Gareth Southgate reflected on England‘s World Cup performance by saying his squad were ‘feeding at the top table now’ alongside the world’s heavyweights.
However, the former defender who led the Three Lions for his second World Cup campaign, accepted he ‘can’t get away from the fact we came up short’ by losing in the quarter-final to France on Saturday, one stage earlier than their 2018 exit.
Southgate, who took over the England manager’s job in 2016, has said he will need some time to think about whether he will continue to commit to the national cause for the cycle in the run up to Euro 2024 and beyond.
Gareth Southgate believes England are ‘feasting at the top table’ of international football now
On Sunday, after a short time to reflect on the nature of the previous day’s elimination, the 52-year-old spoke about the mood in the camp.
‘It’s a strange feeling’, he admitted, noting the players were ‘flat’, while packing up England’s Al Wakrah training base after a slightly extended four-year World Cup cycle.
‘We were so close,’ Southgate said on England’s YouTube channel. ‘The level of performance, I was so happy with. There’s the disappointment that we feel we could have gone on, and done more. And yet, I really have very few regrets about the whole thing. Emotionally, it’s a rollercoaster.’
Southgate revealed the emotional rollercoaster that followed England’s elimination by France
‘They know they played well,’ he said, speaking about his players. ‘In sport, it feels so binary, winning and losing. But when you’re coaching a team, and working with a team, you have to take a different view to that.’
He hailed the progression of the group, and as individuals, including those who have remained on the fringes of the first-team.
‘We’ve now got some very young players with a lot of big match experience already,’ the 52-year-old said. ‘The core of the group can be together for a long while.’
The manager said Saturday’s game at the Al Bayt Stadium played out as he had expected
He said the French game played out as England had planned for. They expected Les Bleus to wait and hit them on the counter-attack. He said they got the right balance of positioning most of the time, but admitted: ‘A 30-second period can turn your life upside down.’
After going a goal behind to Aurelien Tchouameni, Southgate hailed the spirit of his team’s fightback. He said: ‘Without a doubt, a few years ago, we could have been overwhelmed in a game like that. We rode that period, and we dominated the second half, especially.’
After all the build-up to the Qatar tournament, Southgate said he felt the support on the ground.
The 52-year-old hailed the support in Qatar’s stadiums, and those watching from back home
Southgate said: ‘I know that this was a tournament beforehand that there was a lot of focus on. What’s pleased me is, everybody that’s come has had a really good experience. I hope that’s been the case.
‘We felt great support in the stadium, and we know that the support at home was incredible as well. On the big stage, I know how the rest of the world are looking at us now.
‘Ultimately we’ve fallen short, I can’t get away from that, I also have to accept that. But we’re feeding at the top table of European and world football consistently now.
He said it is ‘exciting and important for England’ to have their squad depth for future games
‘If we’re in that place with the depth of squad that we’ve got, then that’s exciting and important for England. It’s a difficult time for everybody. We’re really aware of that. I think the players have represented them in the right way, played in the right way. We hope everyone’s enjoyed the journey.’
England’s route to Euro 2024 begins with the qualifying campaign in March, kicking off with fixtures against holders Italy and then Ukraine.
The 2026 World Cup returns to its normal British summer, held in venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada.