Things are looking grim for England in the Euro 2024 Round of 16. The Three Lions are trailing 1-0 against Slovakia and have less than 20 minutes to get back into the game, and it doesn’t seem like Gareth Southgate‘s men will have a lucky break with full-back Kieran Tripper taken off the field after taking a knock to his shin. Meanwhile, this has forced the manager to make some major changes to his tactics, with Buyako Saka forced to play as a left-wingback.

The role change is quite surprising, considering Saka had spoken out about playing in the defensive lineup before the game. The Arsenal star, when questioned about Ian Wright’s suggestion of playing him as a left-back, stated, “No, obviously I love Ian Wright and he says so many great things about me but I don’t think putting me out of position is the solution. But at the end of the day, I think we can we can talk about this but it’s in Gareth’s hands so we will just have to trust whoever Gareth selects on the day.”

While Saka might have not liked playing as a left-back, pushing him down allowed Gareth Southgate to push Phil Foden on the right wing while introducing Cole Palmer on the left wing. The charge made a massive difference as Palmer provided his team with an edge in the attack, which saw England mount a heroic comeback.

Gareth Southgate masterclass or Buyako Saka move a one-time gamble

England fans will be quite happy to see their team move to the quarter-finals of the Euro 2024. This is a big win for the team, considering how England has struggled to deliver. Despite the 2-1 comeback, England seemed like the weaker side for most of the game, and that’s a big statement considering the team was up against Slovakia. With the Three Lions trailing 1-0 during half-time, fans were hoping to see the manager introduce Trent Alexander-Arnold for Trippier as a full-back.

However, the English head coach did not make any changes to his team and only subbed off Trippier with the player picking up a knee injury. According to reports, the team is still evaluating the player to see if he will be available against Switzerland in the quarter-finals. The game could be a big test for Gareth Southgate’s tactics, with Switzerland having the potential to be England’s biggest challenge so far in the competition.