One week before England's decisive Euro 2004 qualifier in Turkey, international defender Gareth Southgate has issued a damning verdict on the national team.
The Middlesbrough captain, who was part of Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad at last year's World Cup and has 55 caps, says England players are still lagging behind their European and South American rivals.
"As a kid, I thought the top of the game would be packed with unbelievable quality -- now I work with international players who have poor technique and a lack of focus," Southgate said in extracts from his book, A Football Friendship, published in yesterday's Daily Telegraph.
"As England players we have to look at ourselves more critically, especially we have to take greater responsibility for our physical fitness," he added.
"I am thinking particularly of the young and talented English players, who, if they do not settle for more disciplined and professional lifetsyles, are going to lose good career opportunities to foreign players."
Southgate's views will no doubt be noted by Eriksson as he prepares for next week's game in Turkey, where England need just a draw to qualify for the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal.
Should England qualify, however, Southgate believes public expectation may outweigh the team's realistic hopes of winning a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
"For all the hype that is generated when England go to a major tournament, our record is pretty ordinary," said Southgate. "English domestic football doesn't prepare players for the technical challenge of the World Cup."
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