Gareth Southgate insists England are not hiding anything ahead of the Slovenia game
Gareth Southgate has said England are “not hiding anything” or making excuses ahead of their final group game against Slovenia on Tuesday evening.
England sit top of Group C with four points and have qualified for the knockout stages, but a win will ensure they are crowned champions.
The Three Lions have come under heavy criticism following a poor performance against Denmark last Thursday, and will need to do well against Slovenia to silence their doubters.
Southgate: England don’t hide or make excuses
The matches against Serbia and Denmark followed the usual pattern of England sitting back after scoring and calling for pressure instead of trying to kill the game.
Given the attacking talent in the squad, the team’s performance should be criticized as former England players Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker spoke volumes after the Denmark game.
Speaking before the match against Slovenia, Southgate insisted that the atmosphere in the camp was very good and they were not hiding anything.
“The mood is very good,” he told a press conference before the game.
“We know the world we live in, there will always be external noise but it must not disturb us.
“What matters is what’s inside. Performance is our focus. The results put us through to the next round and now we want to move up in the group.
“We don’t hide anything and we don’t make any excuses, that’s not what we do as a team.
“Technically, tomorrow is a different game. There are important things we need to get back to.”
Southgate is expected to make changes to the game on Tuesday evening with Conor Gallagher replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield as England look to find better balance in the squad.
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