England midfielder Adam Lallana called on a decision to be made over interim manager Gareth Southgate's future to allow his team to develop an identity. Southgate is the nation's third boss in less than five months, following on from Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce.
The 46-year-old was given four matches – including upcoming meetings with Scotland and Spain – as interim manager. Lallana said England needed stability, beginning with a decision on the next full-time boss. "We are looking forward to doing well for him and fighting for him over the next two games," the Liverpool midfielder told UK newspapers.
"You need stability. What you don't have at England is the time that you get at club level. You can't prepare for a campaign as you would for a league over the course of the season. It's not possible, so it's a different challenge. I'm sure Gareth will want to take on that challenge and we are ready to fight for him in the matches. Hopefully, he will do well enough to get the job on a permanent basis.
"It would be nice for Gareth and for us to know quite soon whether he's going to get the job on a permanent basis, so you can build towards having a certain identity that your manager wants you to have."
England last reached the semifinals of a major tournament at Euro 1996, with its most recent exit an embarrassing one at the hands of Iceland in France. Lallana is confident his team can overcome whatever is holding it back at World Cups and European Championships.
"For quite a few years now we've not done brilliantly at major tournaments so it's up to us to maybe find an identity," he said. "Whether it's the mental side of the game at tournaments that we're struggling to cope with [or something else], we need to overcome that. By good hard work I think we can do that."
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