5 things England need to improve ahead of the World Cup

Don’t be afraid to throw the kids in – particularly if they’re good enough. They will not fear it.

Use the Spurs model

Pound-for-pound, Tottenham Hotspur have been the success story of the last few seasons.

Mauricio Pochettino has developed a fantastic team with an English spine, playing superb football.

Use as many of the Spurs players in the positions they’re accustomed to on their club sides.

Build the side around Winks, Alli, and Kane – it’s a recipe for success.

Don’t be afraid to be aggressive

Teams tend to play in their manager’s mould or personality – which will be a problem for England, unfortunately.

Gareth Southgate is a calm, steady kind of character. He gets the job done, no-nonsense. That might not suit this group of players.

They need to be playing football on the front-foot. Play good, technical football, but get stuck into the opposition.

To go back to the Spurs template, they are your arch-typical English team – a high-press, aggressive, and attacking.

Southgate needs to be bold and go for it.

Pick a goalkeeper and stick with him

England have had a bit of an issue at goalkeeper for a couple of seasons now.

Joe Hart seemingly remains the first choice for Southgate but his form is worrying. And his ability has been called into question a number of times.

There’s a plethora of English goalkeeping talent right now. They must go with the form keeper and stick with him.

Whether that’s Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, or Tom Heaton – it’s becoming clear, it’s not Joe Hart anymore.

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