Gary Lineker has defended his, and the BBC’s, perceived criticism of England’s early performances at Euro 2024 and admitted he “can’t win”.
Lineker was accused of describing England’s display against Denmark in the group stages as s***, although he later clarified he was referring to the game as a whole.
That opinion was put to Three Lions captain Harry Kane at a press conference with the Bayern Munich striker saying he felt former England players had a ‘responsibility’ to be more supportive, particularly as they hadn’t won any silverware during their international careers.
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In a column for BBC Sport ahead of tonight’s final which pits Gareth Southgate’s England against Spain, Lineker felt his opinion was balanced and fair.
He wrote: “Let’s be honest about it, England are in the final despite not playing very well when the tournament started.
“It feels like a lot has been made of the BBC’s analysis of the team, and particularly Harry Kane, when that was happening, but all we did was say what we thought.
“We were critical of the first few performances, but everyone was. And even the England players and manager have said since then that there was something wrong in the group games, but they are over it now and they have been improving.
“On the BBC, we were basically just saying that too. There were never any personal attacks at all, on Harry or anyone else, because that is not our style – but we do have to be honest about what we see.”
“I’m not a believer in fairytales, but I am a believer in dreams.” 💫
Brilliant words, boss! pic.twitter.com/vi3zmPrLxK
— England (@England) July 14, 2024
Kane could still end up with the Golden Boot
Kane has not played well in Germany but still has a joint tournament-best three goals and remains firmly in the hunt for the tournament’s Golden Boot.
And Lineker remains a huge fan of the former Tottenham man.
He added: “He might not have been at his absolute best but he is still the best finisher that I think England have ever had, because he just does not miss, and he is a constant threat from pretty much anywhere.
“All we were trying to do as a panel on TV was evaluate all of that, but sometimes newspaper journalists use pundits to ask their questions for them, because they have not really got the courage to say it themselves.
“We are used to that though, and I guess it is a compliment really, but then when England have started playing well here we then get told ‘Oh you are being too favourable, you have gone over the top’.
“You can’t win, basically, but I think the public, when you see their response, agree that England did not play well in their first games, and they are playing well now.”
