BE BOLD, BE FREE, HAVE FUN
Southgate tells young team to forget past disasters and go all out to shock the world
PROMPTED by a question about the statue that towers above this stadium in Volgograd, Gareth Southgate took the opportunity last night to reinforce a point he made recently to his England players about pressure.
It was just a few weeks ago that England’s manager tried to apply a bit of perspective to their role as international footballers by introducing them to men who had served in the Royal Marines. Men who had in some cases suffered terrible injuries.
Here on the eve of England’s World Cup campaign Southgate delivered such a message again, acknowledging the plight of those who perished in the greatest resistance in history in the city formerly known as Stalingrad by agreeing that, yes, it was worth remembering that ‘some things are even bigger than football’. ‘That’s good for us all,’ he added.
Time and again we have heard Southgate’s players speak of their desire to simply enjoy this World Cup, to play football with their ‘ mates’, to have fun. They say they have come to Russia to play with freedom and ambition, flair and adventure.
They have been echoing Southgate’s mantra, buying into what has been a strategic effort to heal the scars of Brazil in 2014 and what happened against Iceland two years later. Roy Hodgson warned of the damage that had been done in Nice, while Sam Allardyce said he could sense the fragility of the group he then inherited.
Southgate was mindful of that too, carefully guiding the national team through qualification and securing their passage to Russia before tearing up the blueprint and starting again.
It has been a bold experiment, a change not just in personnel but formation too. Yesterday Allardyce expressed some concern about switching to a back three, suggesting it would very much be held against the 47-year-old former England defender if weaknesses are exposed.
But only now, with England about to embark on their World Cup journey against a Tunisia side that they really should beat, will Southgate discover if the message has got through, if the gamble has a chance of paying off.
He seemed confident it would. Impressively so, delivering a speech that must have resonated with every England player.
‘I didn’t know how quickly we could progress,’ said Southgate. ‘But we were clear in what we wanted to do and we knew the players were capable.
‘Once we had that vision, selection became a lot clearer. Every training session becomes clearer, too. The players have embraced that. They like playing possession football. They have a hunger to press and win the ball back and they want to play brave football. They want to be a bold and attacking team. That’s how I wanted them to play. That’s why I joined the FA as an Under 21 coach. There was a perception of English football across the world and I wanted to change that. We did that with the youth team.
‘Now we’re looking to do that in the senior team.’
If there was a prize for statements of intent, Southgate might have claimed it in those few sentences.
Whatever happens over the next few days, possibly weeks, it is difficult not to admire the man for his bravery in embracing fresh ideas.
If the team is as widely anticipated — with Jordan Pickford in goal, Ashley Young and Harry Maguire in a defence that also includes Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and John Stones behind a midfield of Jordan Henderson, Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli with Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane up front — it is an XI that has never played together before.
It boasts only 248 caps and 25 international goals. For nine players it will also be a World Cup debut.
Last night, however, Southgate insisted that too was a positive, arguing that here is a group of players not overly burdened with the bitter disappointment of England’s more recent past. Kane might have been on the pitch against Iceland but at least he was on holiday when England lasted six days in Brazil.
‘You learn from the past but this team shouldn’t be burdened with it,’ he said. ‘They’re a fresh group. Most of them have very few caps. The future is all ahead of them, so they have to be thinking about what’s possible.
‘The players and opportunities of the past have gone. This team are looking at things in a different way, trying to play in a different way.’
They are doing everything differently. Last night, some might argue unwisely, they passed up the chance to train inside this rather stunning arena.
Clearly Southgate thought it better to train in Repino and then travel, enabling him to apply the finishing touches to the grandest of plans.