Here is the rewritten article:
Trent Alexander-Arnold Hits Back at Gary Lineker’s Scathing Criticism of England’s Euro 2024 Performance
- Lineker Slammed England’s Performance Against Denmark as ‘Subpar’ at the Euros
- Alexander-Arnold Responds to Lineker’s Brutal Criticism
By Sam Brookes
Trent Alexander-Arnold has addressed Gary Lineker’s criticism of England during their Euro 2024 campaign. The team’s road to the final in Germany was far from smooth, with the team struggling badly in the group stage.
After struggling to a 1-0 win over Serbia in their opening match, England were held to a 1-1 draw by Denmark, and Lineker labelled the performance ‘underwhelming’ on his The Rest is Football podcast.
Following the brutal criticism, England captain Harry Kane hit back at Lineker, calling for former players to remember what it was like to represent their country and be more responsible with their words. Alexander-Arnold has now given his own verdict on Lineker’s rant.
‘I mean, we all saw and heard that and felt it,’ he told The Mirror.
Gary Lineker was very critical of England at Euro 2024, labelling their performance against Denmark ‘underwhelming’
Trent Alexander-Arnold has responded to Lineker’s criticism of the team during the Euros
‘We all felt the same way in terms of, we know we can be playing better. We know we can be performing better. It’s never nice for people to point it out, but everybody deep down knows it within ourselves too. So, it wasn’t something that we weren’t already thinking anyway, it wasn’t anything new.’
The Three Lions did get better as the tournament progressed, edging past Slovakia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands to reach the final. But they did not have enough to overcome Spain as they were beaten 2-1 by Luis de la Fuente’s men.
Following the heartbreaking defeat that ensured England’s 58 years of hurt will continue, Gareth Southgate stood down from his position as manager after eight years in charge.
Lineker subsequently rubbished claims that his criticism of the team influenced Southgate’s decision. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, he said: ‘We’ve been unquestionably fair on England. There’s no doubt about that. But I think… it’s time for change. Probably for Gareth’s wellbeing as well, because it must be such a tough job.’
Gareth Southgate resigned as England manager after the Euros, but Lineker denied his criticism influenced Southgate’s decision
Lineker added: ‘Honestly. They constantly try to put a wedge between us and players and management. Just the silliness of it.’
Lineker also stated that the criticism was not intended to be personal and that he was simply stating the obvious. ‘We were critical at times because you can’t say when a team is not playing very well, that they played well. If they played awfully, you say they played awfully, and they did in the early part of the tournament. There’s no question about that.’
The England players, including Alexander-Arnold, have since moved on from the criticism and are focused on the future.
Share or comment on this article:
Trent Alexander-Arnold Responds to Gary Lineker’s Criticism of England After BBC Presenter Branded the Team’s Performance ‘Underwhelming’ at Euro 2024