MX23RW : Thursday, February 6 07:35:08| >> :120:77199:77199:

John Barnes: ‘England fans must lower expectations’

John Barnes: ‘England can’t play like Spain’
© PA Photos
John Barnes believes that England fans must be "realistic" in terms of expectations.

Former England and Liverpool player John Barnes believes that the national side cannot be compared to Spain and fans need to be “realistic” in their expectations.

England cruised to a 3-0 win in Bulgaria but failed to impress in their 1-0 victory over Wales at Wembley.

The former midfielder insists that England fans should not aim too high despite England’s number four ranking in the world’s national teams.

“I think our expectations have to be lowered,” Barnes told talkSPORT. “We saw from the World Cup that we’re not the best in the world, regardless of our world ranking.

“So let’s be realistic in what we expect. England are a good side but we need to keep our feet on the ground. Let’s not try and play like Spain because we can’t, so let’s play to our strengths.”

The Three Lions continue their Euro 2012 qualifiers with a trip to Montenegro next month on October 7.

ID:3049: cacheID:3049:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1987:
Written by
Danielle Joynson
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Read more about John Barnes Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2494114242031
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!