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England’s coach, Gareth Southgate, stated that the team did not meet the required standards during the match against Malta. However, he expressed no worries about their attitude and ability as they prepare for the European Championship next year.
No one at Wembley anticipated anything but a win from the team ranked fourth globally, facing off against the one situated between Fiji and Bermuda at 171st place.
However, England, who were already qualified, struggled to complete their straightforward Group C qualifying assignment on Friday. Enrico Pepe’s own goal put the hosts in the lead in the first half, during which they were unable to produce a single shot on target.
Harry Kane scored another goal following a rare display of skillful teamwork in the second half, leading Southgate’s team to a lackluster 2-0 win that virtually guarantees their spot as top seeds in the Euro 2024 draw next month.
“We did not have a good start to the game,” stated the England manager. “Having been involved in football for 35 years, I know that it is challenging to recover when you do not start off strong.”
“We needed to improve our ball control and also work on our defensive strategy, as we were often spread thin and disorganized in our attempts to regain possession.”
We did not reach the desired level. We did not meet the required level.
However, it must also be acknowledged that this team of players has been outstanding and I do not want to criticize them too harshly for their performance tonight.
“We implemented some modifications, although we didn’t reach our desired level, the team was still able to secure the victory.”
Although it may not have been the preferred style by our supporters, we were able to secure a comfortable victory in the end, as we should have.
England will now travel to Skopje to finish their Euro 2024 qualification journey against North Macedonia, while also continuing to prepare for next summer.
The main priority for Germany is to achieve glory, and Southgate rejected the idea that his team’s lack of effort against Malta at home was concerning.
According to Southgate, there is no need to worry because players often regulate themselves when they have a high number of matches.
“I have experience as a player. I understand that there is a specific level required to defeat Italy here, but that level may not be necessary to win today’s game.”
Despite the assumption that all players would consistently perform at the same level, this is not the case in reality for football.
I have personally participated in those matches and there are evenings where you unconsciously just do the bare minimum to win. I believe that’s partly what happened tonight.
The performance of England on Friday was not up to their usual standard, but Southgate still noticed positive aspects in their last game at home, completing a year without any losses.
He mentioned that we were able to score a beautiful second goal and that there were some standout individual performances that were impressive.
I believed Trent (Alexander-Arnold) performed exceptionally well in midfield. He and Phil (Foden) were the standout players in the first half, creating opportunities for the team.
I believe that Marc Guehi showed great maturity in his performance once again. He is continuously developing as a player on the international stage.
“It was a pleasure to have Cole Palmer join us and experience the atmosphere. He appeared to be very at ease in the environment.”
Malta finished at the bottom of Group C in qualification, having lost all eight of their games. However, they displayed potential against the runners-up of Euro 2020.
In just 28 seconds into the match at Wembley, Teddy Teuma almost scored a well-known goal. Head coach Michele Marcolini commended his players for their hard work.
The coach of Malta expressed his pride in his players, stating that they approached the game in Wembley with bravery and without fear. He also mentioned that their strategy was to be as offensive as possible.
“They responded positively to being behind. I believe that throughout the European qualifiers, we have made significant progress and have performed exceptionally well in our recent matches against Ukraine and England.”
To achieve growth, time is necessary. I am pleased with our progress, but I am disappointed that we did not score. It would have been incredible.
In addition, our goal was to bring pride to our fans. I believe that today, the players gave their all on the field, fulfilling the effort I requested from them yesterday.
Source: independent.co.uk
