Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas was disappointed not to see Cole Palmer make an appearance for England in their 1-0 win over Serbia in the Euro 2024 opener.
Speaking to the BBC about Gareth Southgate’s decision to snub him, the Spaniard explained: “If you send the message in putting in a defensive midfielder or an extra defender to cover the result, you will as a player feel it.
“Mentally you start going back, dropping more. But instead if you put an offensive player, Palmer let's say, up the pitch and controlling the ball in the final third, I think the players get so much more comfortable.”
Southgate has earned criticism for his questionable substitutions in the second half. England dominated the first half, but were extremely defensive after the break. They were fortunate to get away with the narrow win.
Even though Palmer didn’t get any minutes, Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher put in an impressive cameo. He earned praise for helping improve England’s midfield shape and is in line to start the game against Denmark.
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