Gareth Southgate admits England lacked final third sharpness in goalless draw with Italy
![England manager Gareth Southgate on the bench during the UEFA Nations League](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.planetsport.com%2Fimage-library%2Fland%2F700%2Fe%2Fengland-gareth-southgate-4-june-2022.webp&w=3840&q=75)
England slumped to their third winless game after being held to a goalless draw with Italy in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final.
Instead of avenging last summer's heartbreaking loss at Wembley, England had to settle for a single point as they remain winless in their UEFA Nations League group.
Manager Gareth Southgate was satisfied by the performance, but admitted his side lacked sharpness in the final third.
He told Channel 4: "There were things that we did really well in Germany and things that we needed to improve upon. We improved on a lot of those things today. Getting the ball through their midfield press and into their next line, we were much better.
🗣 'I was pleased with the general performance'
— Channel 4 Sport (@C4Sport) June 11, 2022
The gaffer shares his view on the stalemate with Italy 🤝#C4Football | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/sP6UQrk3pQ
When asked whether he was over-cautious, the manager hit back, saying: "I don't see how you can [say that] really, because we're trying to move the ball through against a really good, well organised team.
"I think at the moment, that little bit of sharpness in the final third isn't quite there. But I was pleased with the general performance."