Guehi insists England squad are behind ´fantastic´ Southgate

Marc Guehi has said that England head coach Gareth Southgate has the full confidence of his team-mates as the Three Lions prepare for their last-16 tie with Slovakia.

The England team concluded their Group C campaign with a goalless draw against Slovenia in Cologne, topping the group with five points ahead of Denmark.

But the sound of the full-time whistle was greeted with boos from the travelling Three Lions support, with much of it aimed towards Southgate.

Guehi, who has started every game in Germany so far, has been a shining light for England as he continues to build a solid partnership alongside John Stones.

“He has been fantastic for England. If you look at his record, it speaks for itself,” 23-year-old Guehi said on the Three Lions boss.

“Everyone is behind the manager and we have a really close tight-knit group just focused on the next group. Everyone appreciates him, especially me.

“He gave me my debut for England and he’s showed so much confidence in me. I am really grateful and I’m sure the rest of the team is as well.”

England will play Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday for a place in the #EURO2024 quarter-finals. pic.twitter.com/NC7mIYFmY6

— England (@England) June 26, 2024

As the curtain closed on the group stage on Wednesday, a shock Georgia win against Portugal meant that England would avoid the Netherlands in the knockout stages and fall on the favourable side of the draw.

Spain, Germany, Portugal, France and Belgium are in the other half of the draw, adding further expectation for England to end their wait for a first international honour in 58 years.

However, the Crystal Palace defender believes there are no easy games at this stage of the competition.

“Everyone has seen in this competition that I don’t think there is a favourable side of the draw,” he said. “Every opponent is tough to play against.

“We just need to remain calm. We put pressure on ourselves, but it’s a very calm and focused environment. We just need to continue focusing on one thing at a time.”