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Gareth Southgate insists England “need commitment from everyone” ahead of their crucial Nations League Group A3 clash with Italy.
The Three Lions are on the brink of relegation from League A, having collected just two points from their opening four games, suffering a humbling 4-0 defeat to Hungary last time out.
England would drop into League B if they fail to win at San Siro, where Southgate says it will be a “great honour” for his squad to play as they look to build momentum ahead of the World Cup.
“This is a very important tournament, and we have already faced two very strong teams,” he said. “We have already played against Italy, we know how formidable the players are.
“We need to improve after the latest results and in view of the World Cup, doing it here at San Siro – in an iconic stadium – will be a great honour.
“We analysed everything and tried to understand why there were these bad results after 22 games without a defeat. We need commitment from everyone, and we are focusing on this; we are making sure that the team can train in the best possible way.”
Southgate, who revealed Jordan Henderson would be available to face the reigning European champions, also underlined his stance on the OneLove initiative.
Qatar has faced external criticism for its treatment of migrant workers, as well as its record on women’s rights and treatment of LGBTQ people.
Human rights campaigner Amnesty International has called for migrant workers to be compensated for “suffering endured” in Qatar during preparations for the World Cup, calling for FIFA to support a ‘remediation programme’ and warning of the prospect of the tournament being “indelibly tainted by human rights abuses”.
Southgate said: “I have observed and studied this situation closely. I have documented myself with experts who deal with this and the FA has also done a lot.
“Some demands have been made, there are already some hypotheses on the table and there is already an agreement with seven European nations to maintain this debate.
“I know that there is a need to talk about these issues, after all we hope for a change in that country even if everything is not under our control.
“We will not be able to do everything we want, there are limits, but talking is important. The criticisms are there, we must accept them, but we are doing our best.”
