16 October,2020 07:40 AM IST | London | AFP
England defender Harry Maguire (centre) is shown a red card by the referee during their UEFA Nations League match against Denmark at London's Wembley Stadium on Wednesday. England lost 0-1. Pic/AFP
Gareth Southgate warned England to learn from their disciplinary woes after giving Harry Maguire his full support following the Manchester United defender's dismissal in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat against Denmark. Southgate's side suffered their first defeat in a year as Maguire was sent off for two first half bookings before Christian Eriksen's penalty sealed the Nations League points for Denmark.
Adding to the growing sense that Southgate is struggling to keep his players under control, Chelsea right-back Reece James marred his first England start when he was sent off after the final whistle for confronting referee Jesus Gil. Following hot on the heels of Kyle Walker's dismissal against Iceland in September, England have had three players sent off in a calendar year for the first time. The rash of red cards comes amid off-field issues in which England players have shown questionable judgement this year.
"It's an obvious question we're going to be asked. We've put ourselves in unnecessary positions off the pitch," he said. "Of course there have been things that haven't been right. We have addressed them. The reds for Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire here, one yellow justified, one not so sure. We've got to learn from it because if you go down to 10, historically that means we're out, especially if you're doing it for an hour. We talked all the time about discipline because we knew it cost us in other tournaments." Despite Maguire's latest meltdown, Southgate made it clear the United captain could count on his backing. "For me, he is a top player, a massive part of what we do and he is going through a period where a lot of stick is coming his way," Southgate said. "He has our full support and I know his club will be the same. We have total belief in him," he added.
Meanwhile, Italy lost top spot in their group after a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands. Roberto Mancini's side drop to second in League A, Group 1 on six points, one behind Poland.
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