Southgate eyes golden era as Euro 2020 path gets clearer
Gareth Southgate greeted England’s relatively kind Euro 2020 qualification draw in Dublin yesterday by challenging his team to win the entire tournament.
Having won their Nations League group this autumn, England have already qualified for a Euro 2020 play-off but Southgate will be justifiably furious if that is required after they were drawn against the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Kosovo.
Ranked fifth in the world, England are 37 places higher than the Czechs, the next best team, and have never lost a game to any of the quartet.
“We’re favourites and that’s something we’ve got to start getting used to anyway,” Southgate said.
“We’re going to have high expectations over the next few years and adapting to that is probably key to our development as a team. Look, it’s up to us isn’t it?”
Having surprised most experts, and perhaps even himself, by taking England to the last four at the World Cup, the 48-year-old has since presided over a thrilling England win in Spain and revenge over Croatia, the team that ended the Three Lions’ run in Russia.
Those victories have taken England to another last-four situation - and another shot at winning only their second senior international title - at next summer’s Nations League finals in Portugal. There, they will be up against the hosts, Netherlands and Switzerland, with a draw on Monday deciding the path to glory.
But an even bigger prize could be on offer a year later, when Wembley hosts seven of Euro 2020’s 50 games, including both semi-finals and the final.
“I think it can be a really exciting 18 months,” said Southgate. “We’ve got this coming summer to look forward to and then a big chance because we host and we have to make sure we are there.
“That could be an incredibly exciting two-year period from the World Cup right through and a great opportunity for our players.”
Ireland’s hopes of progress appeared remote for a moment during yesterday’s draw when they were the third ball out of the bowl of third seeds.
For a normal tournament, that would have put them in group C, with Netherlands and Germany.
But with Euro 2020 spread between 12 cities in 11 countries, UEFA had limited each qualification group to just two ‘host nations’, meaning Ireland could not join group C, as Amsterdam, Dublin and Munich are all venues in two summers’ time.
That meant the room’s groans turned to relieved laughter when the draw computer reallocated Ireland to group D, only for Northern Ireland to take their place in group C seconds later.
Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy must face the higher-ranked sides of Switzerland and Denmark, as well as Georgia and Gibraltar.
For Scotland, the challenge is Belgium, Russia, Cyprus, Kazakhstan and San Marino, while Wales face Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.
Wales boss Ryan Giggs was pleased his side were drawn in one of the five groups of five teams but said they must “climb the mountain again” to reach only their second European Championship finals, having made the last four in 2016.
“Croatia will go into it as favourites but for the rest of us it’s going to be really competitive and, with the long trip to Azerbaijan, it’s not going to be easy, but it never is,” he said.