Southgate gives England stars chance to seize power

ENFIELD, United Kingdom: Gareth Southgate has revealed he is giving more responsiblity to his England players in a bid to stop them freezing in the harsh glare of the international spotlight.

Southgate is keenly aware that many of his predecessors as England manager have preferred to impose their will on the squad rather than listen to the opinions of the players.

As a former England defender, Southgate has seen the pitfalls of that approach, with stars who shined at the Premier League clubs where they were nurtured finding it harder to blossom on international duty.

The vicious criticism that comes with England’s numerous failures at major tournaments also weighs heavily on players accustomed to endless praise with their clubs, so Southgate has been trying to make his group take ownership of the team and, thus become more comfortable and accountable for their performances.

“I don’t think this job is about power, you have to be comfortable enough as a coach to be challenged,” Southgate told reporters ahead of Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley.

“I prepare the team but the most difficult thing is to step over the white line and play. You want players to make good decisions. Our job is to see how they might improve, not kill them for mistakes. Mistakes will happen. I made bloody millions of them.

“The less responsibility you are given, you won’t feel accountable. My belief is these players are more than capable of making good decisions and playing successfully against some of the best teams in the world.”

Southgate cited Terry Venables as an example of an England manager who won over a squad full of strong personalities, including Tony Adams, Alan Shearer and Stuart Pearce, by letting them have their say when it came to tactics and game-planning. — AFP