Gareth Southgate speaks to his England players moments before their penalty shoot-out win (Image: Getty)
England boss Gareth Southgate has declared that he is using criticism as his main fuel in his quest to guide England to victory at Euro 2024.
Southgate believes that some of the criticism he has received has become personal, but he is using it as motivation to continue proving his detractors wrong.
His England team remains on track to triumph in Europe, following a thrilling penalty shoot-out win over Switzerland in Dusseldorf. The Three Lions are now set to face Holland in a semi-final clash in Dortmund on Wednesday.
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Southgate admits that he has grown resilient to the abuse from those who still question his suitability for the role.
He stated: "Look, I can't deny that some of it is of a personal nature. This is a job where you get ridiculed, and your professional capability is questioned beyond belief. And I don't think it's normal to have beer thrown at you either.
"But, I'm fortunate that my life's taken me through a lot of resilience-building. It's made me more determined, and I'm just using it as fuel.
"I know where I want to take the team to, and, yeah, the team need to see me strong in those moments as well, otherwise that messaging that you're giving them on what they need to be, it doesn't ring true."
Since taking charge in 2016, Southgate has led England to three semi-finals in four major tournaments.
However, he remains indifferent to whether or not he receives the respect he deserves. He added: "For me that doesn't matter. The fact is we're there, and wanting to go the next step.
"It's where we wanted to be at this point. We're showing signs of improvement, in the way that we've played, and we've got to keep doing it."
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