THERE WERE NOT MANY POSITIVES, ADMITS SOUTHGATE

GARETH SOUTHGATE ordered England to muster an immediate response after admitting his side were dealt a reality check here in Prague last night. The England boss wants his team to bounce back in Monday’s qualifier against Bulgaria after missing the chance to qualify for Euro 2020 with a sluggish performance in the 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic, despite taking an early lead through Harry Kane’s penalty. England hadn’t lost a qualifier since their defeat by Ukraine in 2009. Southgate admitted: ‘In terms of a wake up call, we have had a lot of plaudits over the last couple of years but there is a lot of work to be done to be a really top team — tonight was clear evidence of that. ‘Clearly that is not a night we wanted to be a part of. We did not play well enough, we conceded possession too cheaply, we did not create chances, we did not take good chances and we were too open out of possession, we gave the ball away. ‘We have to respond in the right way, we have a couple of days to prepare and we have to reward our supporters with a better performance. ‘There were not many positives. We accept defeat, and accept we have to be better than we were. We weren’t good enough.’ Southgate’s ploy to play full debutant Mason Mount in the No 10 role appeared to backfire as England were overrun in midfield. Southgate did not shy away from those doubts over his team selection, saying: ‘I always have to accept responsibility. ‘Football is all about responding to setbacks. We have not had many so it feels more unpleasant and it is a while since we felt this way.’ Captain Harry Kane insisted England must remain calm despite the loss but admitted the defeat underlines they are far from the finished product. ‘We’ll regroup, there’s no need to panic,’ said the striker. ‘I think it was down to us (the defeat). We went ahead early and after that were sloppy with the ball. ‘We weren’t fighting and pressing as much as we normally do. Unfortunately we gave one away at the end. ‘We have to do better than tonight. We’ve still got stuff to work on, and we can see that tonight.’ Before the match, England supporters clashed with police in Prague. Stun grenades were fired at fans who threw bottles at officers in riot gear. Southgate responded: ‘Of course it is always disappointing and I have always spoken about how we want everyone to conduct themselves.’