England manager Phil Neville admits Lionesses' form has been ‘unacceptable’

Phil Neville has admitted that recent criticism of him and his England side is “probably only half of what it should be” and insists the team needs to “play angry” as the pressure builds before the team’s final game of the year against the Czech Republic.

“From a personal point of view I want the results to get better,” he said. “I’m a realist, I want success for this team and I know the capabilities of this team and I realise fully the criticism going my way is probably only half of what it should be, one win in seven games is without doubt unacceptable.

“I have been in situations at Manchester United with David Moyes, my brother in Spain, with Nuno Espírito Santo in Spain, where I have seen at first hand the impact of poor results, on supporters and everything.

“I’m not stupid, I feel that myself but I have got full confidence in the people that I work for and the players that I am coaching and they have got full confidence in me.”

After the team’s tough defeat to Germany in front of 77,768 fans at

Wembley Neville was in a somewhat reflective mood.

“What we said was in the World Cup ultimately we came back invited to everywhere, lauded by everyone, fanfare and we finished fourth,” he said. “And I’ve got to say that that’s what I told them. Realistically this is where we’re at. We were the fourth-best team in the world, we’re not even playing like the fifth-best team in the world.

“Forget the World Cup, we’re still wallowing about the World Cup when the rest of women’s football has moved forward. We’ve stood still and the rest have moved on.

“That’s what happens, if you stand still others will overtake you. That is the harsh reality of what we’ve spoken about over the last two days. I want them to be really angry, I want them to be angry with me, I want them to be angry with themselves, and I want us to play angry. Because I think we’ve gone a little bit soft.

“Soft in terms of our mentality, and that’s every single one of us. Oh, they’re tired, they’re this – no. Not any more. I think we’re at the point now where enough is enough. We’re at the end of the year, we are at the end of a cycle.

“For me, it is enough. I can’t accept it anymore. If we continue on this journey people will suffer. I’ll suffer, players will suffer and women’s football will suffer.”

England will be without Steph Houghton, Alex Greenwood, Jodie Taylor and Ellen White in Ceske Budejovice. Lucy Bronze, who will captain the side in the absence of the rested Houghton, said that they had “put a target on ourselves by saying we’re the best in the world”.

She added: “We started the year wanting to be one of the best teams and

we showed that early on, in the SheBelieves Cup, at the World Cup, but I think what we neglected was that, although we got close to the top, all the other teams realised it too and now every single team that we play against wants to beat us.”

Defeat to the Czech Republic would take England’s tally to six defeats in eight, with one win, and Neville is insistent that the team will turn things around on the pitch. “They will perform – I am sure of it. I have trust in them,” he added.

“I’ve got to say their support towards me has been great as well. With women’s football it’s a two-way thing, they give as much back as what I give to them. That is important because we need to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

“It’s a project,” added Bronze. “We’re working towards the 2021 Euros. It’s a long time away and you don’t always start off in the best place but all the players have 100% bought into it.”

When asked about the manager’s honest response to the poor run the fullback said: “The side you saw of Phil the other night we probably see it a lot more.”

Neville may be feeling the heat but he does not think relations are at breaking point.

“It is a results business and I have got to say that if I was in the Premier League at this moment of time there would be even more expectation, even more scrutiny. But what we have at the FA, we have a great balance, we have great communication in terms of the plans that we have got for the team that they know, they believe in, they want to back me even more than what they have done, and that support I think will remain until the point where we both think we can’t go any further and I don’t think we are at that point by any stretch.”