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SAMARA, Russia (Reuters) – Sweden was released for their collective spirit heading into their World Cup quarter-final on Saturday, but after a tough 2-0 win it was England manager Gareth Southgate purring over the togetherness of his young men
Entering the tournament with the second world cup of the World Cup, England The World Cup semi-final.
attitude, implemented by their 47-year-old coach.
"That collective (spirit) is why we are here," Southgate told reporters.
"To get through the two games this week we needed all of that. We are not new to the world of play, but we have young players who are prepared to be brave on the ball and have shown a real mental resilience
" collective is so strong. We played an opponent who had a clear identity and their collectiveness. "
Before Saturday's win, achieved by the goals of Harry Maguire and Dele Alli, England had just beaten Sweden twice in their last 15 meetings.
Many words are being rewritten in Southgate's first major role since being appointed coach of the senior in September 2016 after several years of coaching England's youth ranks.
"I think we have worked hard at establishing a clear identity," he said.
"We have an outstanding mentality in these players, a humility and recognition of where they were 18 months ago and the work needed to get to here.
"It's not about me it is here
Despite reaching the semi-finals, Southgate was keen to stress that his players were still developing.
"We are in the World Cup semi-finals. Whether we are in the world, we still need to prove that," he said.
"We are playing a role in the world of the world"
"We have played some players who are very much in their careers but we believe in them
" In years to come they will be better, but today was an opportunity we did not want to miss out on. "
(Reporting by Jack Tarrant; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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