England manager Gareth Southgate defended his decision to introduce substitutes late in games during Euro 2024. He explained that his reluctance to use his talented bench was usually because he was satisfied with the way his team was playing. England has faced criticism for their performances in the tournament, with some questioning Southgate’s approach to substitutions. Critics have pointed out that Southgate has seemed unwilling to shake things up during lackluster performances, bringing on substitutes with limited time to make an impact.
In contrast to other big teams that have made changes much earlier, Southgate’s switches have been mainly when England’s backs were to the wall. A notable example was against Slovakia, when he brought on Ivan Toney in the 94th minute as a last-ditch effort to win the game. In the quarterfinal against Switzerland, Southgate made a triple substitution moments after going 1-0 down, with England facing elimination with 12 minutes remaining. His earliest change came in the 0-0 draw against Slovenia, when he brought on midfielder Kobbie Mainoo at halftime, followed by forward Cole Palmer with 19 minutes to go.
Southgate addressed the criticism in a press conference, stating that his decisions were based on various factors: “There are different reasons for making changes,” he said. “We were happy with the way the team were playing in a couple of those games, there was a game we made a substitution at halftime so we don’t have a preconditioned way of operating. You’re always looking at the physical freshness of the team, the balance of the team, how the team are performing individually, whether changes are actually going to improve what we’re doing or not.”
Southgate also acknowledged the team’s initial struggles due to the pressure of being pre-tournament favorites. He explained that the team’s confidence and mindset improved after a challenging start: “The expectation weighed quite heavily and of course the external noise was louder than it’s ever been,” he said. “I felt we couldn’t quite get ourselves in the right place and in the end what was impressive was that the players ground it out, they ground results out and found ways to win… I felt that shifted once we got into the knockout stage.”
Despite the early difficulties, Southgate highlighted the team’s resilience and their desire to make history by winning their first European Championship. He stated that the players have responded brilliantly and are now focused on what’s possible rather than what might go wrong: “You’re now into that moment in the tournament where it’s what’s possible, what’s achievable rather than what might go wrong,” he said. “So this is now the chance to make history which we’ve enjoyed doing.”
