Sunday 8 July 2018 20:23, UK
Sir Geoff Hurst has likened Gareth Southgate to Sir Alf Ramsey and believes England can emulate 1966 by winning the World Cup in Russia.
Southgate has guided England to just their third World Cup semi-final, and his side are just two wins away from achieving what Ramsey's group did 52 years ago, when Hurst scored a hat-trick against West Germany in the final at Wembley.
"The leadership at the top is vital," Hurst said. "We had a terrific manager in Alf Ramsey, who had a great system and he selected a team that could be successful and had good characters.
"We've seen the leadership with Gareth Southgate being very impressive, which has engendered a good team spirit.
"That seems to be quite evident, with what he says, how the team are celebrating with each other - we're not seeing any bad stories."
England had not won a World Cup knock-out game in over a decade prior to this tournament but Hurst now believes they have an excellent chance to emerge as shock champions.
"Where we are today, I would say, categorically, quite clearly, we can win it, without a shadow of a doubt."
England face Croatia in the World Cup semi-final on July 11 in Moscow.
