Southgate will continue to make tough decisions

The team that played at Euro 2016 and were beaten so embarrassingly by Iceland is a very different one to the side that reached England's first semi-final in a World Cup for 28 years. 

Players like Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere were major parts of the squad two years ago, but are now no longer part of the 'Three Lions' set up. Rooney decided to retire from international football while Hart and Wilshere were not on the plane to Russia.

All three absences are down to the bold decisions by Gareth Southgate to leave the players out of the team during his short time in charge.

Given the success of the England team over the last month, the manager has been vindicated hugely for such decisions, and it does not seem as though he is going to rest on his laurels.

"I think we've always found a balance of making the decisions that need to be made and looking at how we grow a group of players and a togetherness and spirit that will stand us in good stead," Southgate commented.

"We try and find that balance of an environment where people can improve and learn and get better and recognise at the time you have to make selection decisions as well."

Such selection decisions will only get more difficult for the former defender as England's younger players that didn't make the World Cup squad vie for a place in the team.

Players such as Joe Gomez, Alfie Mawson and Ryan Sessegnon will all be knocking on the door in the months to come. While Southgate appreciates that his side made important progress in the tournament in Russia, he has hinted that his willingness to shake up England squads will not diminish.

Speaking on the group of players who returned home to England on Sunday, he said: "They will be buoyed by the positive experiences, of which there have been many.

"But equally we know we are under no illusions about where we sit in the world standings.

"So the defeats have, I think, been hugely important for our development as well. We finished in the top four, deservedly in this tournament, helped by the draw. But we're not a top-four team yet. And we know that."