Gareth Southgate said there was no issue with England’s motivation levels despite admitting that his players were guilty of coasting during their laboured 2-0 win over Malta.
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Southgate insisted that he is not concerned about England, who close their qualification campaign by visiting North Macedonia on Monday, easing off before next summer’s tournament. ‘It’s not a worry,’ Southgate said. ‘There are nights where subconsciously you just do enough to win. This week was always going to be difficult. We’ve already qualified. We were flat, I accept that. I’m not going to get into the players. We wouldn’t get away with it [against Brazil and Belgium]. The players would have a different level of motivation.’
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2 Comments
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That's what you get when you let an average player manage superstars: low standards.