England boss Southgate: We can't believe we're better than we are

BetOdds England WC Qualification Europe Poland Poland v England

The Three Lions are looking to make it six wins from six in World Cup qualifying when they take on Poland

Gareth Southgate has warned his England squad not to fall into the trap of thinking they are better than they are.

The Three Lions have a perfect record in World Cup qualifying after five matches, having beaten both Hungary and Andorra 4-0 in the past week.

Southgate's team are looking to extend their lead at the top of Group I when they visit Poland on Wednesday, but Southgate says they must not get complacent.

"We are in a good moment and the team is playing well," the manager said at a press conference.

"We have a squad of players, any of whom are more than comfortable to play and are playing well.

"But also those moments are dangerous because, if we get any sense of complacency, we are going into a game that will be a challenge.

"It is a high level of motivation but also guarding against a feeling we are better than we are. We are getting a good set of results because we are working hard for each other."

The 51-year-old has stressed his side will face a more difficult test in Warsaw than they did against Hungary and Andorra.

"We are playing against a level of opposition who I think are in a better moment," he said.

"They have won their last two games and they have some good footballers in their team who will keep the ball better than Hungary were able to on the night against us.

"So the detail of how we press and how we defend will have to be spot on."

England dominated in their last two matches despite Southgate naming a completely different starting XI for each occasion.

He believes it is a good indication of the strength of his team, adding: "You could argue over what is our strongest team but the team that played in Hungary, we were obviously able to rest those guys after the game.

"There is still huge competition for places in this group and it is not so straightforward to say we won that game and this team will go again and give the same level of performance."

2021-09-07 23:00:02

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