After guiding Three Lions to semis, boss Southgate insists his side still lack world-class players; wants more performances from the youthful group
England's Kyle Walker (left), John Stones (centre) and Jesse Lingard celebrate after their quarter-final win over Sweden on Saturday. Pic/AFP
England manager Gareth Southgate said his side was not the finished article after qualifying for the country's first World Cup semi-final appearance since 1990 with a 2-0 victory over Sweden on Saturday.
Headed goals from Harry Maguire and Dele Alli in Samara, and a handful of key saves from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, sent England through to a last-four showdown with Croatia on July 11. Southgate believes there is much more to come from his youthful group of players. "We are a team who are still improving. We know where we are, we're having success because everybody is working so hard," Southgate said, after joining Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson as just the third manager to guide England to the World Cup semi-finals.
ADVERTISEMENT
Southgate
"We're not the finished article, we don't have renowned world-class players yet," he said. "We have lots of good young players who are showing on a world stage they're prepared to be brave with the ball. They try to play the right way and have shown some mental resilience now over the last few weeks. "We know in years to come they're going to be stronger."
Southgate felt the success of the nation's youth teams was a clear indicator of the talent coming through. He pleaded with Premier League clubs to show faith in youngsters, who often find their chances restricted by the vast number of foreign imports.
"We're in a World Cup semi-final. Whether we're in the top four in the world is something we would still have to prove I think, but we're progressing really well and we do have some good players and they need opportunities to play," Southgate said. "Hopefully, with what our junior teams have been doing at international level as well, it will be a sign to all clubs, whether in England or abroad, that English players can play."
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
