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There is more than just one week of preparation at St George’s Park going into England’s plan against Germany at Wembley today. Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland have been building up to this moment a knockout game against one of the best teams in the world since the draw was made in Nyon 18 months ago.
But the preparation is even bigger than Southgate and Holland’s own meticulous work, those hundreds of thousands of motorway miles racked up over the years watching almost every eligible English player over and over and over again.
Because one of the most important men to England’s chances today, beyond Southgate, Holland, any of the players or the substitutes, is Rhys Long. He is the FA’s head of performance analysis and insight, and he runs the best analysis department in international football.
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