Gareth Southgate admits England will face the “biggest test” of its World Cup ambitions after they face holders France in a blockbuster quarterfinal on Saturday.
Southgate’s aspect recovered from a nervous begin earlier than powering to a 3-0 win towards Senegal in Sunday’s final 16 conflict on the Al Bayt Stadium.
England will return to the Al Khor desert on the weekend for a titanic showdown with a France aspect seeking to turn out to be the primary crew to win successive World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
While England appeared spectacular as soon as Jordan Henderson put them forward towards Senegal, with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka additionally netting towards the African champions, Southgate is aware of Didier Deschamps’ crew is a major step up at school.
“It is the biggest test we could face. They are world champions, with an incredible depth of talent and outstanding players. They are very hard to play against and score goals against,” Southgate mentioned.
“It is a fantastic challenge. It is a historic rivalry with great games from the past. It is a brilliant game for us to be involved in and test ourselves against the very best.”
‘Mbappe is a world class player’
Fuelled by Paris Saint Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, France beat Poland 3-1 within the final 16, simply hours earlier than England joined the Les Blues within the quarterfinals.
Mbappe struck twice towards the Poles and already has 5 objectives on this 12 months’s match.
“Mbappe is of course a world class player. He has already delivered big moments in this tournament and in previous tournaments,” Southgate mentioned.
“Griezmann is also a phenomenal player, we know Giroud so well and they have outstanding midfield players as well. It is a huge test but one we are really looking forward to.”
England captain Harry Kane agreed with Southgate’s glowing evaluation of France, saying, “Saturday will be a really tough evening. France is a great team. They are the reigning champions.
“If you want to win the World Cup you have to play the best sides in the world and France is definitely one of them,” he added.
‘Something special’
Although England has good cause to concern France, Southgate can counter by stating his crew’s good type going into the match.
England has already scored 12 objectives in 4 matches on the Qatar World Cup, the nation’s joint-most at a single main match.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham competes for the management of the ball with Senegal’s Kalidou Koulibaly within the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Sunday night time at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
The key to England’s victory towards Senegal was Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham grew to become the primary teenager to register an help in a World Cup knockout match since 1966 when he laid on Henderson’s opener.
The 19-year-old was additionally concerned in Kane’s aim and proved the catalyst for England’s finest moments because it turned the tide following Senegal’s vivid begin.
Saluting Bellingham’s growth simply two years after he was enjoying within the English second tier with Birmingham, Southgate mentioned: “I think the biggest thing is the mentality.
“We have done a lot of work with young players over the years but the thing that makes the difference, is the mindset, the drive, the desire to learn. He has all of that.
“I do not think we could predict how quickly he would mature. That is gone to another level in the last three months.
“We have wanted to invest in young players on the basis that they could be something special. You suffer a bit with that at first because they are not going to be perfect when they come in. Further down the line, you get these types of performances.”
Watching Tottenham striker Kane scored his first aim of the match was one other increase for Southgate.
“You could see the lift that gave Harry. His link play started to come together again,” he mentioned.
“For any striker when you have not scored it is in the back of your mind and when you get that goal it is a great lift of confidence. That will do him the world of good.”
