SM
Thursday, November 7
Upcoming predictions and previews
LN
World Cup Qualifying - Europe | Group Stage
Oct 8, 2017 at 5pm UK
 
EN

0-1

 
FT(HT: 0-1)
Kane (27' pen.)

Gareth Southgate: England "flat" after uninspiring victory

:Headline: Gareth Southgate: England 'flat' after uninspiring victory: ID:309107: from db_amp
Gareth Southgate admits that improvement is needed after England struggled to break down Lithuania on Sunday evening, coming away from Vilnius with a slender 1-0 win.

England manager Gareth Southgate has admitted that he and his player are feeling "a bit flat" following another uninspiring display to overcome Lithuania.

For the second World Cup qualifier running, it was left to captain Harry Kane to spare the Three Lions' blushes by scoring the only goal of the game.

England's 1-0 victory in Vilnius extends their unbeaten run in meaningful qualifiers to a decade, but Southgate understands the frustration of supporters after seeing his side register just four shots on target against a team ranked 120th in the world.

"We wanted to score a load of goals and when you don't, you understand the reaction," he told reporters. "We've won two matches and after both we've come away a bit flat. We've not been able to break down a packed defence, but the change of system is a starting point. We'll get better at that.

"But there was very little space to play in. We played a packed defence who don't even come out at 1-0 down, and we have to find a way of combating that. We didn't manage to do that. For me, the qualification was done and it was the time to change the system and look at the implementation of that, looking at players who can take us forward.

"We've got some good attacking players who will score goals, and the challenges of the games going forward will be different. The style of the games, different. We'll be tested defensively, but there'll be a bit more space to play in, even though we'll be playing against a better quality of opposition.

"Our defenders need a different sort of challenge. They need to play out under more pressure, and to do defend against top strikers. That's part of their learning journey. If we're going to go with young players, how are they going to improve if they don't play against the best?"

England, who finished their qualifying campaign with eight wins and two draws, face Germany and Brazil in two high-profile friendlies at Wembley Stadium in November.

amp_article__309107 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2017-10-13 21:33:43:
html db last update - 2017-10-13 21:33:43 :

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
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
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.



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