The familiar faces Gareth Southgate took inspiration from on their World Cup run

The dust is settling on what has been a remarkable campaign for the Three Lions. Achieving a feat that hasn’t happened in 28 years.

Southgate did almost the impossible, he United a nation and came so close to gathering a group of players that could almost be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Hurst, Moore and Charlton.

That didn’t come overnight though and as well as studying opponents, philosophy and tactics, he also took inspiration from a number of world class athletes and sportsmen.

Before the tournament he spoke to a number of people in order to discuss winning, losing and the resilience to bounce back in adversity. We take a look at those Southgate looked to ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

Dave Brailsford

 Head of Team Sky, Gareth Southgate knows Sir Dave Brailsford very well after visiting a Leaders in Sport conference in the USA.

Brailsford has helped transform British cycling, leading Team Sky to five Tour de France titles and is currently campaigning to do so again this month.

Despite continual adversity, Southgate will once again he inspired by the way Brailsford and his team are already performing, with two members both in with a chance of the Yellow Jersey.

On a side note, it’s the perfect watch post-World Cup and you can find out how to watch the Tour de France after Russia 2018 here.

Elise Christie

 Another Brit he spoke to was World Champion short-track speed skater Elise Christie. Christie has suffered heartbreak at the last two Winter Olympics, crashing out but in between found the character to achieve World Champion status in between the two.

Naturally, their conversation remains confidential, but you can imagine much of it involved getting yourself back in the right mentality to succeed after the mightiest of knocks.

The Super Bowl

 Not quite an athlete, more a collection of, but Gareth Southgate was at the Super Bowl back in February and learned a great deal.

The influence is plain to see. Just as the Super Bowl teams did earlier in the year, Southgate offered a similar type of media day ahead of the World Cup, in which ever player was available for interview and were encouraged to be open and engaging.

That certainly helped develop a relationship between players, media and the public and contributed hugely to the incredible atmosphere that was created up and down the country.

Eddie Jones

It’s well known Southgate has regular communication with England Rugby Union boss Eddie Jones and both have been spotted often at each other’s training camps.

It’s thought they regularly bounce ideas around on how to manage players as well as fitness.

The familiar faces Gareth Southgate took inspiration from on their World Cup run

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