England manager Thomas Tuchel has said his side will reach next summer’s World Cup finals as “underdogs” despite their recent record in the tournament.
England reached the semi-finals in Russia 2018 before losing to France in the quarter-finals in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate also led England to two consecutive European Championship finals without lifting the trophy in the end.
But Tuchel, whose side play Wales in a friendly match on Thursday before facing Latvia in the qualifiers next Tuesday, says not winning a title since 1966 is holding England back.
He said: “We will reach the World Cup as underdogs because we have not won it for decades.
“We will be playing against teams that have won the title time and time again during that period, so we need to arrive as a team otherwise we won’t have a chance.”
England have at least reached the quarter-finals in the last four tournaments, but Tuchel believes they are underdogs “because of history, climate and circumstances”.
“If you have never won Wimbledon, you may be one of the favourites, but you are not the favourite,” the England coach said.
“You can go and if it comes close, well, you’re in the pool, but you’re not the favourite. That’s just the way it is.
“There’s Brazil, there’s Argentina, Spain, France, and they’ve done it recently.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t have any chance and we know very well. First we will qualify and then we will know exactly why we are going there.”
It is possible that the Three Lions team will secure qualification against Latvia next week.
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