Jamie Carragher defends Gareth Southgate and hits out at 2 England starts for anonymous Euro 2024 displays

Jamie Carragher has defended England manager Gareth Southgate and called out two stars for their lackluster performances at Euro 2024. The former Liverpool defender believes Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka are simply not delivering when it matters and puts the blame for the disappointing results at their feet.

Carragher made 38 appearances for England after making his debut for the Three Lions in April 1999.

In his column for The Telegraph, the Liverpool icon blamed the Three Lions' disappointing performances on the team's stars and not the manager, writing:

"I maintain what I wrote before the tournament: international football is about big players coming to the party far more than managers. So far, England’s stars have not turned up and their best performances have been in the pre-match interviews."

"The tactical decisions taken by the manager so far can be debated – there is no question they must change in the knockout stages – but they have hardly been outrageous."

The former defender concluded by pointing out the disappointing performances of Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham, writing:

"Bellingham is playing the same position for his country in this competition as he has for Real Madrid all season, winning the Champions League. Let’s be honest. He has been anonymous in the past two games."

"Saka is outstanding for Arsenal. He has had minimal impact in the past two-and-a-half games. The obvious inclusions for the round of 16 are Mainoo, Cole Palmer, and Anthony Gordon,"

Gareth Southgate will be keen to improve England's performances in the next stage of Euro 2024. The Three Lions qualified for the round of 16 after finishing atop their group in the tournament despite two unimpressive draws in their last two games.

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Gareth Southgate urges England fans to stay with the team despite winless streak at Euro 2024

England manager Gareth Southgate has urged the fans to continue backing the team following his side's 0-0 draw against Slovenia. The Three Lions boss and his team have been criticized heavily by fans and pundits following consecutive draws at Euro 2024.

Speaking to the press after the draw against Slovenia, he said (via the Guardian):

"I understand it. I'm not going to back away from it. The most important thing is the supporters stay with the team. I understand the narrative towards me and that's better for the team than it being towards them. But it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I've not seen any other team qualify and receive similar."

Southgate concluded:

"[The players] kept composure in a game where they've come into a really challenging environment. Of course, we'd love a couple of goals that sends everybody home happy. But we were definitely an improvement on what we did in the last game. I think the changes we made had a positive effect on the game tonight. We weren't able to find the right pass, the final finish. But we are improving."

England remains one of the favorites to win Euro 2024 and will be keen to get back to winning ways in the knockout stages of the tournament.