After the young lions crashed out of the tournament in the semi-finals, many fans reminded themselves that it was only the start for the side.
Southgate gathered his players for the first time after the World Cup and told them: “We either rest on our laurels – or we move on.”
The message was rammed home hard.
And this squad of young players have picked it up. Sunday’s superb 2-1 win over Croatia at Wembley propelled England into the semi-finals of the Nations League from the top of Group A4.
It was England’s positivity and refusal to be beaten that impressed, as they came from a goal down to clinch victory through Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane.
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And Eric Dier explained that Southgate’s message was taken on board by the team as they prepared for their semi-final rematch.
“After the World Cup the next camp was quite quick and the manager made it clear we could go in two different directions,” he said.
“We could settle for what we had done at the World Cup, or continue to build something special.
“We have taken that route, and hopefully we can continue to do that and everyone is on board.
“We want to continue to get better and we believe we can. “We are really happy right now. To come back was really good against a fantastic side.”
Dier also insisted that the team was keen on ensuring that they didn’t lose their momentum from the summer.
“Football moves so quickly and you have to prove yourself every day – it is a crazy business and there is no time to relax,” he said.
“The summer was a perfect example. You can’t rest otherwise someone will take your place.
”The character to come back after falling behind – when previous England sides have wilted under such circumstances – shows something has grown in this squad, said Tottenham’s Dier.
“The top teams don’t panic in these situations – they stick to their plan and the culture in the team. We did that.”
England now face a long wait until the next international break.
The next game for England will be in March.