Gareth Southgate and England are off to a winning start in this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
The Three Lions put six goals past Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium but did concede two goals in the process.
Although Iran’s second came from a dubious penalty kick, Southgate, who spoke to NBC’s Joe Prince-Wright after the game, highlighted the need for his team to shore up their defence ahead into their next Group B game against the USA.
Gareth Southgate: “To win by that margin and play the way we did for the majority of the game, really happy… Our pressing was really good, movement really good. I’ve got to be happy but we shouldn’t be conceding 2 goals. We will have to be on it vs #USMNT.” #ThreeLions #ENG
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) November 21, 2022
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The USA are preparing to take on Wales later on Monday and assuming the scoreline is not as emphatic as England’s, the Three Lions will go into Matchday 2 top of Group B.
However, with the likes of Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic and Borussia Dortmund’s Giovanni Reyna among their options, Southgate will know that the US men’s national team will offer a lot more threat than today’s Middle Eastern opponents.
Ensuring defensive stability will be key to victory for England, but failure to keep it tight at the back will almost certainly see Gregg Berhalter’s side punish England even more than Iran did.
Friday’s game between England and the USA is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m (UK time) and will be broadcast live on ITV.