England lost in the third-place play-off to Belgium
Sunday 15 July 2018 23:10, UK
John Stones believes England have set a standard for future World Cups, but says they must aim to build on their achievement.
The Manchester City centre-half featured in all seven of England's matches in Russia as they finished fourth overall - their best performance since World Cup 1990.
Despite overachieving this summer, Stones has challenged the squad to reflect on their performances as they look to improve for future tournaments.
"It's been a great benchmark for what you do as England. We've set a standard. But we don't just want to maintain that, we want to improve on it," said Stones.
"That's the aim now. We'll go away and reflect a lot. I will watch all the games back in my own time, what we did at both ends of the pitch.
"I think it is always good to self-analyse, be self-critical. That is how I've got through so far and improved. You've got to be harsh on yourself because it is the only way you are going to get better by studying those situations where you may have fallen short."
He added: "For me to play seven games and reach the semi-final is a great record which I'm proud of.
"I wanted to play in every game because it was a difficult tournament in France two years ago. I know how it felt not to play a game. It's a very different scenario.
"I feel I've improved as a person and a footballer over the last few weeks on the biggest stage in the world. I've tried to give my best and give everything to the team. I've enjoyed my football, I've enjoyed the challenges of playing in the biggest games.
"I felt like I've expressed myself, tried to bring everything to the table. I can honestly say I gave it my all, I've left nothing out on the pitch."
