5 things Gareth Southgate must do to take England to the next level

#3 Promoting systems over personnel

Big name players should not persuade him

In Gareth Southgate's England Under-21 squad, injuries seemed to force changes of personnel on the team, and this ultimately came at a cost.

However, he has already made one significant change by dropping Adam Lallana for the upcoming game, breaking the English tradition of selecting a proven player even if he is half fit.

As his options for different positions are expected to grow, this will increase the strength in depth of the squad. Alexander-Arnold is as convincing an option as Walker, and Joe Gomez is as commanding as Harry Maguire.

About the author

A sports enthusiast and an avid follower of football.

Since childhood I was encouraged to play cricket and in no time it became a hobby. Gradually I found interest in other sports also.

Football is in my blood and I love the electrifying ambiance that surrounds it. I often watch the pre and post match analysis of a match and try to learn how to analyze a football game.

The thing that intrigues me the most is that there are so many things happening behind the scenes that are oblivious to our naked eyes. The technological advancements that has been made are phenomenal.

I like analyzing a game from a statistical point of view. Being a data guy myself , I am firm believer of providing insights through facts and data. Though a game is always unpredictable , analyzing it from different dimensions can provide some very interesting conclusions.

Know More

Edited by Anthony Akatugba Jr.