Updated On: 06 July, 2018 05:29 PM IST | Repino (Russia) | AFP
Southgate spent a month travelling around Russia with assistant Steve Holland, scouting potential training bases and the Confederations Cup for an insight into what England could expect on and off the pitch at the World Cup

Gareth Southgate/AFP
England's return to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 12 years is no fluke as the team reap the rewards from coach Gareth Southgate's meticulous eye for detail. A first-ever World Cup penalty shootout win in the last 16, against Colombia, followed months of practice from the spot and psychometric tests on the players to determine who was best placed to handle the pressure.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford even switched his water bottle before the shootout for one with where the Colombians preferred to put their penalties written on the side. "We'd done all the hard work on the training pitch and we were able to execute when we were there," said defender John Stones.