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How Gareth Southgate plans to close England's gap on world's football elite

How Gareth Southgate plans to close England's gap on world's football elite

Gareth Southgate's first four games in charge were an exercise in short-term pragmatism to steer England out of a turbulent period. Tonight marks the start of his attempt to deliver a long-term vision leading to tournament success.

Rarely has an England manager begun a permanent residency amid such modest expectations. The last calendar year was one to forget for England, suffering the indignity of exiting Euro 2016 to Iceland before the ignominy of having to sack Sam Allardyce after his 64-day reign was consumed by controversy.

Southgate showed sufficient poise and purpose in the wake of Allardyce’s departure to convince the FA to turn those four matches into a four-year contract; his three-hour interview for the job contained a detailed analysis of past shortcomings and future ambitions.

The squad were treated to a private presentation of Southgate’s thinking at St George’s Park on Monday and this evening, here at Signal Iduna Park, the rest of us will catch our first glimpse of what the new era will look like.

“This is different in that I’m looking at a bigger picture rather than needing to get results in an immediacy,” he said.

“Now is an opportunity across the week, tonight of course, but the rest of this week, the rest of the qualifying campaign and building to Russia so we are making points with the players, things that are way beyond tonight, which I think is a much better outlook for us to have. We want to come out of tonight having learned something.”

KEY BATTLE

Gary Cahill vs Lukas Podolski

Cahill is suspended for Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Lithuania meaning he is likely to be tasked with marshalling Lukas Podolski on his 130th and final appearance for Germany. Podolski will start as captain for the first time in recognition of a 13-year international career which sees him enter the record books as Germany's third most-capped player and fourth in the country's scorers' list. The 31-year-old's left foot remains a deadly weapon and whether playing centrally or from the left wing, Cahill will be charged with organising a defence which must remain on its guard throughout.

Germany is a poignant place to start, not least because this evening’s opponents have been through their own much-publicised period of introspection and restructuring.

A series of measures were introduced around the turn of the Millennium — gathering pace after Germany’s group stage exit at Euro 2000 — which instigated a revolution and ultimately delivered success at the 2014 World Cup.

England made a concerted effort to drive down the average age of their squad during the Hodgson era and perhaps the occasion which engendered the greatest optimism came almost exactly 12 months ago against tonight’s opponents.

A youthful side recovered from 2-0 down to win 3-2 with three goals in the final half-hour in a performance which breathed fresh optimism and momentum into the team. It proved another false dawn.

Southgate is keen to ensure lasting progress by sourcing inspiration from his contemporaries. A visit to England’s rugby set-up under head coach Eddie Jones centred on sharing coaching techniques while he once again underlined the importance of learning from other nations by shedding the “island” mentality.

The task is clearly a daunting one, complicated by the weight of history, and Hodgson always sought to manage expectations. But, if anything, Southgate is even more understated so it felt especially significant that the 46-year-old opted against conservatism by setting the bar so high. “Becoming the best in the world has to be the ultimate aim because then that drives your behaviour,” he said.

“Whatever you’re doing, whether you’re analysing the opposition, whether it’s nutrition, recovery — which are key things in an international environment — it has to be the best possible and that applies to all the staff.

“If we are going to have a world-class team we are going to need a world-class support system. It means we have to challenge each other to deliver the very best. I think that is crucial because that is the mindset we need to win.

“It will be a lot of hard work and it might need challenging conversations and difficult decisions on my part but that is what we are in elite sport for.”

Southgate was guarded regarding his team selection and shape, giving little away beyond confirming Gary Cahill would captain the side and hinting at involvement for Ross Barkley and Marcus Rashford.

Despite the history of this fixture — something Southgate knows only too well having created an unwelcome entry by missing the penalty that knocked England out of Euro 96 — Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania remains the priority and so an element of experimentation is likely.

Southgate stopped short of confirming rumours England could adopt a three-at-the-back system, akin to the formation which is en vogue in the Premier League this season, but pinpointed the need for his players to show greater versatility, something Hodgson regularly highlighted.

“We’ve got to be open-minded to anything,” Southgate told Standard Sport.

“The best teams I played in with England had tactical flexibility, so I think the game is more and more [about] pressing in different ways, playing out from the back in different ways, more one-v-one defending.

“Teams are brave in the way they defend to get on the front foot. There is a lot of decision-making for players and one of the key things for us is to have players who are going to make decisions — and good decisions under pressure.”

Southgate’s mission to succeed where others have failed truly begins now.