Sam Allardyce says breaking down teams will be difficult for England

06:28
Sam Allardyce has warned that England
Sam Allardyce has warned that England's Group F opponents will be no pushovers

Sam Allardyce believes England's biggest challenge during their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign will be breaking teams down.

Allardyce kicked off his reign in charge of the national side by beating Slovakia 1-0 in Trnava with Adam Lallana snatching victory in the fifth minute of injury time.

Adam Lallana's first goal for England was perfectly timed as he made sure the Three Lions picked up all three points late on against Slovakia

The 61-year-old expects future Group F opponents, including Scotland, to provide a similar defensive test and warned against frustration.

"I think everybody will be a big challenge," Allardyce told the FA's website.

"It appears to me that our games will be spent trying to break these teams down and when that happens, it does become very difficult - and particularly frustrating for the fans. 

"We've got to not allow that frustration to develop into our game.

"So I think breaking down the wall or the barriers that are going to be put up over the qualifiers is going to be our main aim."

England's second match of their qualifying campaign will see Malta visit Wembley on October 8, and Allardyce has played down fans' hopes of a cricket scoreline.

Comparing Allardyce
Comparing Allardyce's first game as England manager against Slovakia to Roy Hodgson's final game against Iceland

"I think the atmosphere is electric when the place is full - they lift the roof off, the England fans. I think what we have to do is try and live up to their expectation.

"Unfortunately, their expectation will be 10-0. I'm not so sure we'll get anywhere near that, but since Scotland beat them 5-1 in the last game, albeit when they were only playing against nine men, their expectations have gone up.

"So we have to live with that and try and deliver the best we possibly can. But I'd expect Malta to put up a defensive resilience that we have to try and break down."

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Source : skysports[dot]com

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