Jack Wilshere says there was no time to wallow after the unfortunate defeat against Italy, as attention quickly turned to the crucial match against Uruguay in Sao Paulo.
Wilshere was a second-half substitute in the 2-1 defeat to Italy on Saturday – but insists that as they prepare to take on Uruguay in what has now become an all-or-nothing contest, the defeat in Manaus has been quickly forgotten about.
He said: “When you play in the World Cup you can lose to anyone. This is the top, top level. There is no such thing as an easy game here so every game is tough and there is only going to be a few goals in it.
Uruguay v England
FIFA World Cup Group D
Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
8pm BST, Thursday 19 June
Live on ITV
“We will carry on doing the things we got right in that game and try and sort the things out that we weren’t so strong in.
“We will go again and we have got the opportunity [against Uruguay] in what is a massive game for us. We wouldn’t want to be going home. We have worked really hard – we are strong unit and we can carry it on.”
After Uruguay also lost their opening Group D fixture – a surprising 3-1 defeat against group underdogs Costa Rica – both sides know that defeat at the Arena de Sao Paulo would almost certainly spell the end of their World Cup campaign.
But Wilshere said the positive reaction from the public helped boost squad morale after the defeat – and they are now more determined than ever to repay them with a strong performance against Uruguay on Thursday.
“I think after the game it firstly tough to take but then we saw the reaction from the public back home and it was positive,” he added.
Jack Wilshere after the defeat against Italy in Manaus
“We tried to do the right things and on another day we would have liked to score a few more goals if we put the chances away. Going forward that is how we want to play and we feel if we carry on like that we have a chance.”
Much of the pre-match narrative has been dominated by the fitness of Uruguay’s key striker Luis Suarez – and whether he will feature after sitting out the defeat against Costa Rica with a knee injury.
But Wilshere, who has first-hand experience of playing against the 2013-14 PFA and FWA Player of the Year, finished by saying that should he feature, he is confident England have the ability enough to cope with the threat he poses.
“They have got great players all over the pitch but there is no denying that Suarez is a great player and he is a threat to us,” he continued.
“They also have Cavani and Forlan as well so they have got great players all around the pitch.
“But Suarez will be a problem if he plays but we have got players that play against him in the Premier League every week so they can deal with him.”
