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Gareth Southgate says England squad needs to develop more leaders

England manager Gareth Southgate believes things can be done to improve the mental strength of his players.

The Three Lions were heavily criticised in the summer following their shock defeat to Iceland at the European Championship.

Roy Hodgson's players appeared to lack mental toughness and leadership after falling behind to the minnows.

But former under-21 boss Southgate, confirmed as permanent manager a month ago, thinks there are techniques he and his staff can use including getting players more involved in tactical preparation ahead of a game.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme: "I think for me the key is peaking mentally, arriving at tournaments as one of the genuine favourites, because over the two or three years in qualifying and against the big teams we have been outstanding.

"I think there are things we can work on with the team to help develop mental strength. I think mental resilience is generally a product of the experiences you've been through, so we have to tap into those.

"One thing I think is for certain is that we can't just rely on the 10 or 12 fixtures we have a year to develop that, we've got to put our players in some situations off the field to bring that on.

"Historically in my career the coach stood at the front and delivered the tactical overview and we as players just got on with it.

"What we've started to do with junior national teams is start to give the players more ownership of that sort of thing.

"I think often the players have the best solutions -- they're the ones playing the game.

"If they have had no input, how do we know that they really agree with it when they have to make decisions out on the field?

"We have to have more leaders out on the pitch. You need strong characters not only to make decisions but when the game is going against you who are going to step forward."

He said a lot of that sort of responsibility had fallen to captain Wayne Rooney in recent years and added: "That's got to be shared, and that's not just on the field but off it in particular.

"There are definitely potential leaders in the group I have worked with over the last four matches."

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