Gareth Southgate warned his gamers to not take European Championship qualification without any consideration on the eve of England’s opener in opposition to reigning champions Italy.
England return to motion on the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Thursday, 103 days on from their disappointing loss to eventual runners-up France within the World Cup quarter-finals.
Southgate thought-about his future after that disappointment however pledged to educate via to subsequent summer season’s Euros, with England kicking off qualification for the match in Germany at Euro 2020 remaining foes Italy.
The supervisor is in search of his fiftieth win in cost and held a gathering earlier than the journey to Naples the place he informed his gamers to reset and refocus on qualification.
“They’ve been concerned in among the largest matches in world soccer they usually know the extent that’s required, they know they’ve the power to compete at that stage,” Southgate mentioned.
“Then the truth that no matter we’ve carried out up to now is irrelevant tomorrow evening as a result of we now have to start out once more.
“We’ve to have the humility to work arduous to qualify once more and it’s an awesome fixture for us to get that underneath means.”
Put to Southgate that European champions Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup may act as a warning that qualification can’t be taken without any consideration, he mentioned: “Indubitably.
“I feel what we did rather well after the Euros was our first sport away in Hungary – we gave one in all our greatest performances, I feel. Our mentality from the beginning was actually, actually good.
“I don’t count on that mentality to be an issue nevertheless it’s a reminder that these early phases of qualifying are essential.
“I can keep in mind us scoring a late purpose in opposition to Poland at Wembley with no followers and other people would have taken that victory without any consideration nevertheless it was such an vital second in qualifying.
“We had a number of of these in our earlier qualification campaigns.
“So, though a few of these teams regarded comfy in the long run, there have been loads of nights the place that wasn’t the case.”
England kick off Group C with arguably their two hardest fixtures, with Thursday’s journey to Italy adopted by a Wembley conflict in opposition to Euro 2020 quarter-final opponents Ukraine on Sunday.
Profitable each matches would see them take a large stride in the direction of subsequent summer season’s finals in Germany, with Southgate difficult his group to safe England’s first win away to Italy since 1961.
“In a nutshell it’s the type of problem that we’ve received to tackle and the kind of sport we now have received to start out successful,” he mentioned. “We’ve over a interval however we’ve received to now constantly strive to do this.
“That mentioned, we haven’t received right here since 1961 so it’s additionally one other little bit of historical past that we are attempting to interrupt down.
“That could be a nice problem for this staff as a result of they’ve knocked down so a lot of these limitations up to now.
“I do know Italy didn’t qualify for the World Cup, however they nonetheless have some excellent gamers and they’re going to have excessive motivation as effectively, so it’s going to be a superb sport.”
Captain Harry Kane may make historical past in his first worldwide match since his penalty miss in opposition to France.
The Tottenham striker joined Wayne Rooney as the one man to attain 53 objectives for the nationwide staff by scoring his first spot-kick, however his miss later that evening noticed him cross up the prospect to interrupt the report as England bowed out.
“We’ve seen that mentally in his performances and his goalscoring together with his membership; he has put it behind him,” Southgate mentioned of Kane.
“However I do know he’s going to have added motivation tomorrow evening to return again and present all people what he’s about once more in an England shirt, so, for us, that’s a great place.
“In fact it’s all the time troublesome to check throughout ages. There are rather a lot that I didn’t see as a result of I wasn’t alive however due to the goalscoring report alone, that places him within the higher echelons of that group (of nice England gamers).
“He offers a lot extra for the staff than simply that – his high quality of passing, his imaginative and prescient, his contact.
“He’s an impressive participant and we’re very, very lucky to have him.”
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