Declan Rice remains confident about England's World Cup chances despite Friday's disappointing defeat to Italy.
England were beaten 1-0 at San Siro, with Giacomo Raspadori's superb second-half strike enough to earn the home side victory against a lacklustre Three Lions.
Defeat for Gareth Southgate's side sees them relegated from the top tier of the Nations League with one match to spare in the campaign.
England are now without a win in five matches and have not scored an open play goal in more than seven hours of football.
Advert
The first four games in that run came during a summer international break to forget, which included a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Hungary at home.
But while he was disappointed to lose to Italy, West Ham midfielder Rice believes England produced an improved performance when compared to the summer.
"It's obviously disappointing," Rice told Channel 4.
"Every tournament we go into we set out to win the group and progress and win every game. In the Nations League, we've slipped below our standards.
Advert
"But I didn't think it was all bad tonight. One chance for them, one goal. I thought we controlled the game, passed the ball around well, especially in the first-half and got into some good areas, we just lacked that cutting edge in the end.
"But it's coming. [It was] a much better performance than it was in the summer."
England have now gone 450 minutes without scoring from open play, with Harry Kane's late penalty in June's draw with Germany their only goal in the last five games.
Their barren run in front of goal will be a major concern for Southgate, with the World Cup in Qatar set to get underway in less than two months.
Advert
Monday's Nations League match against rivals Germany will be their last chance to rediscover their scoring touch before the World Cup begins, with England due to face Iran in their opening match on November 21 before games against the United States and Wales.
But despite the worrying dip in form, Rice remains bullish about England's chances in Qatar.
"It's not that we're not creating the chances," Rice added.
Advert
"So many times we got into the opposition penalty box. Even myself at the end there, I could be adding goals, having a shot instead of laying one off.
"But look, I see it in training, there's goals for fun. Trust me, we're going to be good."
SPORTbible Stories is the brand-new podcast from the SPORT team at LADbible. The latest episode features a chat with WWE legend Triple H who opens up on his long in-ring career, his rivalry with The Rock during WWE's Attitude Era and Logan Paul's fledgling wrestling career. You can watch the episode here.
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/C4SportTopics: Declan Rice, England, Football, UEFA Nations League, Football World Cup
