World Cup 2018: 4 Reasons Why England Could Go All The Way

#3 Southgate has a system

Gareth Southgate seems more settled on a system than Roy Hodgson did with England

While it looked like England were mentally broken in their Euro 2016 match with Iceland, the truth about their failure at that tournament ran a little deeper. It never felt like boss Roy Hodgson was sure of what his best tactical system was, let alone the players who ought to be starting, and it meant weird experiments – Kane and Vardy as wingers, remember? – were still happening as late as their final warm-up match.

Gareth Southgate, on the other hand, seemed to settle on his system – either 3-3-2-2 or 3-5-1-1 – way back in late 2017 and since then while the personnel has changed at times, he’s pretty much stuck to his guns. In England’s two warm-up games, the players chosen were different but the system was identical and it seems like the players finally know exactly what they’re supposed to be doing – a stark contrast to the later Hodgson era.

More interestingly, Southgate has spoken about keeping a more relaxed atmosphere around England’s camp – similar to that of the Dutch side in 2014 rather than England’s usual military style – in order for the players to feel more comfortable. It all points to a boss who’s done his homework and has worked out exactly how to get the best out of his players at the tournament in order to succeed.