Harry Kane has sent a stern warning to his England colleagues after Friday’s dismal pre-tournament friendly loss to Iceland
Gareth Southgate’s side lost 1-0 to Iceland at Wembley on Friday in their final match before the European Championships in Germany
And England captain Kane thinks the defeat could be a necessary wake-up call ahead of the Three Lions’ opening match against Serbia on Sunday
“This can be a good wake-up call for people to realize that things will not be as easy as people think,” the England captain said via Mail Online
“There’s a lot of work to do
Sometimes you need that wake-up call
There are areas we need to improve, especially our ability to press
The group games will be very similar to this one
We will have to defend well, especially with long balls, and with the ball we will have to be a little more patient
It was a memorable moment
” The Bayern Munich striker added: “We didn’t meet our expectations without the ball and that’s something we need to look at and improve
“We had good periods, played very good football and created good chances
But especially when playing against this type of team, you have to be more decisive
“Perhaps there is not enough desire in duels, in second balls and in victories
They play a very important role when you play these teams, to put pressure on them and really stifle them
We didn’t do well
» Kane insists he has left his England disappointment behind after missing a crucial penalty in the Three Lions’ quarter-final against France at the World Cup in Qatar
“Isn’t that bad
” he spoke about the missed penalty and the loss to the Blues
“In football, you will have ups and downs
Of course, it’s a problem for me at the moment, but I think in two years, for club and country, I’ll put that aside and just be excited for another big tournament
“I have said many times to judge us on the format of the tournament, on the football of the tournament
Of course, there will be some noise about Friday, but I think there’s a lot of optimism among the fans, and rightly so
Ultimately, it is up to us to ensure we are successful on the field
We have a lot of great players
These players have had very good seasons
You can not miss it
“Having come so close to the last Euro (being beaten in the final), really hungry to get back
“But as we all know, it is very difficult to win these tournaments
There’s a lot to do right and prepare well, and you need a little bit of luck here and there
Every winner does it
We are confident that we can achieve this
We also know we will have to work hard from now until the final in July
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