GARY NEVILLE has warned England of what awaits them if they don’t bounce back at Euro 2024.
The Three Lions reached the round of 16 as group winners despite three poor performances.
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And Neville, 49, says they must get their act together or be in for a rude awakening with Holland potentially lying in wait.
He said Celestial sports: “There is a fortunate element in our group.
“It was the poorest group to watch and that helped us, when we were below average, to qualify as group winners.
“What will happen now is that we will be up to the knockout stages and playing against a better team will mean that there is more space and our players will naturally thrive in that type of environment, or will they continue with their performances and progress from the group to the knockout stage and they will get the shock of their lives.
“Because if they keep playing like they’re one thing, I can guarantee they’ll be defeated.”
Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Gareth Southgate have urged the media to be more positive in their coverage.
But Neville thinks the press, fans and staff are singing the same anthem.
He added: “They know they have to step up. In fact, I think what the media is saying, what the players are saying in their interviews and what Gareth is saying are exactly the same things.
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“Declan Rice – before the game I think – said it was bad against Denmark and the team was bad.
“Gareth admitted that they keep the ball, don’t press well and don’t play the defensive part of the game well at the top of the pitch.
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“Obviously they are defending well at the back when they come into good form.
“But I think we’re saying the same things, the fans are seeing the same things, but obviously with a lot more emotion and that’s the difference here.
“What we have to do is raise our performance level one or two notches if we want to overtake a country like the Netherlands.
It was difficult to fool Gallagher at half-time… but Mainoo showed he was the answer, says Jack Wilshere
KOBBIE MAINOO has always been my preference to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold in England’s midfield, writes Jack Wilshere.
I think he showed why in the second half against Slovenia.
But I still feel like it was tough on Conor Gallagher that he got sent off at half-time.
Firstly because it was probably our best half of the tournament.
And secondly, because it didn’t seem like a Gareth Southgate thing to do.
This will shake Gallagher’s confidence, for sure.
He will have thought this was his chance, but he only gets half of it.
That said, despite the disappointing result, the second half was better and Mainoo proved he is the man – or boy – to play there in the future.
Read Jack Wilshere’s full post-match verdict.
Or check out all of Jack’s Euro 2024 columns.
“Because I think if we play like we have been doing, we will have difficulties and it could be a disappointing end.
“But we have the ability to advance because these players proved in the second half last night that they are capable of playing fantastic football and playing much better than before.
“There’s another level to last night’s second half that’s yet to come.”
England player ratings: Southgate’s Gallagher experiment fails miserably against Slovenia
ENGLAND produced another dismal performance – but still managed to top Group C.
England dominated the ball but Southgate will have plenty of questions to answer after a third successive uninspired display.
SunSport’s Tom Barclay gave his assessments of the English players.
Jordan Pickford – 6
Largely a spectator due to England’s dominance on the ball. He asked the sideline what Denmark’s score was during a second-half break.
Kieran Trippier-6
The only positive point about having a right-handed player playing at left-back is that he can deliver crosses, and one of those should have been headed in by Conor Gallagher before half-time.
Marc Guehi-7
Cruyff’s early turn showed his confidence in excellent displays against Serbia and Denmark, and barring a dropped pass it was good again.
John’s Stones – 6
One of many who missed the target with his pass. It wasn’t bad but, like others, a far cry from what he produced for his club.
Kyle Walker – 5
He played very confidently, rarely trying to advance. At one point I was lucky that Pickford was aware of his return blast. Cruz cut after the break summed up his night off.
Conor Gallagher-4
He received the nod after the trial of midfielder Trent Alexander-Arnold ended, but had little possession of the ball, mainly, and was replaced at half-time by Kobbie Mainoo.
Declan Rice – 7
He had promised an “in-your-face” performance from his team, but he was actually the only one to produce it. Very good in terms of ball possession, much better than against Denmark.
Phil Foden-7
England’s liveliest forward four by a mile and went close with a free kick. Announced by dissent, summing up England’s frustration.
Jude Bellingham-5
He looked very frustrated as he and Harry Kane got in each other’s way at times, while he was often sent wide to the left when Phil Foden moved into the middle.
Bukayo Saka-6
He hit the target in the 20th minute, but it was disallowed for offside in the build-up. OK, but again replaced after the break, perhaps due to physical problems.
Harry Kane – 6
He insists he is 100% in shape and maybe he is. What is 100 percent certain is that he has not been as effective in this tournament as he normally is for England, although he has been a little better here.
Substitutes
Kobbie Mainoo (for Gallagher at half-time) – 7
He made a difference at the start, making England much more positive in their game. Much more confident with his touch than Gallagher.
Cole Palmer (for Bukayo Saka in ’71) – 7
He finally showed up in this tournament and a clever pass to Mainoo showed what he can do.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (for Kieran Trippier at 84) – 6
He entered the final minutes at right-back, with Walker moving to left-back.
Anthony Gordon (for Phil Foden in 88) – 6
Like Palmer, first few minutes at Euros, but too late to make an impact.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
