Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola broke down in tears as another Key City player Who was supposed to be the main man for Gareth Southgate Squad goes off injured during Friendlies yesterday

Gareth Southgate has issued a warning to England, saying that skill alone won’t be enough to lift them to triumph following their crushing 1-0 loss to Iceland on Friday night at Euro 2024.

After his team struggled in their final warm-up match before taking a plane to Germany on Monday, Southgate, whose issues were made worse by the fact that John Stones left Wembley with a bandage on his right foot, was left feeling confident in his squad.

When it came to attacking, England was suspicious at the back and frighteningly confused. The shock of Jan Dagur Thorsteinsson’s early goal Iceland was difficult for them to overcome. And Southgate is hoping the loss would act as a wake-up call because he has voiced concerns about his team’s lack of enthusiasm when playing without the ball.

Any kind of smug belief that our skill will win us this championship and all we need to do is stay around That’s not how football works,” the England manager remarked. “We were far from that tonight, and Iceland deserved to win. To win any game at this level, you have to focus on every element of the game.” At the interval, they had another couple of opportunities. That, in my opinion, greatly sharpens the team’s concentration for next week.

Stones was substituted off the field at halftime as a precaution, according to Southgate, following a knock to the defender’s ankle in the opening minute. England’s lone left-back, Luke Shaw, is still out until he recovers from a calf injury, which has already forced Harry Maguire to miss the match.

In reference to Stones, Southgate stated, “We concluded at half-time that there was no sense in taking any chances because we are so close to the tournament and he is a very vital player for us.” Mark Cave, a defender for Crystal Palace, stated that he is OK following treatment for a face injury.

Before playing Serbia in their Group C opener on June 16, England will need to regroup. “We’ll be better than we were tonight (against Serbia),” Southgate declared. “During that game, we were handling a lot of different situations, so we had a young squad on the field—some of whom we should have been out physically as well. We made six substitutions during the game, but we intended to do more. We had a lot of bodily issues, so it raised some concerns about the physical aspect.

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“We are paying attention to every detail, yet we are unable to deny that we are dealing with several bodily issues. Everyone can see that clearly. We could still do better than we did tonight, though. We must press harder, be more compact, and then seize the opportunities we present. But I believe we can find a solution.This is a fantastic chance to relive the key elements of winning football games on the training field.

Southgate took in the response from the audience. He remarked, “We just didn’t play well enough to keep them enthused.” “We had a few solid opportunities that generally don’t work out, which might have changed the game’s color. But that covered up some of the shortcomings that were on display this evening. I felt that I gained a lot of knowledge from the game.

Declan Rice attempts to remain upbeat following England’s goal attempt. “Our collective talent on the ball is undeniable,” the midfield player remarked. Perhaps a small mindset shift in favor of the teams seated there. There were moments when I thought we were a little more spread out than normal. Between now and the next game, I have work to do and I’m aching inside.