Former England striker Alan Smith does not think that Gareth Southgate can be compared to Winston Churchill.
Churchill led Great Britain to victory in World War 2 while Southgate took England to the Euro 2020 finals before losing to Italy on penalties.
The former politician now divides opinion in modern discourse, and Southgate is also generating both praise and criticism for his recent decisions and his overall time in charge of the national team.
After an underwhelming group stage, Southgate must prepare his side for a knockout round match against Slovakia, and Smith told Prime Casino that the players need to be inspired.
He told them to: “Seize the day. Try and relax and enjoy playing football, which is not easy with all the noise around the group at the moment.
“The players might not ever be in this position again. This could be it in terms of representing your country at a major international tournament – you can’t take anything for granted in your career, especially playing for England on these stages.
“There's plenty of improvement to be done. The manager plays a big part at this stage. What he says on the training ground and what he says in the dressing room beforehand has greater importance when you’re in the knock-out stages.
“I don't think Southgate's a Churchillian speaker, or someone to really rouse the troops, but it's important that he sends them out with clear minds and tells them what they need to do. Most of the players are highly experienced and they're capable of so much more. They'll be desperate to produce it.”
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