Gareth Southgate

In his first three fixtures as England manager, Gareth Southgate had led his team to two victories and a draw, all in their attempts to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It was in his fourth when he faced his greatest test to that point, when in November 2016 Spain visited Wembley.

Southgate’s energetic team made a promising start when Jamie Vardy was brought down in the penalty area by Pepe Reina, once of Liverpool, and Adam Lallana scored from the penalty spot. Early in the second half Vardy headed in from Jordan Henderson’s cross, giving them a convincing lead.

It was after their substitute Theo Walcott missed the chance to extend that lead that England were punished. Iago Aspas produced a curling finish in the 89^th minute, and then in the sixth minute of added time, Real Madrid’s Isco scored the visitors’ equalising goal. If England had impressed, Southgate also learned valuable lessons that contributed to their relative success at the 2018 World Cup. Speaking exclusively to The Coaches’ Voice, he revisits their approach.