Gareth Southgate reveals England’s camp are focusing on the ‘small details’ in a bid to transform Three Lions ‘from a team that is really competitive to a team that can WIN’ it all at the World Cup in Qatar this year
- England were beaten at Wembley in the final of Euro 2020 by Italy last summer
- Gareth Southgate is looking to finesse ‘small details’ to take England to a title
- Heading into the World Cup in Qatar this year, Southgate is focused on mindset
- He wants England to go ‘from a team that is competitive to a team that can win’
Gareth Southgate has challenged his England players to master the ‘small details’ to go from ‘a team that is really competitive to a team that can win’ at the World Cup in Qatar this year.
England agonisingly lost out in the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties and Southgate is now determined to make up for that disappointment by going for glory in Qatar.
The Three Lions came within penalties of ending a 56-year wait for a trophy and as the camp come back together in March, Southgate is working on fine-tuning his young group’s mentality.
England are looking at the fine margins and ‘small details’ to end aa 56-year trophy drought
Manager Gareth Southgate wants his side to take the next step ahead of the Qatar World Cup
‘We’re focusing on the small details that can take us from a team that are really competitive to a team that can win,’ Southgate told Sky.
‘We know we’ve still got a step to take to beat the best of the rest consistently.
‘You’re balancing that with (the fact that) we’re still 10 months away (from Qatar) and form and fitness can fluctuate a lot over that period.
‘There are things we want to get right in March and in the summer which are important building blocks and we need to pace ourselves over the year to peak at the end of the season.’
England reached the final of Euro 2020 as they faced Italy at Wembley in a bid for glory
England lost out at Wembley but Southgate is convinced that his young players will be better for the experience when it comes to their next big game.
Experience individually and collectively at club level is also on Southgate’s mind with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden figureheads at their clubs.
He added: ‘(Big matches) are about performing under the most extreme pressure and intensity and you learn more about the players in cup semi-finals and final matches with their club. Have people got the resilience to stand up in an England shirt and thrive on those big nights?’
England sealed their place at Qatar back in November with a thumping 10-0 win over San Marino.
The World Cup will take place in winter months, rather than summer, due to the heat in Qatar, another element Southgate is having to factor in preparation as he aims to get his side peaking at the optimum time.
It was an agonising defeat on penalties but Southgate feels his young players will learn from it
The tournament will include 32 teams separated in eight groups of four.
It kicks off on November 21 at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor with a match that will feature the host country, Qatar and the final will be played at the Lusail Stadium in Doha on December 18, which England will be determined to be part of.
It has been announced that Southgate is to be inducted into the Legends of Football half fame later this year as recognition for his England manager.
Legends of Football will honour Gareth Southgate at a star-studded event on October 3 at JW Marriott, Grosvenor House, London. Visit www.lofootball.co.uk to book your table.
