German legend Klinsmann says England v France should have been World Cup final
There is more to come from the current England squad, according to Jurgen Klinsmann, who believes their clash with France would not have been moved as a World Cup final.
Gareth Southgate's side lost 2-1 in their quarter-final against the Blues at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday night as Harry Kane's late penalty miss put defending champions France through qualify for the last four to face Morocco.
It was the worst performance of the tournament for England under Southgate, who guided them to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and less than a penalty shootout after winning the Euro 2020 against Italy last summer.
But Southgate and his players left Qatar early on Sunday afternoon largely to applaud the way they played in the final, with many believing they were unlucky to lose to France in a match that former German striker Klinsmann believes has all the characteristics of a final.
"I think overall it was a very positive display from the England team in this whole tournament," said the 1990 World Cup winner.
"This match, France against England, came too soon. It should have been a semi-final or the final.
"But one team has to go home and unfortunately it was England, from an English point of view - but I think overall they played a very good tournament."
As England suffered a setback, Klinsmann insists there is more to come from the team in the years to come.
"It's always a growing team," he added.
"I think that with this team there is still room for improvement over the next few years. They are not at the age of the limit now, in any case.
"So they have lots and lots of talent showing up, improving, gaining experience. So they had three very positive tournaments with the one in Russia, obviously the Euros where they went to the final.< /p>
"Now I think it was a very positive tournament, although it has already ended in the quarter-finals. So there is more to come from this England team, in my opinion."
Klinsmann, who now sits on FIFA's Technical Study Group, revealed that there have been conversations regarding the time between a penalty call and a shot on goal.
Kane had already equalized once from the point against France, but shot over the bar when given the chance to equalize again.
"I've been arguing for the past few days and saying, 'you know what, from the moment he whistles the penalty to the moment he gets the chance to take the penalty, there's way, way too much Time passes "and it works in your brain," said former Tottenham striker Klinsmann.
"I'm obviously a huge Harry Kane fan and if Harry had the chance it might just be enough to put the ball down and shoot it, no big deal but the whole VAR situation, double check was it a penalty?
"Time passes and then obviously you start to overthink - overthink - and you get to a point where you no longer execute the penalty as you might have just after the whistle ."
READ MORE: Who are the favorites to be England's next manager after Gareth Southgate?
There is more to come from the current England squad, according to Jurgen Klinsmann, who believes their clash with France would not have been moved as a World Cup final.
Gareth Southgate's side lost 2-1 in their quarter-final against the Blues at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday night as Harry Kane's late penalty miss put defending champions France through qualify for the last four to face Morocco.
It was the worst performance of the tournament for England under Southgate, who guided them to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and less than a penalty shootout after winning the Euro 2020 against Italy last summer.
But Southgate and his players left Qatar early on Sunday afternoon largely to applaud the way they played in the final, with many believing they were unlucky to lose to France in a match that former German striker Klinsmann believes has all the characteristics of a final.
"I think overall it was a very positive display from the England team in this whole tournament," said the 1990 World Cup winner.
"This match, France against England, came too soon. It should have been a semi-final or the final.
"But one team has to go home and unfortunately it was England, from an English point of view - but I think overall they played a very good tournament."
As England suffered a setback, Klinsmann insists there is more to come from the team in the years to come.
"It's always a growing team," he added.
"I think that with this team there is still room for improvement over the next few years. They are not at the age of the limit now, in any case.
"So they have lots and lots of talent showing up, improving, gaining experience. So they had three very positive tournaments with the one in Russia, obviously the Euros where they went to the final.< /p>
"Now I think it was a very positive tournament, although it has already ended in the quarter-finals. So there is more to come from this England team, in my opinion."
Klinsmann, who now sits on FIFA's Technical Study Group, revealed that there have been conversations regarding the time between a penalty call and a shot on goal.
Kane had already equalized once from the point against France, but shot over the bar when given the chance to equalize again.
"I've been arguing for the past few days and saying, 'you know what, from the moment he whistles the penalty to the moment he gets the chance to take the penalty, there's way, way too much Time passes "and it works in your brain," said former Tottenham striker Klinsmann.
"I'm obviously a huge Harry Kane fan and if Harry had the chance it might just be enough to put the ball down and shoot it, no big deal but the whole VAR situation, double check was it a penalty?
"Time passes and then obviously you start to overthink - overthink - and you get to a point where you no longer execute the penalty as you might have just after the whistle ."
READ MORE: Who are the favorites to be England's next manager after Gareth Southgate?
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