A DOWNCAST Gareth Southgate took England training on Sunday as the Three Lions prepare to take on Germany.
England welcome the Germans to Wembley on Monday for their final Nations League match after suffering relegation following defeat to Italy.
And Southgate will be desperate to get things back on track with the Qatar World Cup looming.
England are on their worst run of form since 2014 – five games without win – and have not scored a goal from open play in 450 minutes.
Harry Kane was the last player to score for England, a penalty against Germany in June, and the skipper appeared to be in good spirits in training despite his side’s goal trouble.
The striker was spotted sharing a joke with Manchester City pair Kyle Walker and John Stones as the trio went through their stretches.
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Bukayo Saka and Trent Alexander-Arnold looked a little more glum however despite the Arsenal star winning England’s player of the year.
The winger could be crucial to ending the Three Lions open play goal drought which dates back to November 2021.
Germany is the last team England face before the World Cup and they will be desperate to avoid a run of six games without a win.
The last time they managed that was June 1993 – on that occasion they also lost to Germany to stretch the run to seven games.
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Southgate knows the pressure is on but he is confident he will find the answers.
He said: “I think I’m the right person to take the team into the tournament.
“I think it’s more stable that way, without a doubt.”
But some England fans disagree, with a SunSport poll finding 83 per cent of fans want Southgate out before the World Cup.
Some fans have also called for Thomas Tuchel to be appointed as his replacement following his sacking by Chelsea earlier this month.
But it is actually his replacement at Stamford Bridge Graham Potter who is the bookies’ favourite to take over from Southgate.
Eddie Howe, Mauricio Pochettino and Steve Cooper are also amongst the front runners to succeed Southgate should he be fired.
But Kane has faith the team will come good and called on the supporters to back England once again ahead of the World Cup.
He said: “We’re not panicking. Of course, I understand the frustration of the fans.
“But ultimately we are going to be judged on what happens come November.
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“If we have a successful tournament I’m not sure people will be worried about the spell we had over the summer — and that’s the bottom line.
“As a group, we know what we’re about and we will fight through this tough period.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
