After securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the Euros, England’s head coach Gareth Southgate revealed that one of his substitutions during the Round of 16 match against Slovakia left a player displeased. Trailing for much of the tightly contested fixture, England relied on goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane to turn the tide and secure their progression.
Notably, Southgate opted not to introduce forward Ivan Toney earlier when the team desperately needed a boost in attack. Instead, he brought him on in the 90+4th minute, leaving less than a minute of regular time remaining. This decision didn’t sit well with Toney, who admitted feeling “very uncomfortable” about the late call. However, England’s 2-1 comeback victory and advancement to the next round softened the tension between them.
Southgate explained, “Ivan Toney was very unhappy with being brought on so close to the end of the game, and that caused a bit of friction. But it’s been resolved now. And he played a crucial role in setting up the second goal.”
The manager acknowledged, “When you bring a substitute on at that point, it’s almost a gamble – they might not even touch the ball. I completely understand how he feels because it puts players in a difficult position. But we assessed that his introduction could create confusion in their defense.”
As it turned out, despite limited playing time, Toney made a decisive contribution with an assist via a header that set up Kane’s winning header in extra time. Southgate also noted that had Bellingham not equalized in the dying minutes of regulation time, extending the match into extra periods, Toney might not have had the chance to make an impact.
Southgate: Trent felt unhappy with late substitution, but we’ve reconciled. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/southgate-trent-felt-unhappy-with-late-substitution-but-weve-reconciled.html
