SOUTHGATE AN AZZURRI FAN

GARETH SOUTHGATE still admires Italy as one of the best teams in the world – despite their failure to qualify for Russia.

The England boss pointed to the country’s tradition of defensive excellence as a reason he wanted them as opponents at Wembley.

Southgate, who earned 57 caps as a centre-back, said: “Italian football, I’ve always been a huge admirer. The detail with which they play. As a defender, of course, they are the best.

“The tactical organisation, the detail of marking.

“The art of defending, because it is an art, in my opinion, is often neglected by people and undervalued. But when you see the likes of not only this team, but the teams I played against, Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro, Paolo Maldini (above), the best, the absolute best.

“We know to score goals against an Italian team is the toughest possible test. And we know they’ll be really well organised and press us well. So it’s a really good test for us to see how far we’ve come.”