Of the final test
ter. Sunday is different. A sell-out crowd will hope to gain a small measure of revenge for ending their summer party, hoping to see England notch another notable victory against an elite side.
The Nations League is a curious competition but, as Southgate said, “Someone is probablysitting in Geneva patting himself on the back” given all eventualities, even relegation, are possible ahead of the final match in the group.
It is difficult to place an exact importance and meaning on the outcome, given it lies somewhere between genuine competition and friendly, but the prize of early qualification for Euro 2020 is worth fighting for. Furthermore, England winning a group containing Spain and Croatia in a new system, while introducing several new players, would represent undeniable progress from the summer.
“We were very keen that we moved on from the World Cup as quickly as possible,” Southgate said. “It has been a brilliant year, whatever happens on Sunday. We’ve had real shoots of progress and have achieved some outstanding results and really good performances, and bloodied a lot of new players that’s given us a real depth and competition for places. But I think ever ybody wa nts to go
another stage and get to a semi- final out of a group that is as tough as there is in this competition. It’s a really good game to look forward to.
“We’ve got two days to prepare — that was one of the reasons we played the team we did last night. We’ll look at Croatia’s game from last night just to see how they approached it, but we know pretty much all there is to know about them.
“Last night will have given them a huge l i f t . Th ey ’ l l e n j oy c o mi n g to Wembley. We knew the game without a crowd was as difficult for them as it was for us, but they’ll have big players relishing coming to Wembley. We have to relish it as well.”
Such occasions — perhaps most poignantly the last time Croatia came to England with a qualification spot on the line in 2007 — previously filled supporters with a degree of dread.
Yet, these days, Southgate is still keeping everybody thinking about what is possible.
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