Despite England’s extra-time win over Slovakia to reach the Euro 2024 Round of 16, Manchester United legend Gary Neville insists the national team needs to implement significant changes to their personnel and tactics if they want to progress further in the competition. He pointed out that while England managed a late escape, the victory came with serious flaws exposed.
Neville expressed his concerns on the live broadcast: “‘Relief’ is the word tonight. We were fortunate, blessed by luck. Four games in and we’ve been awful.”
“Even into extra-time, the performance was poor. We let Slovakia dictate and they were unlucky to lose,” he continued. “Now we need to face the ‘major changes’ conversation. I know Gareth [Southgate], he’s honest and principled, but tonight will be a stark reminder that he’s close to the edge.”
“The fans are calling for more changes, every game, from game one to game three, and going forward, there will be calls for players like Palmer and Alexander-Arnold to come in and inject some energy and balance.”
“Of course, winning in tournaments is vital, but you can’t expect to play like this for a month and win a major tournament.”
England face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Saturday, and will hope to carry that fight-back spirit into their next encounter.
Fellow commentator Roy Keane also said: “This victory doesn’t really alleviate any of the concerns. It’s all about the quality of the game, but at the top level, it’s about winning. The fans want to see good performances but if they win and progress… the next one is going to be a tougher test, so let’s see what happens.”
“We gave them a good dressing down at half-time, but credit to them, they found a way to win. The top players stood up in a big moment and took their chance. If young players like Bellingham keep performing well, it will be a big boost. They got the crucial moments right and deserved the praise.”
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