Southgate says changes may be needed to inject energy into England

Gareth Southgate is contemplating changes in personnel and tactics against Denmark as the England manager looks to inject energy into a side that toiled to victory in Iceland.

The Three Lions made their long-awaited return to action on Saturday, although their display after 10 months away was rusty against the disciplined and dogged hosts in Reykjavik.

Raheem Sterling’s lastgasp penalty was followed by an even later spot-kick miss by Birkir Bjarnason as a forgettable Nations League fixture ended in a dramatic 1-0 win against their Euro 2016 foes.

But the tepid performance underlined the lack of sharpness brought by a truncated – and in some cases non-existent – pre-season at club level, leaving Southgate pondering how to approach tomorrow’s clash against Denmark.

“We’ll have to assess really carefully because there’s lots of different factors in that,” Southgate said.

“We’re going to need energy for sure at this stage of the season – that’s going to be as critical as anything – and then what’s the best tactical approach to the game.

“So, we are going to have to work our way through that.

“We knew that was going to be a huge challenge.”

Southgate has to decide how many of Saturday’s starters can push through onto Tuesday, when the England manager may well be tempted to revert to a three-man backline flanked by wingbacks given the options at his disposal.

Conor Coady and Ainsley Maitland-Niles look to have been brought in with that formation in mind, while fellow uncapped players Dean Henderson, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish are also dreaming of their bow in Denmark.

Manchester United teenager Mason Greenwood came off the bench for his debut in Reykjavik, where Phil Foden got his first taste of life with the Three Lions from the start. “I think with Phil we know there’s a super player there, and I thought he did very well,” said Southgate, who also gave James WardProwse his England first start against Iceland.

“It was a really difficult game to come into, no space at all in the middle of the field.

“They are very compact, depth and width, so he showed early on with some through passes and little touches what he’s capable of. James did a really good job for the team.”