Phil Neville hits out at claims England Women going backwards after latest USA loss

p a data-content-type=section-topic data-link-tracking=InArticle|Link href=https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/phil-nevillePhil Neville/a hit out at suggestions his England Women#x2019;s team are going backwards, following their SheBelieves Cup loss to USA on Thursday night. /p pTwo goals in three second-half minutes were the difference as the USA saw off the Lionesses in the competition#x2019;s opening game./p pBoth sides had chances to open the scoring in the first 45 minutes, with Englandapos;s Nikita Parris failing to divert a header past Alyssa Naeher and Carly Telford equal to a dipping shot from Rose Lavelle./p pBut Englandapos;s defence of the cup was dealt a blow when Christen Press found the net with a curled effort from outside the box on 53 minutes./p pCarli Lloyd, who had an early chance saved by Telford, doubled the lead two minutes later after a neat pass from Lindsey Horan split the defence, with the World Cup holders comfortably seeing out the win in Florida./p pEight months on from their defeat in the semi-finals of the Womenapos;s World Cup at Stade de Lyon to the same opposition, England were guilty of not learning from the mistakes of that night in France./p img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article21643169.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_USA-v-England-2020-SheBelieves-Cup-football-match-Exploria-Stadium-Orlando-USA-06-Mar-2020.jpg title=Christen Press of USA celebrates scoring the 1st goal data-portal-copyright=Lynne Cameron for The FA/Shutterstock img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article21643192.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_USA-v-England-2020-SheBelieves-Cup-football-match-Exploria-Stadium-Orlando-USA-06-Mar-2020.jpg title=England boss Phil Neville watches on data-portal-copyright=Lynne Cameron for The FA/Shutterstock pNeville#x2019;s side have just two wins in eight games since the World Cup/p pBut he bristled at suggestions that the gap has widened between his side and the world champions./p pquot;The semi-final was six months ago, and in terms of the gap, it hasnapos;t widened thatapos;s for sure,quot; he said./p pquot;Our team is different, thereapos;s a lot of young players in there, we are building something new./p pquot;The gap still hasnapos;t widened. When we are playing, say for instance in that first half, I still see a team that are willing to go out there and play against the best team in the world./p img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article21643174.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Soccer-She-Believes-Cup-England-at-USA.jpg title=England have won just two of eight games since the World Cup data-portal-copyright=USA TODAY Sports pquot;The biggest obstacle is always the final bit, the last one or two per cent and going above them to try and beat them.#x201D;/p pEngland must now beat both Japan and Spain in their remaining two games to ensure a place in the final, as they seek to defend their crown./p pBut Neville insists his side are not lacking confidence and will be in the mix to retain their trophy./p pquot;I donapos;t see a team that lacked confidence in terms of the way that we want to play,quot; Neville added. quot;I see a team that are trying to play the right way and it feels as if we are so close, yet so far, at this moment in time. That is how the players feel as well./p pquot;Weapos;ve got to overcome that, add that ruthlessness that we saw [from the USA], who had two chances and two goals.quot;/p pAnd he insisted he isn#x2019;t under pressure, despite a poor post-finals run./p pquot;I donapos;t feel pressure at all,quot; said Neville. quot;I think what we do want to do is we want to keep competing against the best teams in the world and keep raising our performance levels./p pquot;I think we knew when we came here that the game were going to be tough and tonight was no different, but I thought my players enjoyed it./p pquot;They look like they enjoyed the occasion. They didnapos;t look like they had any fear in them.quot;/p