The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Beating Slovakia was an important step: Southgate
England: Three Lions boss says his side must ‘keep developing’
Gareth Southgate felt his developing England team took an “important step” in coming back against Slovakia, shedding the mental shackles that cost them dearly last year against Iceland.
Monday night saw the table-topping Three Lions host their nearest rivals in the race for next summer’s World Cup.
Slovakia would have overtaken Southgate’s men at the top of Group F with a victory that was on the cards when Marcus Rashford’s early mistake was brutally punished by Stanislav Lobotka.
The third-minute strike stunned Wembley and left England’s players shell-shocked for much of the first half, struggling for creativity and guile as stage fright appeared to take hold.
The ignominious Euro 2016 exit to Iceland came to mind but this time the Three Lions rallied as Rashford’s corner was turned in by Eric Dier before the Manchester United attacker fired home to secure a 2-1 win, putting his team on the brink of World Cup qualification.
“We’ve said (on Sunday) that this is a work in progress and the only way for them to improve is to go through those sort of experiences together and win,” said Southgate, who viewed June’s comeback draw in Scotland as similarly important from a mental standpoint.
“I thought what I did see were signs of leadership. I thought the captain (Jordan Henderson) was excellent, really drove the team from midfield.
“I thought our two centre-backs really got to grips with the game, so all of a sudden there was comfort in a clear method of playing, but also there were individuals who stepped up at important moments with and without the ball.
“That’s what we’ve got to keep developing. This was really an important step against who I thought was a very good team, but of course there will be even tougher tests to come.”
England now have a five-point cushion at the top of Group F with just a home match against Slovenia and a trip to Lithuania, ranked 99th in the world, to come.
Southgate may well be tempted to experiment in next month’s qualifiers, especially if progress is sealed by the time they head to Vilnius – their final competitive match before the World Cup.
High-profile Wembley friendlies against Germany and Brazil will be an important chance to test their mettle in November.