MY ACCOUNT
England manager Gareth Southgate was full of praise for his side after salvaging a 1-1 draw away from home against Germany – particularly for star striker Harry Kane and the multitude of ways he helps the Three Lions function.
The home side looked poised for victory after Jonas Hoffman’s 50th minute strike, but the visitors were rewarded for their strong play in the dying stages as Harry Kane converted a penalty in the 88th minute to tie things up.
Despite having just 37 per cent possession, England produced more shots (15 to 10) and had more expected goals (1.92 to 0.71).
It was Kane’s 50th career goal for England, but Southgate said the real story is how well-rounded he is as a forward, becoming much more than a goal-scorer.
“Rightly, the fact he’s got 50 goals will be the centre part of the story,” he said. “But his all-round game, the way he led the line, the way he competed, the way he pressed from the front for us today was exceptional.
“I think his quality to drop deep – I know people say he drops too deep – but you need a player that can come and link the game.
“He gives us so many different options, and when we had runners past him like Raheem [Sterling] and Bukayo [Saka] and Mason [Mount], then that part of his game comes into its own.
“There are little moments where he comes and takes the ball and relieves the pressure that you almost take for granted, but they’re such an important part of the game in terms of the battling qualities of going down against an elite nation.”
Southgate said he was pleased with his side’s overall performance, highlighting just how difficult it is to earn a result away from home against one of the world’s greatest teams.
“Firstly, I was pleased with the level of the performance because this type of fixture challenges everything – technical, tactical, physical, psychological,” he said.
“The players have had to give absolutely everything to get a result from the game.
“I thought in the first half we were okay. We looked at moments like we could cause problems, but the quality of our passing in various phases of the game wasn’t at the level it needed to be.
“Second half we were a little bit too passive in that period where we conceded, but the response to that was fantastic.
“I think we created quality chances, and I think we deserved something from the game in the end.
“It’s a huge credit to the players that they’ve shown that mentality, having gone behind, not to give in and to keep pushing right to the very end.”
England’s Nations League campaign continues on Saturday, at home against Italy.
