Gareth Southgate is braced for the volume to turn up a notch at this “tournament of external noise” after stuttering England were held to a 0-0 draw by the United States.
Expectations were high after kicking off the World Cup with a 6-2 thrashing of Iran, only to be given a reality check in Friday’s Al Khor contest.
Christian Pulisic rattled the crossbar in the first half as Gregg Berhalter’s American side threatened to cause an upset against an England team that created precious little across the 90 minutes.
The goalless draw meant Southgate’s side blew the chance to wrap up progress to the knockout phase with a game to spare, leading to loud jeers echoing around Al Bayt Stadium at the final whistle.
“Were we booed off, though? I’m not sure if that was aimed at us or… I don’t know,” the England manager said.
“Look, I’m really pleased with the application of the players. It was a really tough opponent, they defended incredibly well.
“Yes, we lacked a little bit of zip and quality in the final third, and we weren’t able to open up and create really good chances.
“But we had to show another side of ourselves in terms of the resilience without the ball, recovery runs, defending our box well, defending corners and set plays that came in.
“To be a successful team in a tournament you’ve got to show those different faces and I think we did that tonight.
“I’m sure there’ll be a lot of noise about the performance, but not many teams go through World Cups and get nine points in the group.
"We controlled the game from the back but couldn't really open up for that really clear-cut chance."
The boss looks back on tonight's @FIFAWorldCup encounter:pic.twitter.com/kkxUm2hc8S
— England (@England) November 25, 2022
“We’re in a good position, we’ve got a little bit to do to qualify still, but we also have the opportunity to win the group.
“The players were very down and disappointed after the game, but I told them that isn’t how it’s going to be for the next few days because I thought they showed another side to what they’re about.
“And it’s going to be important moving forward.”
The performance and selection decisions will be pored over in great detail in the days to come, but England remain in control of their destiny.
They sit top of Group B heading into Tuesday’s clash against neighbours Wales and know progress is assured so long as they avoid a 4-0 loss.
“Look, of course I want our fans to go home happy and our fans at home to have a smile on their faces, so we haven’t quite managed to achieve that today,” former England defender Southgate said.
Reaction from @_DeclanRice following tonight's 0-0 draw with USA 💬pic.twitter.com/DE3aUzoH74
— England (@England) November 25, 2022
“But people are going to react how they react. I can’t let that affect how I feel about the team or the team feels.
“The objective is to qualify. We have three games to do it and I imagine most teams in the competition will take three games to do it.
“And we have to stay calm in these moments. We’ve been through tournaments before. I’ve been as a player and a coach.
“We had a unique thing of getting through in the last two in two games – partly because in the Euros three teams go through, so that’s not really a realistic thing anyway.
“This is the tournament of external noise. We’ve added another layer to that, I’m sure.
“But we’re on track, a bit to do, we can still win the group. That’s got to be our target.”
