Gareth Southgate says England ‘can’t make excuses for that level of performance’ as manager refuses to blame the pitch after Denmark draw
- Fans complained about the pitch during England’s European Championship match against Denmark
- Kyle Walker lost his balance early, but the defender was able to continue
- Listen to It all starts! Why are England already being instructed about ignoring the noise from outside the camp?
Gareth Southgate refused to blame the pitch for England’s disappointing draw with Denmark.
On several occasions, players slipped while Kyle Walker was forced to request new boots as the turf at the Frankfurt Arena cut poorly from start to finish.
But the England manager was convinced that other reasons were responsible for this seriously disappointing performance.
“We can’t make excuses for the level of performance,” Southgate said. ‘We must accept our responsibility.’
Because the roof was closed and thunderstorms were forecast, the field was watered before kick-off.
Gareth Southgate refused to blame the pitch for England’s disappointing draw
Fans complained about the condition of the pitch during England’s European Championship match against Denmark
And that move seemed to have an adverse effect: the spectators in the stadium and on television were quick to criticize. “It’s cutting everywhere,” said BBC pundit Alan Shearer.
Southgate added that England were aware there could be problems. “We recently noticed this field breaking down,” he said.
‘What I would say is that I have been a defender and when you play on a pitch like that you become tense.
There were concerns that Walker may have suffered an ankle injury, but he was able to continue
“You’re not completely sure of your position and one misstep can cost the team, but as I said, we need to look further at the reasons for our performances.”
UEFA said on Thursday evening that it was waiting for word from their field specialists.