It was an even game, the England manager suggested in a media conference, as he made changes to his side with the coming European Championship in Germany in mind.
A 1-0 loss to Brazil on Saturday did not dampen England coach Gareth Southgate’s spirits as he assessed a few newcomers to his team with an eye on who will make his Euro 2024 squad.
An injury-hit Brazil side won the game thanks to their 17-year-old striker Endrick, who scored in the 80th minute after coming on as a substitute.
It was an even game, the England manager suggested in a media conference, as he made changes to his side with the coming European Championship in Germany in mind.
“I’m not down on the performance of the team,” the 53-year-old said. “The difference in the end was one moment, really … a couple of mistakes decided the game.
“There were lots of very good performances,” Southgate added to Channel 4. “It is a top-level game, and we have controlled long parts of it.
“We had as many attempts as them on goal, but in the end it is that ruthless moment that decides the game.
“We’ve had a lot of players go on, a couple of debuts, and some really important individual performances for us.”
Is Gareth Southgate underrated as a manager? 🧠 pic.twitter.com/RurfQwLlyN
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 20, 2024
England were missing some key players at Wembley, including injured captain Harry Kane, who will also sit out their next friendly against Belgium tomorrow.
Generally pleased with the performance of his players, Southgate praised the debuts of Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo and Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon.
Although Ollie Watkins did not have a clear cut chance on goal, Southgate said he was happy with the Aston Villa striker’s contribution.
“We needed to know where we might head if we didn’t have Harry (Kane) for a big match,” he said.
“It was a good experiment.”
Bayern Munich striker Kane travelled to England last weekend to join up with the national team to be treated for an ankle injury he had suffered in a 5-2 Bundesliga win at Darmstadt.
Reuters, AFP
