Gareth Southgate warns England: Forget Uefa Nations League Finals and focus on Euro 2020 qualifiers

Gareth Southgate has warned England not to be distracted by the upcoming Uefa Nations League finals and insisted there is “no room for error” as they begin their Euro 2020 qualification campaign.

England face the Czech Republic at Wembley tomorrow before travelling to Montenegro on Monday night as they aim to secure one of the top two positions needed to qualify from Group A, which also contains Bulgaria and Kosovo.

These two games are also the last ones before England attempt to win their first trophy in 53 years, at the Nations League final in June.

However, writing in his programme notes for tomorrow’s game, Southgate said: “The Nations League this summer is something we can look forward to but this month we really need to park it and concentrate on these two games.

“What was pleasing in the autumn was that one of the questions against us was could we win against the top teams.

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“So, to get the victory in Spain and then to win in such dramatic circumstances against Croatia, having gone behind, was a real test for the team, not just in terms of capability but also the personality and character that they’re now showing.

“These are all hurdles which we need to overcome. It’s something to really get excited about in the summer but we need to make sure that this week we’re taking a really strong step towards the next summer and there’s no room for error.”

England enjoyed a hugely encouraging 2018, reaching the World Cup semi-finals before becoming the only team from that quartet to back up their performance by qualifying from their Nations League group.

Czech Republic are ranked 44th in the world, with Montenegro two places lower. England have won only one of their two meetings with the former and failed to beat Montenegro in two qualification matches, in 2011 and 2013.

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“It’s a tough qualifying group that we’re in,” said Southgate. “In terms of the nations involved, you can look at the rankings and think that in terms of quality we should get out of it, but they’re all games which have caused us problems in the past.

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“We’ve played Montenegro twice out there in recent years and not beaten them yet, so that shows how tough these games can be. It’s about making sure our preparations are spot on. There is competition for places in the squad and the team and that’s a really important factor for us, to make sure everybody’s focus is right.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold became the latest player to pull out of the squad last night with a back problem.

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Marcus Rashford remains a doubt to face the Czech Republic after he trained away from the group at St George’s Park today, focusing instead on indoor work.

Read Southgate’s full thoughts in the match programme, which also features interviews with Callum Wilson, Patrik Berger, Tom Heaton and more. Pick up a copy for £5 at Wembley.

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