England’s laboured 1-1 draw with Denmark in their second group game has led to strong criticism from BBC pundit and former England striker Gary Lineker, who labelled the performance ‘s***’.
The Three Lions took an early lead courtesy of Harry Kane’s close-range effort in the 18th minute, concluding a move that saw Kyle Walker seizing possession high up the field and rapidly cutting back to the main man in the middle, via a couple of Danish defenders.
But that’s about as good as it got for Gareth Southgate’s side, who spent vast swathes of the remaining minutes camped in their own half, inviting pressure on Jordan Pickford's goal.
That pressure led directly to the Danish Dynamites’ equaliser, an effort from distance that was placed perfectly beyond the goalkeeper's grasp. In truth, England were lucky the scoring stopped there.
VIDEO: Why England Were SO Bad Against Denmark
Speaking on his own podcast, The Rest is Football, Lineker got struck straight into what he thought of the showing laid on at the Frankfurt Arena by England.
In his opening gambit, the 63-year-old bluntly said: “It was lethargic, dour. I mean, you can think of all sorts of, you know, words and expletives if you like.
“But it was s***.”
His regular co-host and 13-cap former England defender Micah Richards was just as unimpressed with what he saw, bemoaning a lack of balance in Southgate’s side.
“They’re just a bit lost tactically... and that comes from the manager I’m afraid.”@GaryLineker and @MicahRichards unwrap England’s “disappointing” draw with Denmark in the latest episode of the podcast out now 🎧 pic.twitter.com/JeGea0IbZqJune 21, 2024
Lineker expanded further on the reasons behind the Three Lions' shaky start at Euro 2024, but he doesn’t view a lack of effort as one of the culprits.
“If anyone says that the England team is not trying, and not giving 100 per cent, that is nonsense,” he declared. “They’re just a little bit lost tactically, and that comes from the manager I’m afraid.
“He has got to get England playing higher up the pitch as a unit. Because at the moment they’re not a unit.”
Despite their early showings, England currently top Group C and have all but qualified due to results elsewhere. Nevertheless, Lineker will hope Southgate’s men have booked their ideas up for the final group game on 25 June against Slovenia.
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