- Gareth Southgate says he won’t criticize his players too much after the win over Malta
- England failed to get into top gear during the match, despite a 2-0 win over Malta
- Southgate’s loyalty to his players is a problem and a weakness It all comes to the surface
Gareth Southgate refused to ‘hammer’ his England players despite his disappointment with their performance in the 2-0 win over Malta.
The win – thanks to an early own goal and Harry Kane’s second-half strike – guaranteed their place at the top of Group C, while qualification for Pot 1 for Euro 2024 is all but assured.
After a flat evening at Wembley, Southgate said: ‘We haven’t reached the heights we have achieved this calendar year. It was a match in which we didn’t start well.
‘If you don’t start well, it’s difficult to pick up your game again. We basically scored from nothing.
‘Our quality on the ball is normally not at that level. It was one of those days where players knew they could win the game at a canter and not extend themselves.
Gareth Southgate will not ‘hammer’ his players after England’s disappointing win over Malta
England remain unbeaten in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign after a 2-0 win
But Southgate admitted his side were not at their normal level and ‘didn’t stretch’
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‘The number of matches these players play is almost self-regulation.
‘But they’ve played so many games and done such a good job, I’m not going to put pressure on them.
‘I’m not going to get into their ribs too much, they were exceptional.
‘This week was always going to be difficult, we have already qualified. I don’t worry about the future. They will have a different level of motivation (in the future).’
One of the positives for Southgate was the performance of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield.
“He used the ball very well,” the England boss added. ‘He has excellent quality. Him and Phil Foden in the first half seemed to open the game for us.
“Marc Guehi looked good at the back and it was good to get another game under his belt.
Phil Foden helped provide England with their opener by crossing the ball back into the penalty area, before it was clipped into the Malta goal by Enrico Pepe
Harry Kane doubled the team’s lead, scoring a well-worked team goal in the second half
Southgate praised Trent Alexander-Arnold for his performances from midfield
‘The changes also brought quality and we could have scored more in the second half, but it is not a team that loses by fives or sixes.’
Harry Kane was booked in the first half for diving as he rounded the goalkeeper in the penalty area.
“I thought it was a bit harsh, there was definitely contact from the goalkeeper,” Southgate said.
The England captain added: ‘I was surprised it wasn’t overturned but the referee has made his decision.’