England vs Croatia: Gareth Southgate’s greatest triumph? Convincing his players to ignore their own World Cup history

His own mistakes should not be held against his team. Southgate has absolved them of any responsibility. Even if their success could end up being his redemption

Gareth Southgate sees the England squad as his family, and he sounded like a protective parent last night, talking about how the mistakes of his generation should not be held against the next one.

Tonight’s semi-final is English football’s biggest game for a generation, but it could also complete a remarkably redemptive arc for Southgate himself. He has been haunted for almost half of his life by what happened the last time England were in a semi-final. Southgate even admitted at his press conference on Tuesday evening that for 20 years, he could not bare to listen to ‘Three Lions’, because of the painful memories of that miss. He would walk out of the room when it came on.

Southgate finds it easier now, looking back on that summer as “an incredible life experience” which he is now “able to put a different frame on”.

But by masterminding this remarkable summer, Southgate has ensured that he will forever be associated with triumph, not disaster. And, after Colombia, as much with shootout success as with shootout failure. Beat Croatia to face France in Sunday’s final, and the historical memories of 1990 and 1996 will fade away.

Southgate’s great trick this summer has been to convince his players that they do not need to worry about those old dates. They are English football history but they do not apply to the current team. They only need to focus on themselves, and writing their own history, the unofficial motto of this campaign.

But who better to make this argument than Southgate himself? The fact that he was the man who missed that penalty in 1996 means that those failures, that history, belong to him more than they do to anyone else. That means he can take the weight of that history upon his own shoulders. But by doing that, he can spare his team from it. They should not have to pay a price for his mistake.

“We feel that [history] is of no bearing to this team, we’ve been consistent about that,” Southgate said. His own mistakes should not be held against his team. Southgate has absolved them of any responsibility. Even if their success could end up being his redemption.

Gareth Southgate has led England to the World Cup semi-finals (Getty)

“That was my problem because I’m part of that history,” he said. “They’re getting blamed for what my generation and generations that followed did. But these guys had an opportunity, to start from scratch and create their own history. That’s what we’re focused on. Most of them weren’t born when a lot of the stories we’re talking about happened. So why as a coach would I try and put that at their door? They should be judged on themselves as a team. I think, to be fair, the public have done that.”

This team have been admirably free from fear and heavy history so far in this tournament. That is why they have done so well. That is to their credit but also to Southgate’s. His players have never looked inhibited by his own past.

“You learn form situations in life and you are stronger for these moments,” he said. “Of course when I look at where we are in a tournament, I am proud of the way the players have played. They have come through so many different obstacles, improved and got even tighter. That is special.”

Over the course of this tournament, England have been steadily ticking off milestones, doing things that we assumed they could not. Beating Panama by their biggest ever World Cup winning margin. Winning a penalty shootout. Winning two knockout games against serious opposition. Now they have to beat the best team they have played so far, Croatia, to reach their first ever final outside of England. Winning on Wednesday would be history enough in itself.

“They will be the best team we’ve played,” Southgate said. “For us as a team, yes, it’s another chance to create a small piece of history. We’re only the second team to reach a semi-final out of our country, and that’s quite significant. In 1996, we had every game at Wembley and that was an advantage for us. We’ve got to keep getting over those hurdles. The more of these tests we can come through, the better. Not just for now, but moving forward.” Finally moving away from the past.