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Gareth Southgate took the blame for England’s overwhelming 1-1 draw draw with Denmarkbut he suggested his players must do better with the weight of expectation on their shoulders at Euro 2024.
Southgate, whose side were booed after laboring in their second game of the tournament, was unable to paint a positive picture after a disappointing night at the Frankfurt Arena.
England were outplayed after going ahead with an early goal from Harry Kane, who fell below his usual standards before his surprise second-half substitution, and were lucky to escape with a point that keeps them on course to win Group C.
Southgate, who also saw a setback during last Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Serbiafelt his players were not pressing well enough and admitted he needed to find solutions before facing Slovenia next Tuesday.
“We’re disappointed with the two performances we’ve had, so we’ve got to go and analyze that in depth and find some solutions to deal with the problems we’ve got,” the England manager said. “We know the level should be higher. Perhaps most importantly, we must accept the environment we find ourselves in and the expectations surrounding it.
“We will have to rise to this challenge. We are a bit short of that at the moment. After all, it’s my responsibility. I am the manager and I have to lead this group in the best way possible. To achieve extraordinary things, you have to go through some tough times.
Southgate, who called the performance worrying and criticized the poor passing that led to Morten Hulmand’s equaliser, was asked about the late-match and post-match taunts from England fans.
“We’re in the middle of winning on the biggest stage possible and if it doesn’t reach the level it needs to, then we have to accept what’s ahead of us,” he said. “We have to find the best way to resolve this. Of course we need fans. But I have to say they were brilliant. What I would say is that these guys are not lacking in effort right now. It’s not like they’re not trying. If anything right now, we care too much.
After the match, Prince William went into the England dressing room to speak to the players.
England took many inexperienced players to Germany and Southgate said some were struggling to cope with the pressure of international football. “We’re in an environment where we have to perform,” he said. “We have to rise to this challenge. I intend to go for it, whatever the reaction. I will not avoid going to the fans at the end of the game. We come face to face.”
Southgate admitted England lacked balance with right-footed Kieran Trippier replacing Luke Shaw at left-back. He said he had not found a midfield replacement for Calvin Phillips, although he defended the performance of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Alexander-Arnold, who started again in the middle, was the first England player to be substituted.
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“One of our biggest problems was that we didn’t press well enough as a team, so he had a lot of problems to solve and most of them he handled really well,” Southgate said. “We look at the performance of the team and the team did not function today and that is my responsibility.”
We hoped that England’s defeat by Iceland in their final warm-up game would serve as a wake-up call. Southgate, who refused to blame the state of the pitch for the difficulties, faces a huge task in getting his players to believe they can become European champions for the first time.
“The challenge is to do something that’s never been done before, so it can’t be bigger,” he said. “We know we’ve had a lot of problems, but we’re where we are now and we have to find the best way forward.”
Southgate was pressed on whether Kane was fit following his return from a back injury. The captain was taken off as England chased a goal in the second half. “He’s only had one 90 minutes in the last five or six weeks and it’s taken a lot out of him,” Southgate said.
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