The England manager wanted to understand which traits were shared by winning international teams and how his side could emulate them.
One of the teams he examined in the finest detail were the most recent world champions, Didier Deschamps' France, who Southgate is preparing to face in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final.
Among the lessons Southgate took from studying France was the players' savviness and game-management, and he was also impressed by Deschamps' ability to impact the course of matches with tactical tweaks and substitutions - something at which the England boss has been noticeably more successful in Qatar.
But Southgate was most influenced by Deschamps' pragmatic approach to major finals, especially when it came to getting out of the group.
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