Gareth Southgate defended England's approach in their 0-0 draw with Scotland at Euro 2020, insisting he had to "manage" their overall position in the tournament.
The England manager conceded his team performed considerably below par as they only mustered a solitary shot on target against their neighbours at Wembley.
John Stones headed an early Mason Mount corner against the post but, from that point, Scotland fashioned the better chances as Jordan Pickford superbly kept out Stephen O'Donnell's volley and Reece James cleared Lyndon Dykes' second-half attempt off the line.
It means Tuesday's game between England and Czech Republic will settle who finishes top of Group D as they sit on four points apiece and Southgate felt remaining in charge of their own destiny was something worth preserving.
"I would say we had a fourth attacking player in Mount throughout the whole game," he said at a post-match news conference, after Jack Grealish replaced Phil Foden in a like-for-like swap that did not alter England's rigid 4-2-3-1 shape.
"In those moments, if we had to chase to win with no consequence for conceding then you might approach it differently, or if we were behind in the game and we were chasing.
"It was a bit frantic, it wasn't a game where there was a huge amount of control. You've got to make sure, sitting on three points as we did, that we manage the tournament as well as the game
"It's easy to gamble towards the end and lose shape and then end up losing the game in the last five minutes.
"I understand we're at Wembley, it's a game against Scotland where everyone wants us to win, we wanted to win.
"But it is in the context of a tournament and the qualification is the most important thing."
For the second successive match, Southgate substituted his captain Harry Kane.
Like in the opening 1-0 win over Croatia, the Tottenham striker failed to produce a shot on target and was a peripheral figure for the most part – restricted to 19 touches overall.
"I think the whole team, we've got to look at the whole performance and our use of the ball and review where we can be better," Southgate replied when asked specifically about the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner.
"That's right across the board, it's not just about one person. Scotland marked him extremely well, with the back five there isn't a lot of space and anything that was played up they were aggressive and defended well.
"We couldn't find the answers. We've got to go away, review the game and find those answers for the Czech Republic."
The precise nature of those answers is likely to be poured over extensively in the interim coverage and Southgate was keen to spare his players – who were audibly booed off by their home supporters – from undue criticism.
"We know we didn't hit the level we wanted to or need to. We have to accept anything that comes our way," he added.
"I totally understand that as the manager and totally understand anything that comes my way. What we need to make sure we do is get behind the players.
"There are a lot of young players that need the support of everybody. Most of them haven't been involved in a game like that before. They are unique occasions. They'll learn a lot, they'll bounce back from it. They need everybody behind them."
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
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