Back to the drawing board for Southgate
paris — After failing to beat Spain, Germany or France in friendlies, England coach Gareth Southgate has much to do if he wants to be competitive at next year’s World Cup.
Southgate wanted to test his remodelled team against the best in non-competitive matches, and came up short. That was highlighted on Tuesday, when England lost at France 3-2 despite playing most of the second half with an extra man against a team resting some key players.
Southgate, who has been in charge since September following the resignation of Sam Allardyce, is honest about his team’s true level. Against Spain in November, England led 2-0 but drew 2-2 after conceding sloppy late goals. Against Germany in March, England lost 1-0.
“The reality is I’m not surprised. Those teams are the very best. In the last few years we haven’t got anywhere near any of those teams when it’s come to tournament and finals,” Southgate said. “That’s why we need to play them. We need to see the reality of where we are. You’ve got to test yourself against the best, otherwise it can mask where you might be.”
England sometimes coasts through qualifying campaigns but falls short when it really counts.
That was true at last year’s European Championship, when England won all 10 of its qualifiers but then was eliminated by Iceland in the last 16 of the tournament. England did not lose a qualifier before the 2014 World Cup, but went out in the group stage in Brazil. —