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Phil Neville Had to Win Over England. Can England Now Win for Him?

Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters

NICE, France — Before the England women’s soccer team’s first game at this World Cup, Phil Neville was trying to decide what to wear. Neville, the team’s coach, had occasionally opted for the comfort of full training gear, but he was conscious that with an audience of millions watching in his home country, something smarter might be more appropriate.

In the end, his players made the decision for him. England’s squad wanted to see him not just in a shirt and tie, but in a waistcoat, too, a combination that became — for want of a better word — iconic when showcased by Gareth Southgate, who coached England last summer at the men’s World Cup in Russia.