Gary Lineker questions Trent Alexander-Arnold decision after 'strange' England win

Gary Lineker has questioned England boss Gareth Southgate for his decision to substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold during the Euro 2024 win over Serbia.

The Three Lions got their tournament off to a winning start in Gelsenkirchen, with Jude Bellingham’s first-half header settling the score.

Much of the talk before the game revolved around Alexander-Arnold’s place in the side, with Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney particularly disparaging about the notion of him playing in midfield. The Liverpool vice-captain produced a solid display, although there was some room for improvement.

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Alexander-Arnold lasted 68 minutes before being replaced by Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher. England though struggled to press home their advantage, with Serbia threatening to find an equalizer.

The Three Lions managed to hang on to go top of Group C, although Lineker wasn’t too sure about Southgate’s decision to haul Alexander-Arnold off early.

“The one thing they weren’t doing was keeping the ball and suddenly you brought on a player who is less likely to keep the ball [Gallagher] which is odd,” Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast.

“But he [Gareth] said in his interview after that game, ‘I needed protection, I needed the legs’, but I disagree with him. I think we needed someone to actually calm down. “[Jarrod] Bowen is an obvious change for [Bukayo] Saka, there’s no real change there. Saka is obviously a better overall player and I thought Saka played really well.”

On England’s performance, Lineker added: “It’s a little bit exacerbating when they suddenly get 1-0 in front and it’s a criticism leveled at Gareth a lot about that fact he gets ahead and the team, whether it’s by instructions or whatever, but for some reason we do tend to sit back.

“There’s almost a side of the human condition where you want to defend something when you’ve got it, but when your strength is keeping the ball and going forward and being calm, then suddenly sitting back when you can’t get out… it was a strange game.”

Liverpool.com says: England has had a problem taking control of games when in a winning position in the past, and that was evident once again on Sunday. It makes it all the more baffling why certain pundits are so dead against playing Alexander-Arnold in midfield.

It was a decent if not especially brilliant display from the Liverpool star, although he certainly wasn’t the worst performer for England. He should get more chances to grow into his role as the tournament goes on, and hopefully prove the likes of Keane and Rooney wrong.