Just imagine what might happen if Gareth Southgate gave Anthony Gordon two minutes! | OneFootball

The biggest standout for many England fans and neutrals, was how Anthony Gordon hadn’t been given a single minute on the pitch in the opening two group matches.

Gareth Southgate starting with Phil Foden on the left in both games, but he constantly drifted inside and offered no width or threat on that side of the pitch, making England all too predictable.

When you then factored in the usual ultra-defensive overall set-up from Southgate, it has made for a desperate spectacle, aside from maybe the opening half an hour or so against Serbia in the first game.

So after a shocking second half against Serbia and even worse against Denmark, what could we expect?

As the fans and the media called for the likes of Gordon, Palmer and Mainoo to be given a chance, Gareth Southgate made precisely one change.

Even Gareth Southgate forced to accept that playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield was a shocking decision and instead selecting… Conor Gallagher.

So no plan to add an attacking player on the left (such as Anthony Gordon), no plan on getting more midfielders to attack, rather than just acting as extra defenders. Clearly England set to play just as deep and defensive and offer minimal threat.

So, 45 minutes later, Gareth Southgate and his team booed as the half time whistle went.

Who could have imagined it, by only bringing in Conor Gallagher it made absolutely zero difference, even against 57th-ranked in the world, Slovenia.

England struggled to create any chances whatsoever and indeed the one excellent piece of creativity came from Kieran Trippier, a superb right-footed cross that Harry Kane somehow failed to turn into the open goal when arriving at the back post unmarked.

Surely wholesale changes when they came back out, get Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon on the pitch and actually start to try and get at the mighty Slovenia.

Maybe not. The only change, Mainoo for the woeful Gallagher.

The Man U midfielder improved things, to a very small extent.

England playing a little better but still next to no threat in open play, just hoping a set-piece might see them get lucky.

It summed it up when on 74 minutes Declan Rice hit a shot about five yards wide and the commentator got all excited declaring that it was ‘the closest had come’ to a goal.

Three minutes before that, Cole Palmer had replaced Saka and like Mainoo, improved things a little bit, but nowhere near enough. England still so laboured and lacking threat in open play. Still no Anthony Gordon…

England going nowhere, although good news was that the Newcastle United winger was warming up, then Gareth Southgate making another change at last on 84 minutes.

At last!

No, apparently the genius who is Gareth Southgate, had spotted that what England was really desperate for, was Trent Alexander-Arnold back on the pitch! So Southgate took Trippier off and moved Walker left, just so he could get Alexander-Arnold on the pitch. Lost for words…

Then it happened, yes, Anthony Gordon introduced, brought on with one (ONE!) whole minute of the ninety left.

You couldn’t make it up.

Total disrespect from Southgate and without a doubt the more that fans and media have pointed out how obvious it is that he has to play Gordon on the left, clearly it has just made the England manager dig in even more and refuse to play him.

As soon as he got the ball the first time, Anthony Gordon knocked the ball past the full-back and sprinted past him, the defender looked stunned. No wonder, it isn’t very often, if at all, that we ever see any England player try this crazy tactic!

Unfortunately, Gordon in the process knocked the ball out of play, no wonder, after having been forced to sit on the bench for almost five hours watching England offering next to zero threat and not able to do anything about it, all that pent-up frustration exploding, as he tried to correct things.

Then the one quality move of the match, in the second minute of added time, Anthony Gordon burst inside off the left hand side and from the halfway line completely opened up Slovenia with a stunning ball to Mainoo on the edge of the box, he laid it off to Kane and with the opposition finally caught out, the ball played in for an unmarked Palmer to finish. Sadly, his effort straight at the keeper as he didn’t catch it as intended but everybody, media and fans alike, wondering just how it had taken so long to produce something like that.

No coincidence that Gordon, Mainoo and Palmer were all involved, the trio that fans and media have all been calling for to play.

A dismal performance yet again overall as it embarrassingly ended 0-0 against the team ranked 57th in the world, but just some hope at least, that if Gareth Southgate makes the obvious changes, then just maybe something could happen in this tournament.

Do you think he will make the necessary and obvious changes? Well what do you think?

By absolutely fluking finishing top in this very weak group, England has been absolutely gifted by far the easiest half of the draw.

In the last 16, they will on Sunday at 5pm play the Netherlands, or whoever finishes third in Group E, which as it stands, could be Romania, Belgium, Slovakia or Ukraine, as are all locked on three points each. Whether it is the Netherlands or a team from Group E, depends on results elsewhere.

England team v Slovenia:

Pickford, Trippier (Alexander-Arnold 84), Guehi, Stones, Walker, Rice, Gallagher (Mainoo 46), Foden (Gordon 89), Bellingham, Saka (Palmer 71), Kane

Newcastle United players on international duty:

Saturday 15 June

Switzerland 3 Hungary 1 (Euros Group match)

The Newcastle United defender with a very good personal performance, playing the full 90 minutes as the Swiss deservedly beat Hungary.

Sunday 16 June

England 1 Serbia 0 (Euros Group match)

England got the job done, eventually.

Anthony Gordon an unused substitute but Kieran Trippier playing the full 90 minutes and doing ok at left-back. His job was to stretch things in attack up England’s left-hand side, with the likes of Foden not willing/able to stay out wide and instead continually drifting inside. With the plan clearly for all of England’s main attacking to be through the middle and especially out wide on the right.

That is where the excellent winning goal came from, a great ball from Walker putting Saka in behind and his deflected cross perfectly then flighted for Bellingham’s pinpoint run into the box and the header giving Serbia’s keeper no chance.

At the other end was Trippier’s main task though and with the rest of the defence he did well, especially after the break when England suddenly went all defensive and invited Serbia to go for the equaliser. The Three Lions offered zero threat in the second half apart from sub Bowen’s cross where the keeper made a great save but in reality, Kane should have given him zero chance with the header.

Pickford only had one shot on target to save all game and whilst the commentator and pundits raved about it, in reality, it was from outside the box and straight at him, the England keeper tipping the ball over the bar.

The highlight of Trippier’s performance was when Serbia got into the box on the left and an equaliser beckoned for Serbia with Mitrovic waiting for the ball to be squared for a tap-in. However, the Newcastle defender covering his central defenders had got across and was too strong for Mitro who was sent sprawling and claiming for a forlorn penalty.

Monday 17 June

Slovakia 1 Belgium 0 (Euros Group match)

Martin Dubravka and his Slovakia teammates pulled off a massive shock, third-ranked in the world Belgium beaten by a team ranked 48th.

Schranz scored after only seven minutes and the Newcastle keeper and his international teammates more than matching Belgium. What a victory.

Wednesday 19 June

Switzerland 1 Scotland 1 (Euros Group match)

Fabian Schar and Switzerland with a nightmare start after 13 minutes, the Newcastle defender deflecting a McTominay shot past his keeper, a shot which would almost for sure have been saved without Schar’s intervention.

The NUFC defender recovering to have another decent game. Helping Switzerland stand up to a very physical but limited Scotland team, Shaqiri with a brilliant 26th minute long range curled into the top corner effort to equalise. The Swiss should have went on to win but wasted a fair few chances and Scotland got lucky with two goals denied by VAR fine margins.

Thursday 20 June 2024

England 1 Denmark 1 (Euros Group match)

Yet another Gareth Southgate masterclass of cluelessness and negativity.

The team playing so deep and defensive, clearly the plan to try and stop Denmark scoring and not a plan of how England would score.

On 18 minutes some individual opportunism and ambition by Kyle Walker as he ignored Southgate’s orders and pressed high, won the ball in a dangerous position and Kane scoring from close in, he couldn’t miss.

Southgate’s reaction was to have England even more negative and defensive, invited Denmark on and they equalised 16 minutes later. The whole game a shambles with the negative tactics and no apparent plan as to how England were trying to win the game. Very lucky to get a draw.

Kieran Trippier played well on the left and didn’t put a foot wrong.

Friday 21 June 2024

Slovakia 1 Ukraine 2 (Euros Group match)

Martin Dubravka and Slovakia looking to be cruising through to the last 16 when dominating the first half and leading 1-0. However, Ukraine came out for the second half all fired up and turned it around, equalising on 54 minutes and then a shocker with 10 minutes to go from Martin Dubravka, when a ball was played over the top that he should have dealt with, allowing the striker to score from a narrow angle and he should have stopped it for sure.

Sunday 23 June 2024

Switzerland 1 Germany 1 (Euros Group match)

A man of the match performance from Fabian Schar helped Switzerland get the point they needed to guarantee progress to the last 16.

However, a brave and dangerous Swiss side deserved the win, as Germany created next to no clear chances. Switzerland scoring a great team goal on 28 minutes and then defending brilliantly but at the same time looking more dangerous on the break than the hosts.

The win they deserved was denied in the second minute of added time due to a quality header from sub Fullkrug. A moral victory for Fabian Schar and his teammates and a performance that will give them massive confidence and momentum for their last 16 tie on Saturday.

Monday 24 June 2024

Colombia 2 Paraguay 1 (Copa America Group match)

Miguel Almiron and Paraguay very unlucky against one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Paraguay going two down by the break due to poorly defended headed goals, then pulling one back in the second half but unable to get the equaliser they deserved.

The final stats showed that Paraguay had more overall shots (12 v 11), the same number on target (3 v 3) and the same number of corners (3-3). Only when it came to putting the ball in the net, did Colombia edge it.

Tuesday 25 June 2024

Brazil 0 Costa Rica 0 (Copa America Group match)

Chance after chance went by for those playing in front of Bruno Guimaraes, who has a generally more disciplined deeper role to play for his national side. The Newcastle midfielder having a very good personal performance.

Marquinhos saw a goal ruled out via one of those very marginal VAR offside calls, whilst Paqueta saw a rocket of a shot come back off the post.

Costa Rica struggled to even get out of their half and the final stats showed Brazil with 19 v 2 in terms of overall shots and 9 v 1 on corners.

Bruno Guimaraes almost won it himself late on, his effort from just inside the box, clearing the angle of the goal by a very small margin.

England 0 Slovenia 0 (Euros Group match)

Yet another woeful Southgate masterclass, his only change was Gallagher for Alexander-Arnold.

Kieran Trippier playing the opening 84 minutes and doing well, actually creating by far the best chance in a shocking ambition-free half, Kane somehow failed to turn in Trippier’s brilliant cross, when arriving unmarked at the back post.

The only change at the break was Mainoo for the woeful Gallagher and whilst the Man U sub improved things to a very small extent, Cole Palmer likewise when introduced on 71 minutes. It was only when Anthony Gordon arrived with one minute remaining that England produced a dangerous and exciting, incisive move. The Newcastle winger cutting inside and a brilliant ball from the halfway line found Mainoo on the edge of the box, he and Kane then set up Palmer, but his shot straight at the keeper.

Yet another woeful negative display to add to the Gareth Southgate collection. Will he make the clear and obvious changes to his team on Sunday (5pm kick-off)? We live in hope.

To add to the embarrassing Southgate behaviour, he actually brought Alexander-Arnold on with six minutes to go, replacing Trippier and moving Walker to the left. Obviously this was desperately needed, not somebody who could run at and open up a defence…

Wednesday 26 June 2024

Slovakia v Romania (Martin Dubravka) Euros Group match 5pm BBC TBC

Friday 28 June 2024

Paraguay v Brazil (Bruno Guimaraes and Miguel Almiron) Copa America Group match

Tuesday 2 July 2024

Colombia v Brazil (Bruno Guimaraes) Copa America Group match

(There will of course be more matches for Newcastle United players if their nations get through the group stages of the Copa America and/or the European Championships.)