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Gareth Southgate hailed England’s victory over Belgium as a great moment for his team after an impressive second half against the world’s top-ranked team.
After a troubling first half, England toughened up and looked confident as Mason Mount’s deviant winner put England at the top of their UEFA Nations League group and gave them their first win over major rivals since defeating Croatia in November 2018.
Southgate, who has been criticized in some quarters for a conservative pick and approach, chose three traditional right-backs in his five-man defense on Sunday, but ultimately thrived when Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker impressed.
Talking to Sky sports After the match, Southgate said the victory was an important moment for his team and insists he wants England to aspire to a similar level to world number one Belgium.
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“They are a superior team. They sure caused us problems and we don’t hold the ball well; we were a little slow to move it around the field,” Southgate said.
“But it was a high-level game. We had a lot of young players there, [Declan] Rice, Monte, Trento [Alexander-Arnold], for whom it was a great experience. What pleased me was that we had the stamina to perform that spell. Then you get your chances and the game starts to open up.
“In the second half, you have to be perfect against these teams without the ball and block the only brilliant pass from [Kevin] De Bruyne, we were so compact, our hedging positions were good. Trippier was like a soldier out there; incredible defensive performance.
“But through the team in that second half, you have to suffer to win these great games, and they did.
“We have many things we can improve on. We are not getting carried away by this victory, we have to support it against Denmark first and foremost. We know that the quality of Belgium today is the level to which we must aspire.” a on a regular basis.
Southgate praised the efforts of Mason Mount (center) and Kieran Trippier
“These are concentration games and detail games, and for our boys, that was a great moment for them.”
Southgate has also previously been criticized for failing to draft Jack Grealish, and after his impressive performance in a 3-0 win over Wales, the Aston Villa man was on the bench Sunday when Chelsea’s Mount entered.
But Southgate’s selection was justified by Mount’s winner and performance, and after the match, Southgate said a large part of England’s success in the second half was due to pressure from Mount and fellow scorer Marcus Rashford.
Marcus Rashford celebrates after scoring England’s equalizer
“You’re trying to help the players understand the problems the opposition movement is causing. That was clear to us, but the players then have to figure it out, and they did. The pressure from Rashford and Mount was phenomenal.
“You can’t just play with the ball, we can be a team that flows freely and scores freely, but against the best, the detail of how they defend as a team has to be absolutely perfect. In the second half we get that right.”
Southgate later said in his post-match press conference: “I thought about the players in the second half, the way they used the ball with tremendous composure. They defended as a team, and in these games you have to. It’s impossible to carry anyone. without the ball.
“Marcus [Rashford], Builder [Mount], Dominic [Calvert-Lewin] and then harry [Kane], positionally close to perfect, intelligent in its pressing. They had the legs to go and press, and that means that the midfielders did not give to jump out of position. And it means that we are not exposed with bodies between the lines.
“The whole team, I’m very proud of what they did.
“I think you saw a high-level game tonight where we use the ball well and create opportunities. But defensively you have to hit it, you can’t be loose in any way and the players really took it into account.”
Redknapp: It’s not perfect, but it’s a great win
Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports:
“It wasn’t perfect in the first half, but beating a Belgian quality team is exactly what you want as a team. It wasn’t the perfect performance, but when you look at the players we don’t have playing, you have to bring [Ben] Chilwell back into the equation, [Harry] Kane and [Jadon] Sancho entered …
“Overall for Gareth, there will be parts that he will want to play with, but he will be very happy with that performance in the second half in what was a great victory for England. There is no downside to beating a team like Belgium, which is the number one in the world right now. “
Whats Next?
England continue their Nations League campaign with another Group A2 match at home to Denmark, live Sky Sports Premier League HD from 7pm on Wednesday, starting at 7.45pm. Belgium, meanwhile, will be absent in Iceland, with the start also at 7.45pm on Wednesday. You can watch that game live on the red button.
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