Gareth Southgate has warned his England team they will have to be “close to perfect” to lift the World Cup in Qatar as they await this afternoon’s draw.
The Three Lions have excelled at major tournaments under Southgate, reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia before being beaten in the final of Euro 2020 last summer.
With a young squad still seemingly in the ascendancy, England head to Qatar among the favourites as they seek a first major trophy since 1966.
“We have said to the team this week, ‘if we can get to a semi-final, we can get to a final, and we did. If we can get to a final, we can win’. That’s clear.
“To do that is incredibly difficult and we’ll have to be as close to perfect as can be.
“That’s the challenge for us, not just when we get to Qatar, because we’ve got to be in the right condition, even before that. That’s what we’ve got to work towards every day we’re together.
“We know we’ve had consistent performances over a three, four-year period and we are one of the teams - I think there are a few - that could win this tournament.”
England are in pot one alongside the other highest-ranked six nations in the draw plus hosts Qatar.
Dangers lurking in pot two include Holland, Germany and Croatia, while a meet-up with Scotland or Wales is not out of the question, with those two nations grouped with Ukraine as one placeholder in pot four.
Asked how other teams might feel about facing England, Southgate said: “We’ve definitely got respectability and I think we will be a team other teams wouldn’t look forward to playing.
“But that’s a double-edged sword though because some teams are going to prepare differently for you.
“You’re there to be shot at and they are going to have a specific way of playing to try and stop you, but some will be a little bit fearful of you and might allow you more of the game, so from our point of view, what really matters is how it makes us feel about ourselves.”
Additional reporting by PA.
