As Gareth Southgate plunges England’s worst home defeat in more than 90 years, he will be forced to face an unwanted rewriting of history books, as well as wondering if his experiment in the Nations League drove the Three Lions back with a World Cup looming on the horizon. Since losing 5-1 to Scotland in 1928, England have not lost so heavily at home, and this is only their second home defeat to Hungary since the Magical Magyars’ famous 6-3 victory at Wembley in 1953. It’s finally an international break that saw the Southgate team score just once in four games, and that was a penalty on Harry Kane in the 1-1 draw with Germany, while England are four games unbeaten for the first time since then. 2014. Now the second most successful manager in England’s men’s history – the one who led his side to the World Cup semi-finals and the penalty shootout last summer – has just two games left in September to rebuild his confidence. . the team goes to Qatar. “It’s an education night,” Southgate said. “We have not lost many football games and when you lose so hard, especially at home, with England it will be very painful. “I’m really clear on what works for us as a team and what does not work as a team – tonight is a difficult night. “My predecessors had nights like this, I watched them from the couch as a child and I saw them as a player #, and I recognize these difficult times. But you can not be ahead only when things are going well and Do not stand up when you have difficult experiences. “This is part of football, it’s part of life.” The nature of this program – playing four games in 10 days after a great season – meant that Southgate had to alternate between games and made nine more changes after the goalless draw against Italy. But the former England defender also wanted to use this season to learn more about the players he had at his disposal beyond the regular season and played with different formations during the four games. “It is a difficult night for the players,” he added. “I feel them because especially in the two games against Hungary I chose teams where I tried to balance the team and give opportunities to the new players and I did not have the right balance to be able to perform at the level they needed to be able to. to win these matches. “The players were fantastic. They were absolutely dedicated all this time. It was a really difficult period for them because of the volume of games they had. “It’s my responsibility to do that. But it was also difficult to get the strongest team in every game, so we used it to prepare for Qatar. “Of course a night like tonight is very difficult and it is important to get it off their shoulders, as this concerns me.”
“We have to see the big picture”
Boos echoed around Molineux after the defeat and questions were raised about Southgate’s future, but captain Harry Kane insisted the coach’s term should be put into perspective. “It’s a really frustrating question to ask. Let’s not forget where we came from,” Kane told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Gareth has been a key player in turning this England team into one of the most successful teams we have had in the last 50 years. “I know it is frustrating for the fans. It was a disappointing camp, every now and then football has a surprise in store. We have to see the big picture. “It’s the first low point I’ve had in five years, a really disappointing night. We expected to win these games, but it was not our night. We have to stay calm and learn from it. “We had two fantastic tournaments in a row. This is not a time for panic. It is a loss we are disappointed with, but we have to stay calm and know we have things to work on.” England scored just one goal in four games for the first time in a row between October 2006 and March 2007 Speaking to 5 Live, former Liverpool defender Steven Warnock said that England now have to face any problems before the World Cup. “What if this is September and you have two shows where the team looks lost?” asked. “Then you have to change it and you will not give the coach time to apply his style. I have not seen anything from England tonight and I have not seen any of them in the last four games. “I’ve always been one of those people who does not want to be sacked, but I’m not sure he’s the man. There are other candidates who will fit in better and Gareth Southgate will be under pressure tonight. “This is the best team of players we have had in a long time and we will give them a chance to win the World Cup. I think this team can win a World Cup if they manage it right.” Southgate’s opponent, Marco Rossi, will rest more easily after this appearance, telling reporters that he is going to watch the Red Hot Chilli Peppers on Wednesday, but also offering his support to the boss of England. “It is still absolutely at the top level,” he said. “I’m convinced they will give you a lot of joy at the next World Cup, I’m sure of that.” And as Southgate spends the summer thinking about how to get his side forward, the 51-year-old remains committed to a process that began when he took on the role of the Three Lions in 2016. “The next period will be unpleasant and uncomfortable,” he added. “But this is life as a football coach – you will never live six years like us and have no difficult nights.”
