SM
Barcelona vs. Valencia: 11 hrs 43 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
SN
World Cup Qualifying - Europe | Group Stage
Jun 10, 2017 at 5pm UK
 
EN

2-2

Griffiths (87', 90')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Gareth Southgate: 'England focused on improving'

:Headline: Gareth Southgate: 'England focused on improving': ID:300201: from db_amp
England manager Gareth Southgate insists that his side are working towards being able to produce their best form in big games following their 2-2 draw with Scotland.

England manager Gareth Southgate has insisted that his side will continue working towards their ultimate aim of becoming the best team in the world.

The Three Lions were held to a 2-2 draw by Scotland at Hampden Park on Saturday, with Harry Kane rescuing a point from the World Cup qualifier after two late Leigh Griffiths strikes had turned the game on its head.

England's failure to see the match out once again raised questions over their big-game mentality, but Southgate is hoping to have solved the problem before next summer's World Cup in Russia.

"That is the challenge for us. The challenge is how do we become the best team in the world? We have to improve in all areas to do that. We can only take steps at a time and work as a team to improve every area - whether that's technical, tactical, psychological. But we are identifying those areas and we'll keep working on it," he told reporters.

"You have short-term objectives in winning individual games but in the background a lot of the work we're doing is to start to prepare us for the finals. Now you can't take your eye off the immediate goal of being able to get there, but we also can't wait for qualifying and wait until next March before we start working towards things. We intend to focus on a lot of area we feel we can improve on.

"I think [Kane's goal] was an important moment for the team, important moment individually for Harry. I have a feeling we might have been sitting here talking about how long it was since he last scored for England if he hadn't scored it. Brilliant for him that in a pressure moment he executed a skill that I think he made look a lot easier than actually it was. I think it is a significant goal but for many different reasons."

England are now just two points clear of Slovakia at the top of Group F.

amp_article__300201 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2017-06-13 20:32:27:
html db last update - 2021-03-11 06:41:43 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Gareth Southgate

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .