sport news Fire and fury will be all around them in Naples - England MUST douse the flames trends now
Gareth Southgate strode into the decrepit, decaying hulk of the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday night and walked along the sunken concrete moat separating the stands from the pitch.
Maradona walked that walk when he arrived here to be unveiled to the Napoli faithful in 1984 and now it was Southgate's turn. It was the beginning of a journey that will take him to the well with England one more time.
Perhaps this match against Italy in this cauldron on the southern edge of the city will be the start of his last adventure as England manager.
Perhaps the European Championship in Germany next year will be his last shot at being the manager to end a wait for a major trophy stretching towards 60 years.
Southgate smiled when it was put to him that this was the beginning of the end, that the finals would be his last dance. 'Well, that depends if we win,' he said.
England manager Gareth Southgate could be at the start of his 'last dance' as Three Lions boss
Southgate will lead his side into a fiery, febrile atmosphere at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples for their European Championship qualifier against Italy on Thursday night
The Azzurri will prove stern opponents for England in their first match since the World Cup
'We have been talking a lot this week about the experiences we have had over the last four or five years. These players have been involved in some of the biggest occasions in world football.
'They know they have the ability to compete at that level. Now we have to have the humility to work hard and qualify again for the next major tournament and it is a great fixture to get that under way.'
A daunting assignment in the age of the bloated qualifying tournaments engineered by UEFA and FIFA is something of a novelty, but Italy in Naples, febrile and seething, as an opening fixture is about as severe a test as you can get. It makes a change.
England have only lost one qualifier in nine years, a 2-1 defeat by the Czech Republic in Prague in 2019 when they were already all but assured of making it to Euro 2020. England have won 17 of their last 18 European Championship qualifying ties.
But Southgate, who would become the fastest manager to reach 50 England wins behind only Sir Alf Ramsey if England prevail on Thursday night, referenced the fact that England have not won in Italy since May 1961 when two goals from Gerry Hitchens and one from Jimmy Greaves carried them to a 3-2 victory in Rome.
Even if the home team, who failed to make it to last year's World Cup, are not the same side who squeezed past England in a penalty shootout to win the last Euros, they and the Neapolitan crowd will present a stern examination of England's credentials.
Those credentials are good. Italy coach Roberto Mancini said England had 'an extraordinary group of players' and it is true that if this is Southgate's last shot at winning a major trophy, it may also be his best shot.
England's jewels, players such as Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka, have played in a World Cup and are gaining more big-game experience all the time. Jack Grealish has established himself at Manchester City, Reece James is a superstar in the making, Marcus Rashford — absent through injury here — is in the form of his life.
