Harry Kane calls on England to ‘fight through a tough period’ after defeat in Italy extended their winless run to five matches and increased pressure on Gareth Southgate – as he insists a clash with Germany at Wembley will be ‘great World Cup preparation’
- Harry Kane has backed England to respond following disappointing results
- England lost 1-0 to Italy and have now gone five matches without a victory
- Kane believes England can bounce back when they take on Germany on Monday
England captain Harry Kane has admitted that his team have underperformed during their Nations League campaign.
The Three Lions were relegated to the second tier of the Nations League having failed to win any of their first five group games.
Gareth Southgate’s side were hugely disappointing as they lost 1-0 to Italy and have now gone five games without a win for the first time since 2014.
Harry Kane has urged England to fight through a tough period following disappointing results
However, Kane believes England can bounce back when they take on Germany at Wembley on Monday.
Kane wrote on Instagram: ‘We know results haven’t been what we wanted. As a group we know what we’re about and will fight through a tough period. Full house at Wembley against Germany will be great World Cup preparation.’
England manager Gareth Southgate has faced increased criticism after recent results
With the World Cup getting underway in November, the Germany game will be the final fixture before Southgate names his squad for the tournament.
Having received widespread praise for getting to the final of Euro 2020, England have struggled since then and Southgate has been heavily criticised for his tactics.
Against Italy, for instance, England lacked a cutting edge, and they will need to show significant signs of improvement if they are to cause problems for Germany.
There was much frustration for Kane and England as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Italy
Kane was unable to get on the scoresheet against Italy, but he is just three goals adrift of Wayne Rooney’s tally of 53 goals for England and it is possible that he could break the record in Qatar.
However, as a unit it is evident that England need to play with greater dynamism in order to get the most out of their creative players such as Phil Foden.
At the World Cup England will take on Iran, USA and Wales in the group stages.
