England have reached the semi-finals of the last two major championships but manager Gareth Southgate says missing out on the World Cup and Nations League final has left the squad deeply unsatisfied.
Englandโs shootout win over Switzerland on Sunday saw them finish UEFAโs inaugural Nations League in third place, one spot better than the 2018 World Cup when they were beaten by Belgium in the bronze medal game.
โNone of us is satisfied with two semi-final appearances in successive years,โ Southgate told reporters. โWe all wanted to move forward further.
โWe needed to finish whatโs been a good year with the international team with a strong performance.โ
Southgate said it was a good thing that the players were feeling they could have achieved more.
โWe owed it to ourselvesโฆ The commitment is there. Theyโre not satisfied with where theyโre at and that, as a coach, gives you a lift,โ he added.
Southgate also voiced his displeasure over UEFAโs decision not to award England their bronze medals on the field after the game.
โWeโve had to go through another third/fourth-place playoff and have finally won one, and we donโt even get the medals in front of our fans,โ Southgate said.
โItโs nice to have some acknowledgement, but weโll be parking it to one side and looking forward.โ
REUTERS
