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Leighton Baines refused to accept England's back four were the weak link after defeat to Uruguay pushed Roy Hodgson’s men to the brink of an early World Cup exit.
England’s defending was suspect once again as Luis Suarez scored twice in his first game for five weeks following knee surgery, the second a product of a long ball forward from Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera which ran through to the Liverpool striker via a mistimed header from Steven Gerrard.
Despite conceding twice in both Group D matches, Leighton Baines insists England’s defence is not to blame.
Asked if he thought the back four was the weaker part of the unit, Baines replied: “Not particularly. I don’t think we have given up too many chances in the two games. But when we have, we have been punished. The tournament has been a bit like that. There have been a lot of goals so far and we’ll have to look at it in the next couple of days.
“I thought we were probably the better team over the course of the whole game but we have been punished by good goals.
Uruguay v England - player ratings
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“Suarez is a top player. He didn’t put himself about as much as he normally would but looked like he was always waiting for that moment, that opportunity to pounce, and he did.
“You are at the top level of the game and it is small margins – we haven’t been outplayed in any of the games, we have just come up short maybe.”
Despite losing both games so far, Baines insists England are showing signs of progressing as a team.
“I’ve got to say it does feel like we are moving forward but you have got to find ways to win games,” he said. “We’ve not been able to do that and ultimately that could be costly.”
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