GARY LINEKER has accused Gareth Southgate of “hanging Trent Alexander-Arnold out to dry” amid England’s midfield experiment.
Southgate chose to play Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold alongside Declan Rice in midfield for England’s first two Euro 2024 matches.
The Three Lions clinched a 1-0 win over Serbia before holding Denmark to a 1-1 draw last week.
However, both performances failed to impress.
Following England‘s drab display against the Danes, Southgate admitted that playing Alexander-Arnold in midfield was an “experiment”.
And now the Liverpool star is set to be dropped in favour of Conor Gallagher when the Three Lions take on Slovenia tonight.
Ex-England striker Lineker believes Alexander-Arnold has been “hung out to dry” as a result.
He said: “I do feel a bit for Trent Alexander-Arnold. I feel he’s been hung out to dry a little bit.
“His manager says it’s an experiment and now it looks like the experiment doesn’t work.
“It’s very hard to play in a new position even when a team’s playing well.
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“But when a team’s struggling and a team’s disjointed, not together and not getting up the pitch, it becomes very difficult.
“I do feel for him because he’s an unbelievably talented player.”
ENGLAND's lifeless display in the 1-1 draw with Denmark left pundits and legends queuing up to take a dig at Gareth Southgate's team.
Here’s the best of what was said…
ALAN SHEARER
“Awful performance, particularly after going up in the game.
“I don’t think one England player can look at themselves and say, ‘I’ve done my job tonight’.
“England were all over the place, far too sloppy in possession, gave the ball away too much and got caught too many times.
“There was no energy, no pace, no guile — Southgate is simply not getting the best out of England’s best players.
“It’s concerning and Gareth will get some serious questions.
“You saw England players lying on their backs — they look absolutely shattered but there’s no excuse for that.”
GARY LINEKER
The BBC host called the performance “lifeless and tepid”.
On Harry Kane he said: “He needs his manager to ask more of him. I would have expected that if I’d put in that kind of performance.”
RIO FERDINAND
“The players don’t look the same as they do for their clubs. It is a big concern.”
ROY KEANE
“Courage and bravery, we’re not really seeing it.
“There’s something amiss with the balance. Bellingham is waving his arms.
“This is a big test for Gareth. It looks like he’s overthinking things.”
JAMIE CARRAGHER
“My big worry watching this and for the rest of the tournament?
“England look absolutely knackered. They can’t get close to the ball.
“The surest sign of fatigue is dropping deep.
“Declan Rice is having to cover so much ground. No-one can convince me this is a strategy.”
JACK WILSHERE
“It’s strange that we have taken the lead in both games so far, yet instead of it settling us down and giving us the confidence to play, we have failed to take control.
“But what was most worrying was that Denmark had a clear way of playing — while we didn’t.”
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney believes Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton would be better options in midfield.
He said: “Yeah, I’ve been quite critical of Trent.
“I love Trent as a player as a full-back or as a right-back coming in at the right time but I think to play him in the middle of the pitch in international football, it’s so different to playing as a full-back.
“I’ve said it many times, I wouldn’t have played him there. But he’s [Southgate] got [Kobbie] Mainoo, he’s got [Adam] Wharton.
“For me, I play Jude [Bellingham] in the middle next to [Declan] Rice and you get your width with [Anthony] Gordon and [Phil] Foden.”
HARRY KANE admits England “haven’t been good enough” at the Euros.
Here’s what skipper Kane said after the disappointing 1-1 draw with Denmark:
“We’re struggling with and without the ball.
“The pressing in both games hasn’t been quite right. We haven’t been good enough, from top to bottom, from me to Picks (Jordan Pickford).
“Everyone is dropping below their level a bit, in terms of retaining the ball, playing under pressure.
“We know there’ll be a bit of noise and disappointment back home.
“But it’s a time to stay calm and we’ll get there step by step.
“It wasn’t our greatest game but we got away with draw.
“We are starting games well. But when the teams are dropping a few players deeper we are not quite sure how to get the pressure on, and who is the one who is supposed to be going.”
“In the second half, we changed it with me and Jude (Bellingham) playing in front of their two midfielders. But it was difficult.”
