England manager Gareth Southgate has indicated that he will stick with his attacking style of play for the World Cup quarter-final against France tomorrow (Saturday) evening. The Three Lions have scored 12 goals in their four games of the tournament and have had eight different scorers.
Much has been made of Southgate's tactical decision throughout the tournament, with the England boss opting for a back four over a back three to allow another body in the middle of the park. So far, it has worked a treat as the current crop of players have avoided defeat and put in a number of positive displays.
Next up for England is world champions France for a place in the semi-final against either Portugal or Morocco. Kylian Mbappe and his teammates have won three of their four games of the tournament and will provide a difficult test for England tomorrow.
READ MORE: Arsenal star Ben White allegedly left England's World Cup camp after 'bust-up' in front of squad
However, Southgate has urged his players not to "just cover up on the ropes" and instead wants them to attack Les Blues from the off. “Yeah without a doubt. There is no point going into a game like this and just covering up and sitting on the ropes," he told ITV. "We believe we can cause problems with the ball and we intend to do that.
“We’ve beaten some big teams. We know we have the experience of high pressure nights behind us and as a team we’ve been resilient through a lot of situations but they all prepare you for nights like this.
“We got to the first final for 55 years, this is a quarter-final. We've won a semi-final and been to a semi-final of the World Cup before. But, of course, it is a big game against a high quality opponent. Everything that has happened in the past is history, it all comes down to Saturday night."
Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling returned to England's training camp in Doha yesterday after returning to England due to personal reasons. Despite training with his England teammates today (Friday), Southgate has allayed concerns that he has missed too much training this week to feature against Didier Deschamps' side.
“We will have to assess that. He has missed a lot of training and had two long flights. That is not good preparation for a game of this standard but let’s see how he is," he said.
“He has felt the need to support his family and to be there for his family and that is a simple decision for me – I have to support the player. I remember Fabian Delph going home, his wife was expecting in Russia. We did the same thing.
“There are moments for every individual where family becomes most important. I’m always supportive of that. Of course I want the best players available and want to win football matches. But as a manager you have to recognise there are certain moments in people’s lives that are more important at that particular time.”
READ NEXT:
When is the World Cup final and who are the predicted winners?
World Cup yellow card and suspension rules explained ahead of England's quarter final vs France
Next World Cup games: Quarter-final fixtures, dates and TV channels
Why Kylian Mbappe missed France training ahead of England World Cup quarter-final
When England will play World Cup quarter-final and who they will face after Senegal win
