England's preparation for World Cup gathers pace

As England's preparation for the soccer fiesta continues, manager Gareth Southgate will talk to his squad about diving, VAR and Russian tensions

Southgate announced a 27-man squad yesterday for the friendlies against Holland and Italy.

The manager will also hold a meeting with his England players next week to discuss the vigilance of VAR on the World Cup and to warn them against diving to win penalties.

England manager Gareth Southgate

Southgate and his squad will have the opportunity to assess the vagaries of VAR in 13 games before they lock horns with Tunisia on June 18.  Watching from their TV lounge in Repino, England can let other teams deal with the inevitable early issues with video technology.  This will enable them to assess exactly what Fifa is particularly clamping down on for this World Cup.


The England coach will also talk to the squad about being wary of social media during the tournament.  He added,
“It depends how easily they are able to filter and rationalise what is coming into them that could affect their performance.”