England manager Gareth Southgate pointed to his years of experience as he was asked if he doubted himself following recent criticism.
Southgate has seen his side fail to win their last five games, resulting in relegation from Nations League Group A3 and with just one match to go before the World Cup begins in November.
Asked if that criticism had led to him doubting his ability, Southgate replied: “I’m fortunate that I’m now sadly in my 50s, I have been in football for 30 years and I have gone in one guise or another to 12 tournaments, working with these chaps, scouting – this will be my seventh as player or a coach, so I have seen pretty much everything.
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“The cycle of war with the media, the love-in – we are somewhere in the middle of that, it is an experience that I knew at some point would probably come with this job so I have to accept that.”
Germany are the visitors to Wembley on Monday night as England look to avert a slump in performances and results which have seen the tide turn on Southgate.
He was hit with jeers and chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” as England were losing 4-0 to Hungary in June and was also booed by the travelling fans following a 1-0 loss in Italy on Friday.
“Look, I’m the manager,” Southgate added.
“The results haven’t been at the level we want, that we require, so no matter what job you have in football that would be the case.
“Of course with the national team that noise is going to be louder and more widespread, I understand that.
“I’m not hiding from it, we are not enjoying it but we have to keep doing the right things every day to keep improving.”
