England have been planning for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final with France for two years, and have been giving consideration to tackling Kylian Mbappe by pinning him back with England’s own attacking strengths. Gareth Southgate had a 9am presentation on the world champions the morning after the late win over Senegal, with FA head of coaching Tim Dittmer detailing a number of key points like the thinking of Didier Deschamps and tactical choices depending on opponent.
The England staff have been working on that resolutely since, with assistant Steve Holland believing this is a genuine “50-50” game. Southgate’s second-in-command also described Jude Bellingham as “unique” and possessing every ingredient, with his introduction to midfield amplifying how other young attackers have gone up a level since Euro 2020.
