England is in a dire position here tonight with the Three Lions trailing 1-0 against Slovakia. Gareth Southgate‘s men look out of touch against their opponents and will have to give their all to turn things around during the second half of the contest. Fans seem fuming with the head coach, calling him out for his poor decision-making skills.

Former England star Alan Shearer bashed Gareth Southgate during halftime, claiming the manager should have given the chance to Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon. The all-time Premier League top scorer stated, “77% possession. Zero efforts on target. Get higher up the pitch. This is dreadful man. Get Gordon on and get Palmer on.“

His opinion was mirrored by former English full-back, Gary Neville, who noted the manager needs to bring changes to his team at the half-time break. The ex-Manchester United star claimed, “This has Iceland vibes written all over. It’s now or never for Gareth [Southgate]. Gareth has got to make three substitutions: Palmer, Trent, and Gordon. Trent Alexander has to be on the pitch. It’s illegal that’s he not on that pitch.”

Gareth Southgate has been under fire for his tactics during the Euros. The manager’s team selection hasn’t gone down with many fans who have urged the association to part ways with the head coach. However, Southgate has struck with his guns and it seems to have paid off for England.

Gareth Southgate’s gamble pays off as England avoid scare against Slovakia

Despite the call from multiple experts to take off his attacking trio at halftime, the English manager stuck to his decision and kept Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Jude Bellingham on the field. The move did wonders, as Jude Bellingham provided his team with the break in the 95th minute of the game to force the game into extra time.

Skipper Harry Kane then helped his team take the lead as the striker headed the ball into the back of the net just 1 minute into extra time. Gareth Southgate seemed elated on the sidelines, with the manager hugging his support staff to celebrate the goal. While the team will be pleased by moving ahead in the competition, the team will have to learn from their mistakes if they want to get past Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

It will be interesting to see if Gareth Southgate sticks with the same team, or has something new up his sleeves. What are your thoughts on England’s narrow escape against Slovakia? Sound off in the comments below.