England suffered a second consecutive loss in a European Championship final with their 2-1 defeat against Spain in Berlin. Gareth Southgate parted ways with the Three Lions after an eight-year tenure in charge– unable to bring football back to its spiritual home despite possessing a side that were regularly pre-tournament favourites when looking at football bet UK odds.
The run to the final perhaps papered over some of the cracks that have long needed exposing within the Three Lions camp.
Admittedly, Southgate worked wonders in shifting the football culture in England. Training camps felt more communal and that was reflected in the relationships between players on and off the pitch. However, you never really felt that the Three Lions had the winning mentality to get over the line in Germany.
Conversely, Spain’s side under Luis de la Fuente, a manager who had far less time to assemble his side than Southgate, never panicked when things went against them, and ultimately proved to be worthy winners over the tournament.
Attention now turns to the 2026 World Cup, split between Canada, Mexico, and USA. The final in New Jersey is some way away but the pressure will already be on this group of players to deliver, following what was a lacklustre performance at the Euros.
In this article, we assess what England will need to do in order to succeed at the next World Cup. From key appointments to winning mentalities, something will need to change to get over the line in the United States.
Hire the right manager
Finding the next manager is not a job to be taken lightly. Southgate was a popular figure amongst both fans and players, and his replacement knows he will only have a handful of games in preparation for the World Cup.
Some of the candidates include Graham Potter, Eddie Howe, and currently under 23s manager, Lee Carsley.
Alternatively, the FA could go with an appointment left of field. The likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel are out of work at the time of writing, and while Jurgen Klopp has announced his retirement from management after leaving Liverpool, there is an outside chance the German could be convinced to reunite with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez internationally.
Find a system that works
England will need to head to the United States knowing their best tactics and starting lineup. Even though they qualified from their Euro 2024 group unbeaten, the performances were flat and this resulted in several changes that involved new faces coming into the starting line-up midway through the tournament.
At the 2022 World Cup, Argentina fielded virtually the same group of players for every game under Lionel Scaloni as they lifted the trophy in Qatar.
In between winning two Copa America titles, Argentina will arrive as one of the favourites, with or without what would be a 39-year-old Lionel Messi. On top of this, the likes of Brazil and France will have recovered from poor summers this year and look to compete for the title.
The Harry Kane conundrum
The biggest challenge England will need to tackle is how they utilise captain Harry Kane. The Bayern Munich striker scored 44 goals last season as he traded Tottenham Hotspur for the Bundesliga, but he looked a shell of his former self at the Euros, being hooked after an hour in the final following an ordinary performance that lacked dynamism.
Kane is a great leader, and with 66 international goals he is England’s top scorer, but the new system needs to either be built around him or reduce his role in the side. He’ll be turning 33 during the next World Cup and while he has never been blessed with blistering pace, his mobility issues could slow down the likes of Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, who look frightening on the counter-attack.
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Only time will tell how the next World Cup will go for England. While it’s impossible to predict with certainty, England has several factors to consider ahead of the US, such as a strong talent pool, valuable tournament experience, and the influence of a new manager. However, the competition will be tough, and we will have to wait until the action commences to see what the Three Lions are made of.