Gareth Southgate knows England need to handle heightened expectations in Qatar but says there is more belief and confidence in the squad than during the run to the World Cup semi-finals four years ago. Having taken over a side wounded by the humiliating Euro 2016 exit to Iceland, few could have foreseen the peaks the national team would scale during the 52-year-old’s reign.
England were a penalty shoot-out away from winning the European Championship against Italy last summer, having gone on an unforgettable run on the world stage in Russia in 2018. Southgate’s side ended up losing their semi-final to Croatia in extra-time – experience that stands them in good stead as they prepare for their first World Cup knockout match since then against Senegal on Sunday.
“Definitely compared to Russia, I think there’s a different mentality about the whole group,” the England boss said in the bowels of Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium following victory over Wales. “There’s more belief. Our objectives are different. In Russia, we were just thinking about, ‘Could we win a knockout game?’ There’s more expectation now, but more confidence and more experience of big matches.
