England’s Gareth Southgate: ‘None of us is satisfied with third-place finish’
Gareth Southgate has admitted a sense of dissatisfaction at England’s third-place finish at the Nations League, a sentiment shared by his players who will use that as motivation in preparation for the European Championship next summer.
Jordan Pickford’s penalty save from Josip Drmic in the shootout secured the national team’s best finish at a competitive tournament in 51 years after a goalless draw dominated by England in Guimarães.
The anticlimactic nature of the occasion was summed up by Uefa opting against presenting the victors with bronze medals at the end, leaving them instead in the changing rooms. Some of Southgate’s players were unaware they had earned them even as they left the stadium for the airport.
“We’ve had to go through another third/fourth-place playoff and have finally won one, and we don’t even get the medals in front of our fans,” the England manager said. “But I remember speaking with some of the old Liverpool players who’d tell me Joe Fagan used to throw the medals down the back of the bus and say: ‘Get on with it. If you’ve played enough games, take one.’ That sums it up. It’s nice to have some acknowledgement but we’ll be parking it to one side and looking forward.
“We’ve hit a certain level, but it’s not a level we’re satisfied with. We have to go again. The first summer [2017] we played Scotland and France, and learned a lot from the loss in Paris but were really unhappy with the performance. That inspired us to improve over the next 12 months. Now, again, the drive from the players has given me energy. The commitment is there. They’re not satisfied with where they’re at and that, as a coach, gives you a lift – to see you’re not the only one driving things, up all night preparing the games. I take energy from all the staff and the players, and they are a fantastic group to work with.”
England struck the woodwork four times, had a late winner ruled out by the VAR, and impressed with the performances of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez to offer more optimism for the future. “None of us is satisfied with two semifinal appearances in successive years,” Southgate said. “We all wanted to move forward further. We needed to finish what’s been a good year with the international team with a strong performance. We owed it to ourselves, to 98% of fans who have supported us incredibly.
“That was what pleased me. It would have been easy to think it was one of those days, with everything conspiring against us, but we deserved to win in normal-time and extra-time, and got their reward in the shoot-out at the end of a demanding season.”
Meanwhile, Danny Rose has cast doubt over his future at Tottenham after admitting he is unsure whether he will still be at the club next season given their tendency to move on players at a certain age.
The England left-back, who played a key role in Spurs’ run to the Champions League final, turns 29 next month and has two years to run on his current contract, meaning Tottenham could consider this the best time to generate a sizeable fee for his services.
“If I am [at Tottenham next season] great, if not great,” he told Sky Sports after playing for England in Guimarães. “It’s no secret I’ve been linked with a move in the media, and it’s the club’s policy to move players on when they reach a certain age.”
Rose could join the likes of Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld in departing north London this summer.
The Fulham left-back Ryan Sessegnon, 19, has set his heart on a move to Tottenham having made clear he will not sign a new contract to replace the one that expires in 2020, with Spurs hoping to secure his services for around £25m. `