Gareth Southgate, the manager of England, admits that his team didn’t “quite click” in attack during their Euro 2024 qualifier 1-1 draw with Ukraine.
Oleksandr Zinchenko scored the first goal for the home team in a game that was played in Poland because Russia was still invading their country.
But Kyle Walker tied it up with his first goal for his country.
“We’re not going to win every game by fours and sevens,” Southgate said.
“That was a really good test. We were away from home, the crowd was very loud, and we had to make a lot of changes from the last game.
“Sometimes, especially when you’re trying to hit, it doesn’t quite work out. We know that the routines we worked on during the week are what we always do, so it’s not like we take a different approach to the game.
England had won all four games in Group C before this point, giving them a perfect record.
Still, they are in a very good situation because they are in first place with 13 points, six more than second-place Ukraine.
On Saturday, England played against Ukraine in front of 40,000 fans at the Tarczynski Arena. This made for a very intimidating environment.
“I think what I liked most was how well we were able to control the game when we got into a tense situation,” Southgate said.
“I thought we played very calmly until the last third, and I think we had over 70% of the ball by the time we scored the goal, but that was our first shot on goal.”
Former England player Dion Dublin, on the other hand, said that England needs to find a new level to show that they can win competitions.
He said on Channel 4 that it was time for England to win something.
“I want to see more from England. They have great players, but I want to see more.” There must be more on the way.
“Can England take things to the next level, which is winning? “That show tells me I have work to do.”
Walker stops the long wait
Even though England didn’t play well, Manchester City full-back Walker will remember the game for a long time.
His goal was his first for his country in 77 games. It came after he was found by a great pass from Harry Kane.
“It was a big relief,” he said. “It had been on my mind to serve your country and be as lucky as I have been so many times, but now I can finally check it off.
“I’ve played with H [Harry Kane] for a few years now, and I know he likes to drop deep and spot that run. I noticed the gap. I’m glad I was able to help with that, but my main job is to stop goals.”
Kane added, “We have a joke about it in every camp, and I told him before he retired that I would give him a penalty. I’m very happy for him.”
