Has Gareth Southgate got his subs right at Euro 2024? Stats reveal how England fare against their rivals after Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins helped Three Lions reach the final

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Gareth Southgate has copped plenty of criticism during his tenure at the helm for England, but one area of frustration for fans and pundits alike has been his use of substitutions. 

It largely stems from England's Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, with the generally held perception claiming that the Three Lions were too negative after taking the lead and failed to react to Italian changes. 

That criticism has followed Southgate in the next few years, and had been a point of contention in Germany in the knockout stages, with England now twice going through extra time to find a way through. 

Ivan Toney was notably left fuming at being brought on in added time to change the game against Slovakia, while only 10 nations had been slower to make substitutions before the quarter-finals than the Three Lions. 

But on Wednesday night it was two substitutes combining that saw England make their way into the finals with Ollie Watkins teed up by Cole Palmer in the 91st minute - so is Southgate actually getting his subs right?

Gareth Southgate has copped criticism for his late substitutions during his time at the helm

Late introductions Ollie Watkins (left) and Cole Palmer (right) combined for the winner on Wednesday

Well the numbers would suggest so - no nation at the European Championship has had more goals, successful penalties in shootouts or assists from subs than England, surprisingly. 

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Watkins' late strike was the first to be scored by an English substitute at the Euros, with Germany leading the way on four, followed by Netherlands and Spain (three) and Turkey (two). with eight others tied with England on one. 

However, for assists the Three Lions are right back up there with two. Palmer's on Wednesday joins Toney's nod on to Harry Kane for the winner against Slovakia in extra time in the Round of 16. 

Austria, Germany, Spain and Netherlands have also managed a couple of assists from subs, while Croatia and Turkey have had one each. 

Similarly, with shootout goals England are in top spot with three successfully converted penalties, France also managing as many. 

Switzerland have two, having taken part in the same 12-yard showdown as the Three Lions, with Manuel Akanji's miss condemning them to a quarter-final exit. 

Palmer, Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold all converted from the spot, with Bukayo Saka banishing his own ghosts of Euro 2020 and Jude Bellingham stepping up with aplomb as England put all five kicks past Yann Sommer. 

Of course, not every team has been in a shootout, but that does not mean Southgate's substitutions have not had an impact. 

England beat Netherlands 2-1 in dramatic fashion to book their place in a second successive Euros final

Ivan Toney (right) assisted the winner in the game against Slovakia after coming off the bench

It's important to note that Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford missed their penalties in the final in 2021 after being brought on in extra time with little time to prepare, indicating that Southgate might have learned that particular lesson. 

The numbers highlight that bringing on Toney and Palmer has been a very useful move for Southgate to rely on, both players netting in the shootout and grabbing an assist as their introductions pay dividends.