England’s players did not hold back from criticising each other at halftime following a bad start to Tuesday’s friendly against Switzerland and defender Danny Rose believes the exchange helped them improve and seal a 1-0 victory.England, who made nine changes to the starting line-up for the clash, allowed Switzerland to control the match in the first period but returned much sharper to secure the win through forward Marcus Rashford’s 54th minute strike.
“We could have been two or three-nil down at halftime,” Tottenham Hotspur’s Rose told. “It’s great we can all shout at each other and tell each other to improve like we did.”
Manager Gareth Southgate said he encouraged dialogue between his players but added that he had to step in during the break to keep things calm in the dressing room.
“The players certainly had a lot to say to each other when they first got into the dressing room. It was important then that we solved a couple of the problems they were facing and kept things calm,” Southgate said.
“We expect and encourage it because they’re intelligent footballers and it’s important they have a view.”
England, who avoided a fourth straight defeat, return to action with UEFA Nations League matches against World Cup finalists Croatia and former champions Spain next month.
