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England manager Gareth Southgate has cited strengthening the defense as his reason for substituting Jack Grealish during their semi-final win over Denmark at Euro 2020. Grealish was brought on as a second-half substitute and then taken off just 35 minutes after his introduction.
Southgate wanted to preserve England's lead over Denmark and thus brought on Kieran Trippier in place of the Aston Villa man at the start of the second period of extra time. In this explanation, Southgate said (via the Metro):
"He’s fine – he understood, he was terrific when he came on, he gave us momentum. But we know when they’ve gone behind in games they’ve thrown four men up front so we needed to get an extra defender on just to make sure we were more solid."
The England manager wanted to keep Raheem Sterling on for his pace which was the prime reason for subbing off Grealish. Southgate added:
"I wanted to keep Raheem’s [Sterling] speed on so it meant taking one of the two boys off who had just come on."
Former Arsenal forward Ian Wright believes the team should come before an individual as Southgate's overall goal is to lead England to Euro 2020 glory. Wright said:
"I feel for Jack Grealish; you can see its a tournament that he really wants to be a part of, every time he gets going it doesn’t quite happen for him. To be taken off like that is of course, you subbed a sub its not nice. But it is about the squad and being a part of it."
Gareth Southgate has received plenty of criticism for not starting Grealish regularly at Euro 2020. The Aston Villa talisman has only started once and that was in a dead rubber against the Czech Republic in the group stage. However, Grealish has had a great Euro 2020. The 25-year-old created a positive impact against Croatia and Germany after coming off the bench.
Also Read: David James' column - Euro 2020: 5 players who deserve more playing time
England one game away from Euro 2020 glory
A win over Denmark saw England qualify for the final of Euro 2020 where they will face an in-form Italian side. Gareth Southgate has led England to their first major final since the 1966 World Cup final. It is also England's first ever appearance in a European Championship final.
England have been in some great form throughout Euro 2020. The Three Lions have only conceded one goal so far in the tournament. With home support behind their backs, England will start the final at Wembley as favorites.
