England bid may be hit by Champions League final

Gareth Southgate could face significant disruption to his bid to win the inaugural Uefa Nations League if a Premier League club make it to the final of the Champions League. England qualified for the four-team finals, which take place in Portugal from June 5-9, by beating Croatia to finish top of their group.

The semi-finals, on June 5, kick off just four days after the Champions League final, which could give Southgate, the England manager, a

headache over the fitness and preparation of some of his players.

Manchester City had four players – John Stones, Kyle Walker, Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling – in England’s squad for the Croatia game, while Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were also well represented.

Southgate and the Football Association are unlikely to start serious planning for the finals until after the draw has been made on Dec 3. After that, decisions will be made on where England stay – with the finals expected to take place in Porto and Guimaraes – and how long Southgate will want his available players beforehand. There will not be any warm-up friendlies scheduled around the event.

Southgate could face a dilemma over whether to ask a Champions League finalist to play three big games, one for his club and two for England, in the space of nine days at the end of a busy season.

The scheduling of the Nations League finals will further anger club managers, particularly given the fact that Uefa is also in charge of the Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, has already made it clear

he is not a fan of the Nations League, describing it as “the most senseless competition in the world”, while Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has described the fixture list as “dangerous” for players who represent their country.

For the time being, England’s players are relishing the possibility of winning a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, with Eric Dier saying the squad are on the verge of something “special” following their achievement in reaching the World Cup semi-finals.

“The manager made it clear we could go in two different directions

[after the World Cup],” said Dier. “We could settle for what we had done at the World Cup or continue to build something special – we have taken that route. I think [the Croatia game on Sunday] was the best atmosphere I have had playing for the national team at Wembley.

“The Nations League is proving to be something positive. It’s much better than friendlies. Now we have a chance to play a semi-final and have played against incredible opponents in more competitive environments.”

For Dier, the Nations League finals are a chance to return “home”,

having lived in Portugal from the age of seven. “It will be the first time I go back and play there since I left – it will be very special,” said Dier, who joined Tottenham in 2014, when he was 20. “It’s my home, so I am happy to go back.

Joe Gomez, whose long throw-in helped to create England’s equaliser, believes the goal underlined the attention to detail of Southgate and also Klopp, who has appointed a throw-in coach at Anfield.

“Some people might bat an eyelid at certain things and think that is pointless, but small details are massive,” he said.