Gareth Southgate Pleased With Win Over 'Good Test' Nigeria But Warns Against Complacency
England manager Gareth Southgate believes the Three Lions' win over Nigeria on Saturday was a good test for his players ahead of the World Cup, with the tournament now only two weeks away.
Goals from Gary Cahill and Harry Kane helped England on the way to a 2-1 victory at Wembley, and the team now have one final friendly match against Costa Rica next Thursday before flying out to Russia.
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It's vitally important for England to head into the tournament full of confidence, and Southgate was pleased to oversee a victory against a tricky Super Eagles side.
He said, as quoted by Sky Sports: "The first half was as good a half as we've had. There was a lot of unselfish one and two-touch play. Our play from the back had good composure. It would be easy to say we were complacent in the second half but that wasn't the case.
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"We didn't come to terms with their change in formation or work out their midfield quickly enough. We were a bit slow to react at the back and then it was a really good test for us."
Southgate put out a strong side for the game, and it's likely most of those faces will return for the opening match with Tunisia on June 18.
Following the result against Nigeria, Southgate warned against getting carried away. He added, as quoted by the Evening Standard: "In general we can improve on what we did. That five or six minute spell we have to learn from because, in a tournament, that's enough to put you out."
