England Under-21s boss Gareth Southgate praised the patience and game management of his team as they saw off Kazakhstan by 3-0 in Coventry.
It took three goals in the second half from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathan Redmond and Chuba Akpom to secure the victory, against a resilient and stubborn Kazakh line-up.
England U21s 3-0 Kazakhstan
UEFA European U21 Championship
Group 9
Ricoh Arena
Tuesday 13 October 2015
But after warning his side of what they would face at the Ricoh Arena, Southgate was pleased with the way his players executed their plan.
“It played out as we thought it might. Kazakhstan were difficult to break down with a threat on the counter attack which they had,” he told TheFA.com
“We had a clear plan of how we needed to play to break down a packed defence and we stuck to that and then within that plan, the individuality of the players came out as well.
“We maybe could have got the goal earlier, we had a few chances and hit the post, so we could have been a bit more clinical in and around the box.
WATCH: U21s boss @GarethSouthgate praises the patience of his side in their 3-0 win at Coventry City. #ENGvKAZ
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— England (@england) October 13, 2015
“But from the first minute to the last, we moved and used the ball really well and looked a threat.
“We controlled the game, but we were also disciplined in our play to win the ball back when we could and I think the result was well deserved.”
England’s second goal particularly caught the eye, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford claiming an assist by catching a Kazakhstan corner before placing a long pass into the path of Redmond.
And Southgate was quick to praise the Sunderland stopper, currently on loan with Preston North End, following his quick-thinking.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek leaps above the Kazazhstan defence
“It was a wonderful pass, it showed a great understanding of the game and great technique,” he said.
“And what was really pleasing was the whole team acknowledging the goal and that sums up the week that we’ve had.
“They’ve really come together as a group and have a much clearer understanding of how we want to play and those shared experiences of the matches that we’ve had are really bringing them together.”
Southgate’s side will be in action again next month when they travel to face Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo before they return to Brighton’s Amex Stadium to play Switzerland on Monday 16 November.
