Southgate pleased with "dangerous" England

Gareth Southgate thought his side ‘looked dangerous’ in their 1-0 victory over Croatia and placed emphasis on the composure of the defenders as England kicked-off UEFA EURO 2020 in style. 

Phil Foden set the tempo and went close when he hit the post early on but it was Raheem Sterling’s second-half winner which ultimately earned England all three points at Wembley. 

Temperatures soared in London on Sunday but England kept their cool and managed the game well to ensure the 18,497 fans inside the stadium, and the millions watching at home, were well satisfied. 

“It’s lovely to have given our fans and our country a really enjoyable afternoon,” said Southgate in his post-match press conference. 

“The players dealt with the big occasion really well. Right from the start, in the incredible heat, they played well, they settled into the game. 

“There were moments when the tempo dropped, just because of the heat but the majority of the game we were in control, we didn’t give them many opportunities and we looked dangerous. 

“I thought the backline coped very well. With Croatia, the key is to get pressure on the midfield players especially, and we managed to do that. 

“That limits some of the supply and the back players dealt with the longer balls well, they read the game well, they were composed in their build-up.”

England looked assured at the back with John Stones and Tyrone Mings forming a healthy partnership in the heart of the defence and Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier flanking them. 

Southgate’s men face Scotland next in their first meeting at a major finals since the 2-0 group-stage win back at UEFA EURO 1996 and the player-turned-manager believes Sunday’s victory will help to relax his squad ahead of Friday’s clash. 

“This is a tough group with different sorts of challenges,” said the England boss.

“Scotland and the Czechs are good sides so we’re pleased with today, it’s a good start and you want to get a good start to get the tension out of the preparation for the next game, we’ve still got to get points to qualify and our first objective is to qualify.”