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Gareth Southgate says England have had ‘open and honest conversations’
Gareth Southgate has revealed that “open and honest” conversations have allowed England to reset since their disappointing draw with Denmark, while Declan Rice urged everyone to step up and embrace the challenge of chasing glory at Euro 2024.
England have been irked by criticism from former professionals and television pundits over their flatness and tactical confusion in their opening two games in Germany and defiance was the overriding theme as they prepared for Tuesday night’s match against Slovenia.
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England go into the game guaranteed a place in the last 16 after Albania lost against Spain on Monday. But Rice spoke of needing to “prove some points” and Southgate, whose team are certain to go through as winners of Group C if they triumph at the Cologne Stadium, has been focusing on how to lift performance levels.
A major worry for Southgate, who is under mounting pressure, remains whether the squad is in the right physical condition to implement his vision. The manager hopes replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold with Conor Gallagher in midfield will inject more energy, although he bristled at suggestions that England showing more aggression in their pressing against Slovenia would represent a dramatic shift in style. Rice had said earlier that the players had spoken to the coaching staff about playing on the front foot more.
“It’s been our course for years so there were clear reasons for needing to adapt that a little bit at the beginning of the tournament, following on from the game against Iceland and the physical condition of some of the players,” Southgate said. “Our identity for a while has been pretty clear.
“We haven’t quite seen that in the first couple of games and there was a need to have a reset button and have open and honest conversations. We reflect as a coaching team. The players are reflective. Nobody has been ducking anything this week, nobody has been alone in their thoughts. It’s a real collective because we’re all on the same page.”
Any slip-up against Slovenia could have dire consequences for England. Finishing second would bring a tie against Germany in Dortmund but they will face a third-placed side if they secure top spot.
Related: Slovenia wait on fitness of striker Benjamin Sesko for England test
Rice was keen to deliver a rallying cry. “We’ve got players who are the best players in the world and can deal with any occasion,” the midfielder said. “The expectation of the badge, the weight that the badge carries, the expectation of the country, it’s about dealing with that and going out there and playing with calmness. We are all here for a reason. Tomorrow is a great chance to go out there and prove some points.”
There was a moment when Rice appeared to be at odds with Southgate. Rice hit back at what he assumed were external suggestions that England are struggling physically. He seemed unaware that the topic has been driven by Southgate commenting on the side’s fitness issues after the Denmark game.
“It’s ridiculous,” Rice told ITV. “Let them keep questioning it. We are built to play these types of seasons. Because we are sitting in a low block people automatically assume we are tired and leggy and not fit enough. If we’re not fit enough to compete for 90 minutes, we shouldn’t be footballers.”
Southgate was more circumspect about the intensity of training in the past three days. “We’re definitely making progress,” he said.
There is unlikely to be a change of formation from England, with Southgate expected to restrict himself to personnel tweaks. A lack of balance on the left is a problem but Phil Foden will hope to fend off competition from Anthony Gordon. Luke Shaw, the squad’s only left-back, will not be involved again but is back in team training.
“The big risk is you have a kneejerk reaction and you move away from things that are going well,” Southgate said. “You can rip everything up and go in a completely different direction but what’s actually going well? We don’t want to lose what’s going well. How can we add to what we’re doing? Your best players are still your best players. We want to control our destiny by winning the group.”
