Gary Lineker takes aim at Gareth Southgate ahead of England and Finland clash - 'We told you'
Gary Lineker has taken aim at Gareth Southgate ahead of England's Nations League clash with Finland on Tuesday night
RESTISFOOTBALL
Gary Lineker has taken aim at Gareth Southgate ahead of England's Nations League clash with Finland on Tuesday night.
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The Three Lions will go into the showdown looking to make it back-to-back wins under interim boss Lee Carsley, having cruised to a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday night.
There were many good performers for England that night, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish and Anthony Gordon all catching the eye.
Lineker was critical of Southgate during Euro 2024 earlier this summer, with the Match of the Day host not mincing his words.
Gary Lineker has taken aim at Gareth Southgate ahead of England's Nations League clash with Finland on Tuesday night
RESTISFOOTBALL
And the former England star, speaking on the Rest is Football, has now aimed another dig at Southgate.
"It’s interesting as well, isn’t it, that perhaps some of the things fans were most disappointed about in the Euros - well, probably three things, maybe more," he said.
"But everyone wanted Anthony Gordon to play on the left because we all saw a weakness and an unbalance on that side.
"Also that he can run behind players because Kane likes to come short and you’ve got to have a threat behind so he did that.
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"The other thing was he [Southgate] left Jack Grealish out of the squad which a lot of people were bemused by and he’s come in and performed really well.
"And obviously, he never really trusted Trent Alexander-Arnold.
"In the first game Carsley has come up with all these things and a lot of us are going 'you see? We told you'."
Southgate steered England to the final of Euro 2024.
But the Three Lions were unable to claim glory, with Spain winning 2-1 courtesy of goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal.
Southgate had hinted before the tournament that he'd walk away if he failed to steer his side to glory.
He then proved to be a man of his word, with the former Middlesbrough boss resigning from his position less than 48 hours after the defeat.
Meanwhile, Lineker has also addressed the controversy surrounding Carsley ahead of Tuesday's match with Finland.
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Gary Lineker believes three Gareth Southgate mistakes have been exposed ahead of England's clash with Finland
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The 50-year-old refused to sing the national anthem on Saturday, with many fans and pundits unhappy with his stance.
But Lineker has defended Carsley and believes it is 'bonkers' that it has become such a big deal.
"Crikey, they do like to stir things up, don’t they?!" he said.
"I find it bonkers. If someone chooses not to sing it doesn’t [matter]…
Gary Lineker has been impressed by Lee Carsley ahead of England's Nations League clash with Finland
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"I remember some players not singing because they were too shy.
"I used to sing a bit but not too loud because my voice is terrible.
"I always felt a little self-conscious singing on a football pitch, I didn’t feel comfortable with it.
"I don’t know, I just think it’s a bit weird."