Football
Reuters 6y

England's Danny Rose: Players held inquest after 'embarrassing' first half vs. Switzerland

England defender Danny Rose has revealed the players did not hold back from criticising each other at half-time following a bad start to Tuesday's win over Switzerland.

England, who made nine changes to the starting line-up for the friendly in Leicester, allowed Switzerland to control the match in the first half but returned much sharper to secure the 1-0 win through forward Marcus Rashford's 54th-minute strike.

"It was a bit embarrassing," Tottenham Hotspur left-back Rose told BBC Radio 5 live. "We could have been two or three-nil down at half-time

"It's great we can all shout at each other and tell each other to improve like we did.

"In the end, we are over the moon to keep a clean sheet and get back to winning ways.

"The morale we have set within the squad is fantastic and we have taken off where we left off in the summer.

"We spoke at half-time and we weren't happy with how we were playing, but we took control after the break and got the goal."

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Manager Gareth Southgate said he encouraged dialogue between his players but added that he had to step in during the break to keep things calm in the dressing room.

"The players certainly had a lot to say to each other when they first got into the dressing room. It was important then that we solved a couple of the problems they were facing and kept things calm," Southgate said.

"We expect and encourage it because they're intelligent footballers and it's important they have a view."

England, who avoided a fourth straight defeat, return to action with UEFA Nations League matches against World Cup finalists Croatia and former champions Spain next month.

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