In order to succeed at the World Cup, Gareth Southgate must do what previous managers haven’t done for years

England may have secured their place at the World Cup in Russia next year, but a lot of work is still to be done if they want to be successful at the tournament. The quality of performance against Slovenia understandably made fans concerned that the same old story could resurface once more in regards to England’s performances at major tournaments.

Gareth Southgate must refrain from picking players based on the club they play for or their popularity among the fans. It has been an issue for several different managers in recent history. The obsession of trying to fit Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in the same midfield is a prime example of the refusal of previous managers to experiment. The determination to try to make this work instead of using other players, for example, Paul Scholes, was a contributor as to why England repeatedly failed to realise their potential at major tournaments. Roy Hodgson, Southgate’s predecessor, was another manager who was widely criticised for his selection choices which contributed to his sides only winning one out of seven games across two major tournaments.

England do have the quality to reach the later stages of the World Cup next year, but there’s a lot of work to be done to avoid yet another disappointing tournament. The selection of Joe Hart is a prime example of a player who appears to be selected based on his name rather than performances. Fraser Forster has conceded fewer goals, made substantially more saves and lost fewer games, yet still can’t manage to find his way into the side.

The refusal to select Scott Sinclair also baffles me. With 10 goals already this season for Celtic, I would say that he should definitely be in the conversation, especially when Daniel Sturridge was included in the squad, despite only scoring once in five appearances for Liverpool in the league this season.

All in all, the qualification campaign has been successful, but a lot of work has to be done between now and the beginning of the World Cup in June next year if England are to be successful in Russia.