Gareth Southgate warns England against ‘complacency’ after Iceland loss

LONDON – Gareth Southgate insisted that England’s embarrassing 1-0 defeat by Iceland in their final warmup game on June 7 ahead of Euro 2024 will serve as a reality check for his title contenders.

The Three Lions had hoped for a confidence-boosting victory at Wembley before travelling to Germany as one of the favourites for the June 14-July 14 European Championship.

But Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson’s first-half goal spoilt England’s farewell and led to the lacklustre hosts being booed off at half-time and the final whistle.

“We have to be better. We didn’t get our pressing right,” said Southgate, whose side have won just one of their last five games. “It was obviously a disjointed performance, we didn’t show enough character.

“But I think it’s a really good focus for us, that any sort of complacency that talent is going get us this trophy and that we only have to stroll in... football isn’t like that. I’m confident we will be better than tonight.”

Adding to the England boss’ worries, John Stones did not reappear after the interval, possibly a precautionary move after the centre back fell awkwardly in the first half.

Southgate also said his starting line-up was “close” to the team who will face Serbia in England’s Group C opener in Gelsenkirchen on June 16.

He will need to coax a substantially improved effort from a group that looked short on energy and composure in the absence of rested Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.

Bored fans spent most of the night entertaining themselves by buzzing the pitch with paper aeroplanes and few stayed for the post-match lap of honour.

While Southgate can point out that this result will count for nothing when Euro 2024 starts, it was still an alarming performance that raised questions about key areas of his team.

With just two clean sheets in their last seven games, England’s defensive frailties were concerning.

“These last games going into tournaments can be like that because players are worried about picking up an injury,” Southgate insisted.

“We need to stay calm.”

The 53-year-old showed a rarely seen ruthless edge on June 6 when he left Jack Grealish, James Maddison and the injured Harry Maguire out of his 26-man squad.

The absence of key defender Maguire could be especially damaging, as Marc Guehi and Stones delivered a shaky performance in central defence.

Elsewhere, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann backed Manuel Neuer after his No. 1 goalkeeper made another error in their 2-1 friendly home win over Greece in Monchengladbach.

The 38-year-old was at fault for the opener, spilling a shot into the path of midfielder Georgios Masouras, who tapped home.

Kai Havertz levelled the score early in the second half and Pascal Gross netted the winner in the 89th minute.

Neuer made a late error in the 0-0 draw with Ukraine before this game, and also made a crucial mistake for Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final loss to Real Madrid in May.

“When he makes a mistake it’s easy to say that it was his fault. But it was a series of mistakes,” said Nagelsmann, as he prepares for his side’s Euro 2024 tournament opener against Scotland in Munich on June 14.

“He pulled off three class saves during the match. Everything is fine.” AFP, REUTERS