Gareth Southgate says England team can be a source of Christmas joy at the World Cup

Gareth Southgate has said his team can be a source of Christmas cheer for the nation as they prepare England for their World Cup round of 16 clash with Senegal in Doha on Sunday.

The England manager wants his players to take the country on another ‘incredible journey’, as happened with the mass summer gatherings during the World Cup in 2018 and the sense of liberation people felt at Euro 2020, in the wake of the covid pandemic.

With a winter of discontent fast approaching, including strikes, inflation, worries about the war in Ukraine and rising energy costs, Southgate said a World Cup race could lift the nation in the run-up to Christmas.

Gareth Southgate (left) believes his England team can deliver Christmas cheer at the World Cup

Southgate wants his players to take the country on another ‘incredible journey’ as they approach their first World Cup knockout game against Senegal on Sunday.

“Part of the reason for doing the job is to bring happiness to others, frankly,” Southgate said. ‘Of course, we have our own pride and we want to succeed professionally. But we’ve taken the country on two incredible journeys and you can feel the potential exists for another one and we want that to happen.

“We recognize the home situation for everyone and want to bring smiles to people’s faces as they move toward the end of this weekend.”

Southgate faces a major selection dilemma, with doubts over Raheem Sterling’s place in the starting XI following the win over Wales, with Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford expected to start England unchanged.

Southgate has some big calls to make, including whether Raheem Sterling starts

Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden are expected to start after impressing against Wales.

Sterling was rested for Monday night’s win, but Rashford’s brace and Foden’s goal leave them in a strong position. Cutting Sterling out would be a great decision, but cutting Rashford or Foden would be tough as well.

Despite all that, Southgate seemed relaxed as he prepared for what could be a career-defining game.

He said: “I think 2018 was a big step into the unknown and we really weren’t sure how far the team could go.” There was no evidence that the team could handle a knockout game. We were aware of how much pressure we were putting on them and what was a realistic internal goal.

Now, of course, they have more experience in knockouts, so when we qualified we enjoyed the result, but there was less celebration on the pitch.

Southgate seemed relaxed in his press conference ahead of what could be a career-defining game.

‘The mentality is to be here longer. The intention is different and has changed. What we feel equates to success has changed.’

England were booed at the Al Bayt Stadium, where they will play on Sunday after a 0-0 draw with the United States. However, they finished the group stage with the best record of the tournament.

“You have to keep your cool at those times – getting out of the group is a three game process and let’s see where we are at the end,” Southgate said.

‘There will always be an emotional reaction at tournaments, every country experiences that. We also take cues from what is happening with other countries. We need balance and comparison in order to learn.’