Gareth Southgate addresses prospect of earlier substitutions against Netherlands at Euro 2024

The England manager has been criticised for not being proactive enough in changing things during the Three Lions’ stilted run to the semi-finals

Gareth Southgate acknowledged he may need to make more substitutions or earlier ones than he has so far in the Euro 2024 knockouts, when England take on Netherlands in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

The Three Lions boss only made one change before the 84th minute in the round of 16 against Slovakia, and none at all before the 78th in the quarter-final against Switzerland. England have played 120 minutes twice, and the manager opted against making the sixth change available to him in the added 30 minutes on both occasions.

Following the last-eight shootout win, he spoke about several players including Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham being out on their feet and, given the high temperatures in Dortmund ahead of the semi-final encounter, fatigue may be an increased concern for England this time around.

But changes for changes’ sake aren’t on the agenda, nor a specifically early change – with Southgate insisting only the flow of the match would decide for him when subs were needed.

“There are different reasons for making changes, we were happy with the way the team was playing in those knockout games,” he said. “We made a sub at half time, too [in the groups against Slovenia], so we don’t have a preconditioned way of operating. You look at physical freshness and how they operate individually and collectively, and if they will improve us or not.

“It’s a strange thing that in the biggest games you get less time to recover; we haven’t been able to get on the training pitch, and it’s been more having meetings. So there’s a different physical aspect now, but the players are well recovered and over the next 24 hours we will keep assessing, and the game direction will make those decisions for us.”

Southgate further praised the collectiveness of the group and reiterated his belief they would come together to overcome whatever challenges arise, in this game and beyond, should England progress.

Luke Shaw came off the bench against Switzerland and impressed (PA Wire)

Added to the options – from the start or as sub - is now Luke Shaw, and Southgate all but confirmed he has a part to play against the Dutch, though Kieran Trippier also remains well in the frame.

“I’m very fortunate to have a fabulous group of players, and we’ve always worked as a team. When we talk about games we’ve done, it’s always reviewed as how the players and ourselves as staff can do better.

“This time, it’s [noteworthy] how the group has bonded. We’ve had 21 who have been on the pitch and none have been dead rubbers or unimportant [appearances].

“Luke has been injured for four months, so it wasn’t a possibility to play earlier, but [against Switzerland] he made a good contribution. He gives us balance with the team, but Kieran has done a fantastic job. [Trippier has] played in big nights for us over seven or eight years, and he’s been so important in those occasions and around the squad and staff.”