Jamie Carragher has argued that Gareth Southgate should have made changes earlier in England’s 2-1 loss against France in the World Cup quarter-finals.
The Three Lions were arguably the better side against the 2018 World Cup champions but they fell to defeat in agonising fashion.
Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni broke the deadlock in France’s favour via a sublime shot from outside the penalty area.
England were able to equalise in the second-half as Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot but France regained the lead as Olivier Giroud’s header beat Jordan Pickford.
Southgate’s side had chances to go ahead before Giroud’s goal and Kane later missed a penalty as his second spot-kick flew over the crossbar.
The manner of England’s performance was positive but they are left feeling heartbroken after falling short at the World Cup.
Carragher thinks the tournament was ‘there for the taking’ for England.
‘Yet again, England must leave the World Cup with regrets. The difference this time is the tournament was there for the taking,’ Carragher wrote for The Telegraph.
‘For all the obvious heartbreak of the latest loss, the same old outcome does not mean we are watching the same old England and seeing the same old story.
‘If England had beaten France, for the first time in my lifetime I would genuinely have believed England were about to win the World Cup.’
Carragher also believes that Southgate should have been braver with his substitutions so England could ‘go for the kill’.
‘While England lost to Croatia and Italy because they could not cope with the opponents’ quality, against France they were beaten because they were unable to take advantage when they were the better team,’ Carragher added.
‘That was the big disappointment of the evening. There was a moment when it felt like England had control and needed to decide whether to roll the dice and push on.
‘When Kane equalised with his first penalty, it felt like there was only going to be one winner. That was when Southgate faced one of the biggest dilemmas of his reign.
‘As a coach, it is easier to make a substitution when the team is underperforming. If your team is on top, the concern is a change will upset the flow.
‘England were on top at 1-1, yet there was still a strong argument for being proactive on the bench because before a ball was kicked it was striking how much more weaponry Southgate had on his bench compared to Didier Deschamps.
‘This is not a…
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