Joe Hart insists England's defeat to Spain is a harsh reality check ahead of Euro 2016

Joe Hart insists England are preparing well for Euro 2016

JOE HART insisted England’s first defeat in 17 months against Vicente Del Bosque’s Spanish matadors is a harsh reality check for the Three Lions.

 

A run of 15 unbeaten games came to a predictable end in Alicante as England left Easy Street, their mundane Euro 2016 qualifying group, and turned into heavy traffic in the shape of a country who actually know how to win a major tournament.

It might have been Fancy Dress Day in neighbouring Benidorm, an event popular with the ex pats, but on Friday night in Alicante 3,000 England fans saw their side stripped naked by the current Spanish side who are going through a transitional period.

They still look a better bet than England despite failing to qualify out of their group in last year’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

Hart though, who was England’s stand in captain in the 2-0 defeat was in typical bullish mood maintaining his side might have been beaten but are not chastened.

 

“It’s what happens next summer which really matters.”he said. “You have to look forward, that’s the only thing we can do. We can’t lick our wounds, we can’t be upset, we’ve got to take what we can out of it.

“I was an old man out there and I’m 28 years old. Maybe we all needed the experience. We’ve had a very, very good run. We’ve come to Spain who haven’t lost in nine years (in the European Championships).

“They are the reigning champions of the tournament we’re about to go into and they’re going to be tired after that game. They had to work damned hard and had to come up with something out of the ordinary to breach us.

“We made good chances, we just didn’t take them.”

 

Arsenal's Santi Cazorla celebrates scoring Spain's second goal against England in Alicante

Hart is reticent to make bold predictions about England’s fate in Euro 2016 mindful of the mood of optimism going into the World Cup finals in Brazil last year.

“Brazil’s gone. We went into that saying exactly what we’re saying this time. I’m well aware of that. I’m not stupid.”he added.

“But we’re preparing well as a team. We’re sticking together. We win and lose together and we’re going to the tournament the best prepared we can be, as a team, as England, and we’re going to try and win it.

“Against Spain was a step up but we were close to doing it. Spain gave us a tough game and played some nice football but I don’t think they got anywhere.

“ I certainly didn’t have a busy night and the game-changer was down to quite a special acrobatic goal (Mario) that I’d say we could have played another 50 games and he could have tried that and it wouldn’t have gone in. But big teams change games when they need to find a way.”