Gareth needs more speed to beat Scots

GARETH SOUTHGATE knows what it really feels like to be an England manager now. No amount of imagining can properly prepare you for what it feels like to be on the bench when the opposition break through, are one-onone with the keeper and you know how much hysteria there is going to be if you lose 1-0. Your heart is in your mouth and you feel the threat throughout your body.

Gareth would probably acknowledge that had the Slovenians had their finishing boots on, they would have won last week. If you give the opposition that many and those kind of chances, you would expect to lose. So in the end, it wasn’t a bad point.

Overall, though, he will know the team have to do much better against Scotland. When I saw the energy, urgency, movement and sharpness in the first half against Malta, I was encouraged. And it doesn’t matter who the opposition are — if you can play in that manner, it shows you are a good team. But it became pedestrian in the second half against Malta and against Slovenia the movement of the ball was slow again. When we did get into midfield, the passes didn’t flow quickly enough into the final third. It was lacklustre with no cutting edge and we didn’t get enough clear chances.