Lie-ins and 10pm dinners – how Gareth Southgate is keeping England fresh in Qatar

England manager Gareth Southgate has kept his players fresh for their late night World Cup kick-offs in Qatar by sticking to a UK schedule and granting them morning lie-ins.

Three of England’s four games so far have kicked off at 10pm in Doha, with Southgate’s team facing another late night start for Saturday’s quarter-final against France.

But Southgate has beaten any threat of fatigue by keeping the body clocks of his players and staff on UK time, where the games are being played at 7pm which is broadly in line with what England’s stars are used to with their clubs.

The three-hour time difference in Doha means that England players are being allowed to get up late before eating breakfast at around 12noon local time, 9am in the UK.

Training has generally been held at 3pm, to avoid the hottest part of the day, before lunch at about 6pm and dinner, on non-matchdays, is at 10pm. On matchdays, the England players eat after games before they go to bed.

The late kick-offs have provided a challenge to weary fans and stadium staff, who have not been getting to bed before 1am but Southgate’s approach has kept his players fresh.

Southgate has tailored his early World Cup training sessions around avoiding the hottest part of the day after getting his players acclimated to the warmer conditions. England’s late kick-offs have meant they have avoided playing in any uncomfortably hot conditions.

England will face another 10pm kick-off if they beat France and reach the semi-final with the World Cup final being played at the earlier time of 6pm in Doha.

Premier League clubs will be pleased with Southgate’s approach, as it means players should not need to reacclimatise to domestic kick-off times when they return from the World Cup. The first set of league games take place on Boxing Day, just eight days after the Doha final.