World Cup 2018: 5 factors England need to get right to have a successful

#3 Better game management

England showed poor game management against Russia in Euro 2016 by not pushing for a second goal after Eric Dier's opener

In past tournaments, England have often struggled when it comes to game management – when to shut up shop, when to push for another goal, or when to change things up when things aren’t going to plan.

Their opening match at Euro 2016 saw them take the lead against Russia after dominating the game, but rather than push the ragged Russians to get a killer second goal, Roy Hodgson’s men sat back and tried to see the match out – and ended up conceding a late equaliser, killing any momentum they had.

It’s important that in this tournament, England learn to use better game management than this if they want to succeed. It’s something the Three Lions have struggled with going back to the Sven-Goran Eriksson era in the early 2000’s, but can Gareth Southgate be the man to change that?

Quite possibly. After all, while he’s a relatively inexperienced manager at the elite level, as a player he featured in one of England’s most successful tournaments since 1966 – the Euro 96 campaign.

In that tournament, Terry Venables’ side knew exactly when to kill a game off – witness the 4-1 mauling of the Netherlands – and also when to shut up shop, like in their 0-0 draw with Spain which they eventually won in a penalty shoot-out.

Hopefully, Southgate has learned from his experiences on that side and can help England to avoid a repeat of the debacles of recent years when it comes to game management.