Former England footballer Danny Mills has branded this year's Euro squad as "lopsided" and "weak."
This comes after The Three Lions topped their group following a 0-0 draw with Slovenia, with Denmark and Serbia playing out a goalless draw on the same night and Gareth Southgate was reportedly booed as the players left the pitch.
After England fans threw plastic cups at Southgate, England's head coach defended the performance and said he "understands" why the fans did it, but "won't back away from it".
Southgate assured fans: "The most important thing here is that the supporters stay with the team. I understand the sort of narrative towards me, but I've not seen any other team qualify and receive similar.
"I'm very, very proud of the players for how they're operating within it."
Danny Mills played alongside Southgate in 2002
GB News
Speaking on GB News Mills, who played with manager Gareth Southgate in the 2002 World Cup, said: "Performances haven't been great but we go into this tournament and England fans and media think we have some divine right that we should be winning this tournament.
"We are supposedly the favourites. We're not we are not the best team in Europe at the moment. Our squad is lopsided.
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"It's weak in certain areas. But we seem to think that if we do not win this tournament, it's an absolute disaster because we have some good attacking players.
"We've always had that and it just looks like at the moment that expectation is starting to weigh heavily on the young players, they're making some bad decisions at times."
"They look like they're playing with a little bit of fear and that's not good. Whether the fans are booing Gareth Southgate or whether they're booing the players, the players cannot differentiate from that."
After yesterday's performance angry fans on social media have called for Southgate to be sacked right now, despite the former Middlesbrough boss guiding his team to top in the group.
Gareth Southgate has been heavily criticised
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"England sack this clown already before he embarrasses this nation anymore the standards of this nation is a joke not only should Southgate be sack but the people who decided to hire him and allow this circus to go on longer than it had any right to should be sacked as well," fumed one X user.
A second said: "Sack Southgate and let's win the tournament without a manager", while a third added: "Sack Southgate now."
A fourth weighed in by saying: "Southgate is so bad....can we sack him and bring some one else for the remaining games?"
The Three Lions topped their group with the result
PAAnother raged: "Just send that England squad home and sack Southgate END OF."
And a sixth blasted the England boss by saying: "Sack him now, 3 incredibly inept performances, get Southgate out! #SouthgateOut."
Southgate had said before the game he was "oblivious" to the negativity surrounding his side and their Euro 2024 displays.