Southgate will stick to principles
SOUTHGATE SAID HE WAS UNSURE WHETHER HIS SIDE COULD CLOSE THE GAP TO THE TOP TEAMS BEFORE THE NEXT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Gareth Southgate has pledged to stick to his principles after Spain delivered an uncomfortable reality check at Wembley but admits he is unsure whether England has time to become genuine contenders for the Euro 2020 crown.
England were surprise World Cup semifinalists in July, riding a wave of euphoria at home, but their 2-1 Nations League defeat on Saturday was their third consecutive loss.
Even during their moraleboosting run in Russia, manager Southgate warned there was still work to do and the performance at Wembley underlined that message.
Marcus Rashford struck early for England but Saul Niguez levelled for Spain moments later and Rodrigo scored the winning goal later in the first half.
A stoppage-time leveller by substitute Danny Welbeck was controversially ruled out, meaning England head into Tuesday’s friendly against Switzerland reeling from three successive defeats in all competitions for the first time since 1988.
Spain, who bowed out in the World Cup last-16 after a torrid campaign, showed the benefits of a long-established identity and a level of creativity sorely lacking in England’s midfield.
Southgate said he was unsure whether his side could close the gap to the top teams before the next European Championship, in which the semifinals and final will be played at Wembley.
“We’ve got some players who can and have shown tonight they can perform at that level, and there’s some that are still a work in progress,” he said.
“We have got 19 matches, it’s not very long, but we have the best group of players in the country here.
“We have to keep faith in the way we’re trying to play, otherwise we go back to what we did historically and there’s no way I believe we’ll ever be a top team if we do that,” Southgate added.
Southgate plans to rotate his side at the King Power Stadium in Leicester and intends to bring in reinforcements from the Under-21s squad.
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw left the field on a stretcher after a heavy fall but said he was “doing fine”.
Tottenham fullback Kieran Trippier said there was no reason for alarm despite the defeat, following losses to Croatia in the last four in Russia and to Belgium in the third-place playoff.
“It is not a concern,” Trippier said. “We are building, and that is all we can do — play against these teams.
“We want to test ourselves against the best and certainly tonight we put up a fight.”