Gareth Southgate sets England bar high with latest demand during team meeting

Gareth Southgate has told his England squad to set their sights no lower than Euros glory next summer. The Three Lions boss set the bar high in the first squad meeting when met up at St George’s Park this week, insisting more glorious failure was not an option.

And he has demanded they show they mean business against Ukraine in Poland on Saturday and again in the super-charged friendly against Scotland in Glasgow three days later.

England have hit the bar at two World Cups and the last Euros losing to Italy in the final on penalties. But Southgate demanded the change of mindset from his players this week according to defender Lewis Dunk, who is returning to the squad after a five-year break.

“We had a meeting the other day and he’s talking about winning the Euros and the whole squad is thinking about winning the Euros,” said Dunk. “That’s the big change in mentality. It’s not ‘How far can we get in a tournament.’ It’s winning a tournament. So that is probably the biggest change I’ve seen coming back.

“Being around these top players. I can see why he is saying that and why England can win. We’ve got a real good squad together and a real good chance. You can see over the past tournaments, the progress there has been.”

Dunk added: “I’ve been watching from home and seeing the progress, it’s been incredible. It’s progress that has kept going and now I think it’s got to hopefully be time when one of these days we do win one.”

Earlier this year Paul Merson explained why he felt England would win a major tournament under the stewardship of Southgate.

He told Sky Sports: “I don’t get why people keep saying this could be it for Gareth Southgate. I never expected us to win a tournament in my lifetime. Now, I expect us to win every tournament we go to, so Southgate is doing something right.

“You really do have to be careful what you wish for. These players like Gareth and you can see they do. There’s a great team spirit in the camp and the players enjoy being there.

“Be careful, that’s all I’d say. If you start listening to people and get rid of Gareth with a new manager coming in like a Fabio Capello. I didn’t hear too many people waxing lyrical about Capello when he was England manager and taking away tomato sauce from the players.

“You can see the harmony between the players and the manager in the England camp. I don’t get it when people say this could be Southgate’s last tournament.

“We are turning up to the Euros and we have every chance of winning the tournament. We had every chance of winning the World Cup, every chance of winning the last Euros and every chance of winning the World Cup before that.”