Keep faith and beat big nations – how Southgate can help England take next step

Gareth Southgate can turn his attention to Euro 2024 after deciding to stay on as England manager.

England begin their qualification campaign in March with a repeat of last year’s European Championship final against Italy and also face Ukraine, Malta and North Macedonia.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how Southgate can turn England into champions.

Keep the faith

Not all quarter-final exits are equal. Yes there was a familiarity about England’s loss to France in the last eight in Qatar but Southgate’s young side looked genuine World Cup contenders and there could have been no complaints had the result gone the other way. In particular, the 4-3-3 formation allowed England’s exciting forward players to flourish without proving too costly defensively.

Start better

Cultivate Bellingham

While many England players impressed in Qatar, the stand-out was clearly teenager Jude Bellingham. His energy and dynamism in midfield is a huge asset on the international stage and his maturity for a 19-year-old is remarkable. Southgate is blessed with many options in midfield and attack but Bellingham is a player to build a side around.

In-game tactics

Defensive strength

Big match mentality