Gareth Southgate insists England\u2019s lacklustre finish to the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign will mean nothing when it starts its bid to win the tournament in Germany.<\/p>\n
Such are the expectations that Southgate is working under these days that qualifying with an unbeaten record from a potentially tricky group including Italy and Ukraine earned him few plaudits.<\/p>\n
Being held to a 1-1 draw by North Macedonia on Monday meant England failed to beat a side as low as 66th in the FIFA rankings for the first time since 2016.<\/p>\n
But with a runner-up finish at the last European Championship in 2021, as well as World Cup semifinal and quarterfinal appearances in the Southgate era, England\u2019s status as one of the Euro favourites is well earned after six victories from their eight qualifiers.<\/p>\n
And Southgate is confident England\u2019s drab end to the qualifying campaign will prove nothing more than an irrelevant blip.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe really big results were in March against Italy and Ukraine. It meant coming here was a completely different test,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that given we had already qualified and everything had been achieved the mentality of the players was excellent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quality on the ball was good on a difficult pitch. Just that final pass or finish was difficult to find. But I thought there were lots of positive performances.\u201d<\/p>\n
One area of concern for Southgate could be his team\u2019s struggle to pierce the massed ranks of North Macedonia and Malta\u2019s defences over the last four days.<\/p>\n
Southgate was without influential Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham due to injury for both qualifiers, while England\u2019s record scorer Harry Kane was left on the bench for the first 58 minutes against North Macedonia.<\/p>\n
Only when Kane came on did England snatch its equaliser, an own goal from Jani Atanasov as he tried to stop the Bayern Munich striker turning in Phil Foden\u2019s corner.<\/p>\n
\u2018Plenty to think about\u2019<\/p>\n
Southgate will have noted his side took 65 minutes to manage its first shot in the 2-0 win against Malta at Wembley on Friday.<\/p>\n
And although England had 75 per cent of the possession against North Macedonia, it mustered only two shots on target, making it just the third time in the last 26 Euro qualifiers that it failed to take maximum points.<\/p>\n
In truth, England\u2019s lethargic displays over the last two games owed much to the dead rubber status of the matches and scheduling amid a hectic programme of Premier League and Champions League fixtures.<\/p>\n
But Southgate will still want improved performances in the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium in March.<\/p>\n
By then, he will know the teams England will face in the group stage, with the point in Skopje ensuring it will be in the pot containing the top seeds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next exciting bit is the draw at the beginning of December and we will see what the path looks like,\u201d Southgate said.<\/p>\n
Plotting how many of England\u2019s emerging young talents to take to Germany will keep Southgate busy over the winter.<\/p>\n
He was impressed with the way Manchester City\u2019s teenage left-back Rico Lewis handled his debut.<\/p>\n
Lewis\u2019s composed display was all the more commendable after he was harshly adjudged to have fouled Bojan Miovski, conceding the penalty that brought North Macedonia\u2019s goal when Enis Bardhi converted the rebound from his saved spot-kick.<\/p>\n
\u201cRico was excellent. His composure with the ball and the way he responded to that setback, he\u2019s a super footballer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi also caught Southgate\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been excellent in every game and showed great composure, taking what I\u2019ve seen from him at his club to international football. That\u2019s not straightforward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The jury remains out on Southgate\u2019s experiment with playing Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield.<\/p>\n
But, befitting his ambition of taking fourth-placed England to the top of FIFA\u2019s world rankings, the manager is looking ahead with optimism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of players to keep a track on. Trent again did an excellent job,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRico, Cole Palmer, there\u2019s plenty for me to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nComments\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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