Phil Neville says Argentina’s fight against adversity has left his England players feeling “blessed” ahead of their meeting in Le Havre on Friday.
Argentina qualified for France despite playing no matches and having no coach over a two-year period up to 2017, after the Argentine FA refused to properly fund the team.
By contrast, England have enjoyed impressive backing from the FA and manager Neville says he reminds his players before every match how far they have come.
“We feel blessed,” he said. “The message before every game is that we’re playing in an era when we get an awful lot of backing from the FA. Particularly since I got the job, it’s been phenomenal.
“We want to make sure we appreciate everything we’re given, earn what we’re given. Before every game, we always reference the people who fought for us to get these conditions.
“We make sure we’re fully aware of the history and sacrifices. We’ve got a few players — Jill Scott and Karen Carney spring to mind — who have seen the struggles. They were training without bibs, balls, pitches and coaches.
“Yes, we want to be successful at this World Cup, but my players want to make sure the next generation has it even better.
“The FA have not just backed me, they’ve given me more than what I’ve wanted. What they’ve provided for us at this World Cup is fantastic. I’m grateful to [former England bosses] Hope Powell, Mark Sampson, Mo Marley for the work and effort they did to make conditions better for my players.
“Argentina are at the start of their journey, where we were 15 years ago. They’ll get where they need to be.”
