Southgate planning unique England speech in bid to inspire World Cup glory

Gareth Southgate's message ahead of the World Cup will be to tell his players that they have the chance to become the greatest team in the history of English football.

The Three Lions boss will spend the first two days of his training camp reminding his stars about the incredible journey they have undertaken to make the grade in his 26-man squad. Southgate hopes to get into the minds of the players who will carry the hopes of the nation over the next three weeks - before cranking up the physical preparations that will help them cope with the searing heat of Qatar's desert sun.

England have reached the World Cup semi-finals and lost in the Euro final in their last two tournaments. And Southgate believes that they now have the chance to eclipse Alf Ramsey's heroes of 1966.

"We want to talk to them so they know that, whatever happens over the next four weeks, they have already been part of the second best period in English football," said Southgate. "But now we can make it the best.

"That's the only thing in my mind. It's a challenge about how we take our supporters on another journey that they loved four years ago and that they loved last summer. That's why we do it - and that's what makes playing for England so special.

"We want to talk to the players about the excitement of going to a World Cup. We want the players to feel the enthusiasm that they have had since they were kids.

"That has struck me while speaking to them over the past couple of days - for better or worse about going to a World Cup and what it means. We want to fuel that.

"The first couple of days we won't be on the training pitch, bar a couple who need to do something. We want them to transition into England following a hectic club schedule and to be excited about the tournament."

Group B rivals Wales were sent a rousing speech by BAFTA-winning actor Michael Sheen before their recent Nations League campaign. Sheen's passionate words went viral.

Southgate did not want to give his players any clue about the psychological tools he will use. But when asked about Sheen's speech, he promised: "Maybe we can go one better than Wales.

"I can't say what. But look, we're just really conscious of the transition. We've tried to let them get on with club business, even this week.

"I've had to make my calls that won't affect club fixtures as much as possible. We've tried to be respectful and keep our distance. The players will get a chance to download and decompress for one day or so and we want them to do all the things that going to a World Cup involves..the suits, the photos…"

Southgate added: "We won't get the group on the pitch until we meet on Monday. We fly on Tuesday, then Wednesday it will be a light session because of the length of the flight.

"That will be the first adaptation to the heat. We believe that won't be too severe in terms of the heat but that can vary and we have to assess it.

"We are north Europeans, so we're not going to adapt totally to what the environment is going to be. We've definitely got to watch that training schedule from a physical aspect as much as anything."

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