Southgate: Italy’s failure is a warning to England

NAPLES, Italy – Gareth Southgate stated England ought to use the truth that Italy did not qualify for final 12 months’s World Cup as a warning to not take their place at Euro 2024 as a right.

The Azzurri gained Euro 2020, beating Southgate’s crew on penalties within the closing, however missed final November’s World Cup in Qatar after shedding to North Macedonia in a playoff.

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Euro 2024 qualifying Group C pits England towards Italy, North Macedonia and Malta, starting with Thursday’s journey to Naples, the place the Three Lions will attempt to win for the primary time since 1961.

England overcame their Euro 2020 disappointment with a convincing 4-0 win over Hungary subsequent time round and Southgate is aiming for the same response of their bid to consign France’s World Cup quarter-final knockout to historical past. from December.

“Definitely (Italy’s latest historical past is a cautionary story), Southgate stated. “I feel what we did very effectively after Euro was that our first sport was in Hungary and we put in considered one of our greatest performances, I feel.

“Our mentality from the beginning was very, excellent. I don’t anticipate that mentality to be an issue, however it’s a reminder that these early qualifying phases are essential.”

“I bear in mind we scored a late purpose towards Poland at Wembley with out followers and folks would have taken that win as a right, nevertheless it was a vital second in qualifying. We had a number of of these in our earlier qualifying campaigns.

“Whereas a few of these teams appeared snug on the finish, there have been many nights the place that wasn’t the case.”

Southgate challenged his gamers to interrupt new floor whereas acknowledging the necessity to begin anew at first of one other match cycle.

“They know the extent it takes, they know they’ve the flexibility to compete at that stage,” stated Southgate, who may earn his fiftieth win as England supervisor in his 82nd cap.

“So the truth that no matter we’ve achieved previously is irrelevant tomorrow night time as a result of now we have to start out over. We now have to work exhausting to qualify once more and it’s an important prop for us to get that going.”

“Merely put, it’s the sort of problem now we have to tackle and the sort of sport now we have to start out successful.

“We’ve (achieved that) for a interval, however now we have to continually attempt to do it. That being stated, we haven’t gained right here since 1961, so it’s additionally one other a part of historical past that we’re attempting to interrupt.”

“That’s an enormous problem for this crew as a result of they’ve damaged down a number of these boundaries previously.”