England manager Gareth Southgate has admitted that his side still have a long way to go if they are to challenge the world's best teams at major tournaments.
The Three Lions fell to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of France in Paris on Tuesday night despite Les Bleus having to play almost half of the match with 10 men following Raphael Varane's sending-off.
Southgate suggested that the team did not need telling that their performance was under par, but believes that such matches are vital to getting the team up to the required standard.
"There was no point raising my voice but equally you can't sugarcoat what happened in that final 30 minutes, in particular. I don't think it does any harm. They know they are a very honest group of players. They are fully committed, I can't question what they've given. We've just got to learn quickly how to manage games in situations like that," he told reporters.
"I am afraid there is no magic wand to that, but we're recognising where we are short, we are recognising where we can exploit teams. We've had some joy doing that. But our game without the ball has got to improve. The only way you can understand what the gap is, is by playing against those three teams.
"If we'd played lesser teams and won, maybe we'd all be getting excited and thinking that we're better than we are. The reality is, find out exactly where you are against the very best. We've had two matches away and one at home, and for long periods we've equipped ourselves well but we've a bit to do and I think it's important that as a group of players and a group of staff we recognise that.
"We've got some young players coming through that have got really good potential and can be exciting, but there is no short cut."
England's next match comes against Malta at the start of September.
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