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Gareth Southgate pleased but says England should have beaten Germany

England's Interim manager Gareth Southgate watches his players
Image: Gareth Southgate was pleased with England, but says his side lacked finishing when it mattered

Gareth Southgate was pleased with England's performance and new system, but says his side should have beat Germany.

Lukas Podolski's second-half stunner in Dortmund was enough for the hosts to win 1-0, who were second-best for most of the game against a new-look England.

Southgate deployed a 3-4-3 system against the world champions, and his side missed several key chances before Podolski's strike in the 69th minute.

Eric Dier
Image: Eric Dier heads towards goal in Dortmund

Southgate said: "I'm very pleased with what we learned, the manner of the performance. The one bit we missed was the finish. We should have had the game won, really,

"I'm very pleased with the performance, lots of excellent individual performances. Most pleasing of all is the new tactical system we tried, the players carried it out very well and it suited the players we had.

Adam Lallana impressed in England's 1-0 defeat to Germany
Image: Adam Lallana hit the post in the first half for England

"It suited the opposition we were playing against. We don't like losing, but in games like this it is important to learn something, and to try things, and I think we've done that, and I want the players to build on what they've done tonight."

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Southgate handed a debut to Michael Keane, as well as James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond as late substitutes.

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The 3-4-3 formation worked for the Three Lions, containing the Germans and pressuring them high up the pitch, and Southgate says it is a system they are likely to use again.

Lukas Podolski celebrates scoring against England
Image: Lukas Podolski celebrates scoring the winner

"I'm sure we will [use it again], it's a great option for us to have, I think a lot of the players are playing it at their club, which helps.

"We've also got some intelligent footballers in there, and it's pleasing for me, because I think we needed that ability, and we showed it tonight.

"It's great for the two young ones at the end to get a feel of international football. Really pleased with Michael Keane, I think he had an excellent debut and can be very proud of that; he used the ball very well, defended well, and throughout the team there were some good performances. We've lost to a fairy-tale goal."

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