Gareth Southgate has urged England to look to Germany for inspiration as they seek to rebuild their international identity.
The old rivals meet in Dortmund on Wednesday in a friendly, if that descriptor ever fits neatly in this storied fixture, with the wider balance of power firmly weighted in the hosts' favour.
England may have pulled off a thrilling smash-and-grab victory when the sides last met in Munich a year ago, but the facts paint a stark picture of a nation characterised in Southgate's mind by their 'island' mentality.
Joachim Low's side are ranked third in the world and have reached the final four of their last six international tournaments, including a triumphant 2014 World Cup. Southgate has inherited a team placed 14th by FIFA, and played in their last semi-final appearance at Euro '96.
Football may be the most popular sport in England, but it lags far behind in terms of international prestige and Southgate is itching to change that.
"I'm not sure we've always looked at ourselves in the mirror as closely as we should, that's what we need as a football nation," he said.
"We've had success in every other sport in our country and we're almost the missing piece. It's probably the hardest one to succeed in and if we do succeed it's the one that will have the most impact on our country and on the people.
"When I played against German teams I was always impressed, everybody talked about their mentality but they still had great technical ability and power.
"We are different, we have to get off the island and learn from elsewhere. You've only got to look at the number of semi-finals, finals and wins to see the success of their system and the way they work.
"Those three dynamics are something we can realistically aim for. In terms of the athletes we're producing and the mentality we have as a country.
"We have to change the way we do things, change the way we work. We've not had the success our opponents have had over a consistent period of time. It's a great model for us to look at.
"There's a lot we can take from them, but we're a little bit different and we've got to maintain some English traits that give us additional qualities."
Gary Cahill will captain the side in Dortmund but fellow defender Phil Jones has been denied a long-awaited international recall after suffering another training ground injury.
The Manchester United player was hoping to play a key part this week but has once again been forced to submit to his body.
''We don't know,'' Southgate said after the 25-year-old's withdrawal.
''We didn't feel it was an injury that we could treat and have him ready for the game.
''We have got to respectfully send him back to the club and we'll know more once he's had a scan or an X-ray and see where he is at.
''It was just a sort of innocuous tackle, basically. He's caught the bottom of somebody's foot, so a possible injury to his toe but we'll know more over the next 24, 36 hours.''
Source: PA
