FINISH IN STYLE ...AND GO HOME WITH A MEDAL
INTEREST in what was being billed by some as another meaningless game against Belgium appeared to be limited.
Numbers were down significantly for yesterday’s pre-match press conference and even those in attendance seemed to be struggling for inspiration. One reporter was internet shopping for shoes, others were on Facebook.
But then Gareth Southgate and Fabian Delph began to speak, and Delph revealed himself to be England’s answer to Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption.
‘I’m the library,’ he said. Then he and Southgate began to articulate the importance of finishing this World Cup in style and explaining what it means to be a member of this England party.
Sure, Southgate remains bruised by that semi- final defeat by Croatia. He finally watched a recording of the game at 4am yesterday and only then did he realise just how close his England side had gone to reaching a World Cup final. It heightened the sense of regret. ‘That is going to live with me forever,’ he conceded.
But he was also looking forward to the opportunity to secure England’s best finish at a World Cup away from home in St Petersburg this evening and what will follow after that.
In particular Euro 2020, the potential for some huge games at Wembley and what he very much hopes will be a chance for his players to have the same experience he so enjoyed during Euro ’96. It will essentially be a home tournament.
Among Southgate’s squad, only Delph has some idea of what it has been like back in England after flying home for four days to be at the birth of his child. And he shared his experiences with his team-mates when he returned to their training base in Repino.
‘I genuinely felt the love and support of the nation,’ he said. ‘Everybody was screaming “It’s coming home”. On the school run, usually the kids run past me, but I was signing autographs.
‘Even the teacher seemed to like me a bit more.
‘We had a home birth. The midwife was asking for a picture. She told me, “It’s coming home”. It was fantastic to see that support because we are in a bubble and we don’t get to feel what it’s like outside. My experience was phenomenal, so when I got back here I told the guys what it was like.’ Delph described the dressing room after the Croatia game. Only Southgate’s speech broke the silence. But a sense of optimism, and what this group might now achieve, returned the following day at a meeting in the gym.
‘We did what we normally do; speak about the game and where we can go from there,’ said Delph.
As a member of Southgate’s fiveman leadership group, Delph gave a fascinating insight into the mindset of these England players and why they want to beat Belgium.
‘It’s so important to finish the tournament well, as high as possible, and go home with a medal,’ he said. ‘I know it’s not a winners’ medal but it’s a medal and we can be proud of that.’
He was repeating the manager’s mantra but he was also perhaps reflecting the ethos of a book he had just read; one from the small library he brought to Russia for his international colleagues. Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable is written by an exercise physiologist who has coached Michael Jordan and a number of other leading NBA stars and the title is certainly something that encapsulates the attitude of Southgate’s players. They want to conquer Belgium in their relentless pursuit of more success, in their desire to go at least from good to great.
‘There are a few readers in the squad,’ he said. ‘You probably imagine us to be on the PlayStation or playing cards, but there are quite a few geeks.
‘Marcus Rashford is a reader. Eric Dier and Danny Welbeck are too. Danny Rose likes a good read. I’m trying to get John Stones to read. I gave him one but he hasn’t read it. He hasn’t even opened it!
‘ Relentless was tuning my mind for going into battle. It’s weird having read the book because I remember doing the parade after Manchester City won the league and I wasn’t drinking because I was thinking about the next trophy I could win, which was the World Cup. I think that goes for a lot of the boys.
‘There are a lot of cleaners (clean, predominantly alcohol-free lives) in this team; a lot of guys who aspire to be good role models and win things.’
Harry Kane is, of course, one of those, and while Southgate will make a final check on the health
and fitness of his players, the captain is expected to start in pursuit of that Golden Boot.
‘It’s been a really difficult couple of days for us,’ said Southgate. ‘We were 20 minutes from a World Cup final and then, in extra time, 10 minutes from a shoot-out to get to a World Cup final. But the players are incredible. They’re a pleasure to work with. We’ve set the standard of how we work, how we play, and we want to maintain those standards right to the end. We have to decide who can go again physically but everyone wants to play.’
And then it will be on to the next challenge, one Southgate says he will begin planning next week. In fact he intends to go into the office before taking a holiday. Is he afraid it will never get any better than this? ‘I’m not afraid,’ he replied. ‘Not even of the Big Bad Wolf.’