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Dortmund, Germany: England manager Gareth Southgate on Tuesday backed his decision to make late substitutions during Euro 2024, arguing his reluctance to use talented substitutes was often because he was happy with his team’s performance.
England have struggled in this tournament and Southgate has been criticised for seeming unwilling to shake things up during his side’s poor performances and bring on substitutes in time to make an impact.
Unlike other big teams who made changes earlier, Southgate’s substitutions were mainly made when England were desperate, most notably against Slovakia when Southgate brought on an angry Ivan Toney in stoppage time after 94 minutes as a last-ditch effort to win the game.
In the quarter-final against Switzerland, England were trailing 1-0 with 12 minutes to go before the knockout stage and Southgate made three substitutions immediately after falling behind.
His earliest substitutions came in the 0-0 draw with Slovenia, when he brought on midfielder Kobbie Mainoo at halftime and then forward Cole Palmer with 19 minutes remaining.
“There were a number of reasons for the changes, we were happy with the performances in a couple of games, one of the games we made a change at half-time so we didn’t have a pre-set tactic,” Southgate told a news conference.
“You always look at the physicality of the team, the balance of the team, the individual performances of the team and whether the changes will actually improve our performance.”
Southgate said that the team did not have a good start and their playing style was not as free and fearless as in the qualifiers, but after some running-in, the team’s confidence and mentality have improved, which is mainly attributed to the pressure of being the favorite team before the game.
“Expectations are very high and certainly the noise from outside is louder than before,” he said.
“I felt like we didn’t put ourselves in the right position but in the end it was impressive that the guys persevered and they got the result and found a way to win… I feel like that’s going to change once we get to the knockout stages.”
He said the players overcame difficulties, showed resilience and responded brilliantly, eager to win their first European Championship and make history.
“Now that the championship has reached a critical juncture, you focus on what is possible and what is achievable, rather than what could go wrong,” he said.
“So now this is an opportunity to make history and we’re excited to do it.”
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