Jack Butland has insisted that England can be "proud" of their defensive record in World Cup qualifying, but admits that far more is required in an attacking sense.
The Three Lions saw off Lithuania 1-0 in Vilnius on Sunday evening to sign off with an unbeaten record on the road to Russia, dropping just four points in total.
Performances have not matched results, though, with England again failing to click in their latest outing as they mustered just four shots on target against a team ranked 120th in the world.
Boss Gareth Southgate confessed at full time that he felt "flat" after the victory, and Butland - who replaced Joe Hart in goal - knows that more is required next summer if his side are to be considered serious contenders.
"We wanted to score more goals and sign off with a really good win but we finished off with another three points, which is 26 points in the group," he told Sky Sports News. "We have one of the best defensive records in qualifying and that's something we are proud of. Obviously we would have wanted the performance to be better, but on a pitch like that you are limited in the way you can play.
"We were pleased with the win but know we can do better. There is such big expectation on us as a nation because we want to succeed and we see the talent we have week in and week out in the Premier League, so the excitement is there for a reason. We know what we are capable of so we understand it ourselves, we know how we can play and we know the talent we have, what we are capable of, and it's about showing it.
"We have gone unbeaten in another qualifying campaign with one of the best defensive records and that's with people coming in and out of the team with different formations, going to tough places and playing on tough pitches."
England, now unbeaten in four qualifying campaigns, are the third-lowest goalscorers from the European sides that have qualified for the World Cup.
Daniel Lewis
