Roy Hodgson not critical of England display in defeat to Spain

England boss Roy Hodgson has refused to criticise his players despite their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in their friendly clash.

The Three Lions went down to second-half strikes from Mario Gaspar and Santi Cazorla in Alicante as Hodgson's men were made to rue mistakes in the defensive third of the pitch.

The 68-year-old is adamant that his side cannot afford to repeat their errors ahead of Euro 2016, but is optimistic that England will improve.

"Our passing and decision making has to be better. We can't afford to give balls away in those areas," Hodgson is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.

"Spain do not give the ball that often and even on the one or two occasions they do they are very good at recovering.

"I don't really want to criticise the players. We take the responsibility. We don't want excuses."

England's friendly against France on Tuesday has reportedly been postponed due to the Paris attacks on Friday.