’
“These are huge moments. I spoke before the game about the quality, but quality is no good unless you’ve got a fight and desire to win a game of football. It’s just been so poor.”
Despite their fury, Southgate did not make any changes at the break.
Phil Foden put the ball in the back of the net just six minutes after the restart – but he was offside.
And just after the hour mark, Palmer was finally subbed on for Trippier and Bukayo Saka was moved to left-back.
But there was still no improvement and it took until the 91st minute for Bellingham’s moment of inspiration as he forced extra-time with a stunning overhead kick.
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Kane then scored the winner as England came back from the brink to book their spot in quarter-finals.
Switzerland are up next and they will be hoping Southgate has not solved the problems by next Saturday.
England’s five-point penalty shootout plan
EXPERT football psychologist Professor Geir Jordet has told Gareth Southgate and his players what they can do to give themselves the best chance of victory in any shootouts.
And he has even thrown in a rogue, bold suggestion for the Three Lions manager…
1. START PLANNING LAST YEAR
“It’s about planning for the opposition’s penalty takers but also ‘how do we win the psychological game against each opponent?’
2. SMART SOUTHGATE LEADERSHIP
“Southgate will have two minutes to influence his players as effectively as possible, show he has a plan and get confidence across.”
3. DICTATE AS A TEAM
“A shootout is really a team performance. Have the goalkeeper walk with the penalty taker into the penalty area to basically create a two-versus-one against the other goalkeeper. Dominate the centre circle, support the players who missed.”
4. ‘BULLETPROOF’ INDIVIDUAL ROUTINES
“Have really good, individualised and rehearsed pre-shot routines that are bulletproof and polished so they’re more likely to be able to resist the stress and more likely to score.”
5. SHOOT YOUR SHOT
“Practise the shot itself, trying to simulate penalty shootouts in training. Even recreating 20 per cent of a Euros final penalty shootout is going to have a benefit for your performance.”
AND A JOR DROPPING IDEA…
Jordan Pickford is the No1 but Dean Henderson actually has a far better penalty record – saving 8/22 (36 per cent) compared to Pickford’s 8/62 (13 per cent).
Jordet said: “One could consider making a late substitution for a penalty shootout. I doubt that they dare to do it in case it fails and the pressure is even higher but it would be a very ballsy move.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
