Despite England reaching the European Championship last 16 after a dramatic extra-time win over Slovakia, Manchester United legend Gary Neville has insisted that England must make fundamental changes to their squad and tactics if they want to go further in the tournament. He argued that while the team narrowly avoided a massive upset, it highlighted significant problems in the squad.
Neville expressed his concerns during a live commentary, saying: “‘Relief’ is the word of the night. We got away with it and got lucky. We have been really poor in four games now.”
“We didn’t improve in extra time, we let Slovakia control the game and they were unfortunate to lose,” he continued. “We now have to have this ‘big change’ conversation. I know Gareth well, he’s honest, he’s got principles, but I think tonight made him realize that we’re on the brink, one step away.”
“The general feeling is that we need more change and every game it feels like it’s needed – from game one, game three and going forward, there are voices calling for players like Palmer, Alexander-Arnold, to come into the team and give us a different energy and balance.”
“Of course, winning is the most important thing in a tournament but to think you can play like this for a month and win a tournament is ludicrous.”
England face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Saturday and they will be hoping to maintain their fighting spirit.
Fellow pundit Roy Keane also commented: “It doesn’t really take the pressure off. The quality of the game is one thing but at the highest level, it’s about winning. People want to see entertaining games, but if they keep winning, keep getting through… The next one will be tougher, let’s see how they cope.”
“We were critical of them at half-time but they found a way to win, so credit to them. The senior players stood up when they needed to and took their chances. If Bellingham can keep playing like this, then it’s great for them. They’ve turned it around and deserve credit.”
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