Loss ‘is taste of reality’

Gareth Southgate pledged to stick to his principles after Spain delivered an uncomfortable reality check at Wembley but admitted he was unsure whether England had time to become genuine Euro 2020 challengers.

England were surprise World Cup semifinalists in July, riding a wave of euphoria back 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.

Danny Welbeck saw a stoppage-time leveller 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, nevertheless 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. “I think 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, in my opinion, we have got the best group of players in the country here.

“I think we have got 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 U21s squad. —