England expects as Gareth Southgate’s men eye World Cup glory

And he followed that impressive achievement by leading England to their first major final for 55 years at last year’s European Championship.

But while Southgate has made England a team to be feared again, he has yet to deliver the silverware his football-obsessed country has craved since Bobby Moore lifted the World Cup in 1966.

The World Cup run four years ago ended in a 2-1 defeat to Croatia after England squandered the lead, while

Italy recovered from Luke Shaw’s early goal to beat Southgate’s men on penalties in the Euro final at a shellshocked Wembley.

Not only did England lose when the stakes were highest, but in both matches they retreated into their shell with a conservative game-plan that left Southgate open to criticism.

The England boss, hailed as a fashion icon for donning a debonair waistcoat at the last World Cup, will be eager to end suspicions that he cannot handle pressure when it is at its most intense.

Unable to dispel accusations that his cautious approach prevents players from fully expressing themselves,

Southgate has conceded there are lessons to learn from England’s failures.

AFP