Sport
England fans are calling for Southgate to finally start Luke Shaw following Trippier’s injury doubts
It begs the question why bring him if he's not going to play?
Danny Jones -
1st July 2024 
England supporters are crying out for Gareth Southgate to start Luke Shaw in the next game against Switzerland after Kieran Trippier was substituted in the round-of-16 win over Slovakia.
The Three Lions boss admitted it was a ‘gamble’ to bring the injured Manchester United star to the Euros and would only be fit enough to play in the knockout games, but with the quarter-finals now looming and Shaw yet to play a single minute in the tournament, people are now wondering if he’ll come in at all.
So far though, since the sidelined 28-year-old is England’s only natural left-back in the squad, Bury-born defender Kieran Trippier has been deployed in the position but his right-footedness has proved difficult when it comes to overlapping, creating overloads on the wing and service into the box.
That being said, with the Newcastle fullback having already been an injury doubt prior to Slovakia and the fact it’s unclear as to whether or not his substitution was just a knock or something more serious, fans are urging Southgate to roll the dice now and bring Shaw into the side.
if shaw isn’t fit for the switzerland game sack southgate on the spot . doesn’t fix most of our problems but having a fit left back certainly helps in matches
— hollie🏴 (@hollieh0llie) June 30, 2024
Trent for Walker, Shaw for Trippier, Palmer for Saka and Gordon for Foden. Make no mistake we have been absolutely dreadful in every game. Unless we buck our ideas up Switzerland will have a field day
— RJH (@richyhardy) June 30, 2024
Trippier got Guehi booked and now Guehi will miss the match against Switzerland
— Donation link in BIO pls (@EhsanMH2015) June 30, 2024
Trippier needs to be dropped and Shaw needs to start man
That gives him more time to get sharp and fit
As you can see, it doesn’t look like the manner of the qualification has done anything to settle the nerves back home, especially given their quarter-final opponents Switzerland are set to prove a much more difficult challenge after they came second in their group only to hosts Germany.
They also managed to dump out England‘s ghosts from Euro 2020 in their first knockout fixture, beating the Italians 2-0 to progress to the last eight.
Given the tense nature of the performance, the general consensus despite the win is that things need to be shaken up; one person suggested: “Bring in Trent. Shaw (if poss). Keep Mainoo. Palmer or Gordon”, adding, “the Swiss ain’t no joke. They will dismantle England in an hour if you don’t freshen things up.”
While there seems to be plenty of debate as to how Southgate will line his team up after Marc Guehi picked up a suspension – with many suggesting that he could play three at the back – virtually everyone is calling for Shaw to be brought straight into the starting XI, even if as a left-sided centre-half.
Gareth Southgate had some luck this time.
— Ben בן (@Ben_said_it) June 30, 2024
There is no chance england beat Switzerland without some serious changes.
They need to bring on Luke Shaw, Anthony Gordon, and Cole Palmer from the start.
Trippier got Guehi booked and now Guehi will miss the match against Switzerland
— Donation link in BIO pls (@EhsanMH2015) June 30, 2024
Trippier needs to be dropped and Shaw needs to start man
That gives him more time to get sharp and fit
The lack of a LB is killing the balance of the team…. So much pressure on Luke Shaw to get fit.
— Andrew 🏹 (@Nesto25) June 30, 2024
Got to go 3 at the back against Switzerland #ENG🏴
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While it looks as though the supporters’ cries to start fellow Man United teammate Kobbie Mainoo have worked and you would hope the shouts for Shaw will be heard too, only those within the England camp will know what Southgate is thinking when it comes to his new defensive dilemma.
In fact, when Trippier was already a doubt for Sunday’s match, it was reported that rather than risking Shaw he was considering bringing in Ezri Kona as a makeshift LB, so this could still be in his plans as opposed to playing the natural fullback or Liverpool’s Joe Gomez who has also played there this season.
It’s also worth noting that not only does Shaw provide more width and fluid left flank, but he also buried a stunning strike against the Swiss when the two teams last met in March of 2022 – one that reminiscent of his opener against Italy in the last Euros final, in fact.
We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that whatever option he goes for turns out to be the right one and, if it does, Manchester now has a very exciting new venue to watch the rest of the competition.
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Featured Images — England (via Instagram)
