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Gareth Southgate says his negative attitude is “unhealthy” for England players as he urges supporters to back them during Monday’s game against Germany.
England are without a win in five games – their worst since June 2014 – in their last Nations League game against historic rivals Germany at a sold-out Wembley Stadium.
The Three Lions were relegated from Group A3 after a 1-0 loss to Italy on Friday, following a 4-0 win over Hungary in their most recent home game.
Southgate was booed after those two losses and fans heard chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” during the San Siro game against Italy.
But ahead of England’s first game at Wembley since March, their last game before the World Cup, Southgate wants his players to have the support of those on the field.
“We have 90,000 people — the stadium is sold out — so people want to come and see this team play,” he told a pre-game news conference on Sunday.
“That’s because the players have done an incredible job for six years.
“At the beginning of that journey, we had a difficult time with the fans and slowly we’ve built up the end that we’ve talked about.
“It’s not healthy to have this noise around the team. I totally understand that. But I take responsibility and it’s my business to get them to play.
“I want them to feel free. They know we are always on the training ground, talking about that on the training ground and I would urge the supporters to support the team.
“It’s totally different how they deal with me at the end or at any point, on the phone or anywhere else.
“But this is their last chance to see the boys before the World Cup, we are all in this together. We can only succeed if we work in the same direction.
“Frankly, what happened to me doesn’t matter. It’s about the team. The most important thing is the team and the team’s success.”
During his six years in charge, Southgate led England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and Euro 2020 final, as well as the Nations League final in 2019.
However, England have won just two of their seven games this year, both in friendlies, and have been scoreless in more than eight hours of open competition.
In fact, the Three Lions are one of only two nations to score a non-free throw in the 2022-23 Nations League with the Minnows San Marino.
Asked how he has dealt with the latest criticism, Southgate said: “You’re not going to spend six years like we did and you’re going to get some tough results.
“You have to show resilience to get through those moments. I’m not the first coach to go through difficult times in terms of results and criticism.
“It’s part of the territory – it’s a huge challenge for me to lead the team through a moment like this.
“The results were not at the level we wanted or demanded. So, whatever you do in football, that’s the case.
“For the national team, of course, the noise will be louder and wider, and I understand that.”
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