England U21 coach Gareth Southgate was not too disheartened by the performance of his players during their 3-1 defeat to Italy on Wednesday night in the European Under-21 Championship.
The Young Lions finished bottom of their group with defeat to Italy but Southgate felt that with more clinical finishing his side could have claimed victory.
Speaking after the final whistle, Southgate told reporters, “In many respects we provided the desired performance. We played well for long stretches, moving the ball well and creating chances.”
Although England created numerous opportunities, they did not trouble the scoreboard until deep into stoppage time. Former England defender Southgate felt that England’s play inside the box let them down and was the only difference between victory and defeat.
“We could not finish. We were incisive just outside the area but the match was decided by such episodes and we needed to make better use of the chances we had until the last minute.”
