Gareth Southgate speaks of his ‘pride’ with England team

England manager Gareth Southgate spoke of his pride with the performances of his team at this World Cup and of his captain Harry Kane after they bowed out of the tournament with a 2–1 defeat to Croatia in Moscow on Thursday night.

Kirean trippier’s stunning free-kick gave England the early lead after just five minutes, but Ivan Persic’s second-half equaliser forced the game into extra-time and Mario Mandzukic found another for Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium.

“At the moment, we all feel the pain of the defeat,” Southgate told reporters at a post-match news conference. “The dressing room is a very difficult place. But I’m also remarkably proud of a group of players who have really advanced.

Many Positives

“The reaction of the supporters at the end compared to two years ago tells you experiences with England can be positive, that the country are very proud of what they’ve done and the way they’ve played, and there are lots of positives.

“It’s hard to put that into context now, and a bit too soon. You have to suffer the result a bit. It’s too easy sometimes to move on. But I’m hugely proud of what they’ve done. I couldn’t have asked to give any more for me or the country.

Southgate, nonetheless, thought the failure to further England’s advantage in the first half was the most crucial aspect in their defeat, and suggested that perhaps the lack of experience in the squad showed in the final closing stages.

Stopped Short

But he stopped short of saying that his players lost steam when the game went to extra-time, and stressed that he thought Kane especially proved England’s key man for both the Croatia match and at the tournament at large in Russia.

“He’s given absolutely everything for the team,” Southgate said of kane. “There was a period of the game in the second where we didn’t control possession, and the game became too end to end with us not building in the way we have.

“Now is a time for us to be strong as a group and take the time to reflect on the performance. He’s captained the team brilliantly throughout this tournament. I can’t ask more of him as a captain or as a man over the last three weeks.”

Less Composure

“We had less composure with the ball in the second half,” he said. “Maybe that was a consequence of being ahead with the least experienced team in the finals, with an opportunity to get to a World Cup final…I don’t know.

“We regained composure in extra-time and took control back. The extra period was very even, we had the flow, but they are always dangerous. The margins are fine this deep into a tournament,” he said “We wish them well for the final

Southgate acknowledged how well things had been going for England at this tournament — beating Columbia on penalties, easily felling Sweden, making the semi-final for the first time since 1990 — but said he remained satisfied.

Remarkable Run

After all, this was already a remarkable run for England. Nobody ahead of this tournament would have expected the team to advance as far as the semi-finals and that surely speaks volumes of the indelible talent of this current squad.

“I think over the next few days it will be the time to reflect on that,” Southgate said. “It’s clear the progress that’s been made in the level of performance and togetherness of the group. There are a lot of things that have been positive.

“To become a winning team, there are definitely hurdles we have to overcome. We’ve surpassed many of those and we’ve proved ourselves and our country that it’s possible and I couldn’t be prouder with what they’ve done,” he said.

The post Gareth Southgate speaks of his ‘pride’ with England team appeared first on iNews.



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