Gareth Southgate: "England won't become Spain in eight months"

England have qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Slovenia at Wembley on Thursday. However, the Three Lions were quite unimpressive in front of their own fans and were rescued by a late goal from in-form Tottenham striker Harry Kane. Manager Gareth Southgate, who took over in November after Sam Allardyce left the job, insisted that the construction of a strong England team is still in progress and chose to compare his side to Spain, who have won three consecutive tournaments between 2008 and 2012. Southgate said: "This team has potential but we have a hell of a lot of work to do. It's blindingly obvious we could have played better - but we are there." This is the sixth consecutive World Cup qualification for England, but the Three Lions have not won the trophy since 1966. They have dropped just four points so far in the qualification campaign but rarely played as a dominant team and were often saved by Harry Kane lately as he has now scored 14 goals in nine games for club and country this season. About next summer's World Cup, manager Gareth Southgate added: "We won't become Spain in eight months. It is a work in progress and when I was given the job the aim was to qualify for the World Cup. As a young team having to deal with the expectation and criticism of their performances, it is tough for them. They are giving everything they've got. They don't have Champions League winning medals between them. In the end, it's crucial for English football to be at the World Cup." England are 18/1 at Bet365 to win the 2018 World Cup.