England's progression to a first-ever major tournament final on foreign soil at Euro 2024 is the fruit of a decade of work on a player-development program that has turned a perennial underachiever into a serial contender. Ending a 58-year wait to win a major trophy at the senior men's international level is the final hurdle left to clear for Gareth Southgate's men in Sunday's final against Spain after consistent success at the youth level and in the women's game. Just months after the Three Lions crashed out of 2014 World Cup with one game to spare in the group stage, Southgate — then in his role as under-21 boss — appeared alongside English Football Association's technical director Dan Ashworth.
They presented a plan called "England DNA" that had the goal of mixing the passion English soccer was famous for with better technique and a stronger mentality to handle the pressures of major tournament soccer. "One of the mantras we have is, 'The only thing that changes is the size of the shirt,'" said Ashworth, who was recently appointed Manchester United's sporting director after successful spells at Brighton and Newcastle. "So as they come through that player pathway, from an Under-15 boy or girl, all the way through to the seniors, we have some consistent messages around them.
"If everyone is on the same page, and everyone buys into and believes what you are trying to do it can become so much more powerful." The results since speak for themselves at every level. Many of Sou.
