Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has admitted England’s 1-0 defeat to Hungary on Saturday has been an eye opener for the whole squad. The Three Lions were poor in Budapest as they struggled to create anything going forward, in a stadium where they ran out 4-0 winners just nine months earlier.
Phillips picked up his 20th England cap in the defeat on Sunday, as he came off the bench in the final 10 minutes. It is just the second time that the 26-year-old has been involved in a defeat for his country in a regular 90-minute match.
Gareth Southgate opted to pair Declan Rice with Jude Bellingham against Hungary, but the latter struggled as part of a midfield two. Phillips has been Rice’s first choice midfield partner since his international debut in September 2020 – with the duo enjoying a great deal of success together in last summer’s EUROs.
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It would not be a surprise to see Southgate revert back to that pairing for the trip to Germany on Tuesday, as England look to kick start their Nations League campaign into gear. Quotes on the Guardian reveal Phillips is hopeful that the defeat to Hungary will prove to be a wake-up call for the Three Lions, ahead of a Germany game he is expecting to be a much different challenge.
He said: “I think the performance kind of opens our eyes. We know it’s not going to be a breeze when we go to the World Cup, or the next few games. We know we’re going to come up against difficult teams, who are going to defend well against us.
“I think Germany are the total opposite. They’re going to attack us, try to get in behind us and create a lot of chances. As long as we defend well I don’t think we’ve got a problem.”
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