YOUTH BEAUTY
How England’s success in the age groups and Southgate’s bravery with selection has got the Three Lions back onside with fans
GARETH SOUTHGATE had one victory in the bag even before he set off for Russia, by rebuilding the players’ reputation with supporters.
England hit an all-time low after the humiliation of losing to Iceland at Euro 2016, just two years after their worst-ever performance at a World Cup finals, when they failed to get out of their group.
There were boos at Wembley, the fans turned their back on the national team and lost faith in their own heroes after suffering enough hurt to last a lifetime.
But Southgate has begun to build some bridges and helped supporters rediscover a bit of hope and affection for the England team.
It may just be the perennial problem of building up our expectations before a major tournament, but the England manager genuinely feels the nation is coming together again.
Southgate’s decision to go with younger stars, take gambles on untried players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and switch to a back three caught the eye in friendlies with Germany and Brazil in November and the momentum has steadily built ever since.
“I’ve talked before about there being a disconnect between the supporters and the team, and I’ve felt there’s different ways to bridge that. The most important is the way you play, and your performances and results,” said Southgate.
“We know everything else comes on the back of that. But I think there was a shift in November, when we brought in some of the younger players.
“There was a clear shift in the identity of the team. We went to a back three and people have been warmed by that, not only the young players in this squad, but the young players in the system, the success with the junior teams.
“The Under-17s World Cup win in particular came at a moment where the profile of our young players was really high.
“We are just trying to improve every day we work together. We know we are not the finished article, in fact we’re a long way from it, but I think people see signs of progress and enjoy watching us and the manner in which we try to play.”
There has been a shift in the feeling around the camp. It is far more relaxed than in 2010 with Fabio Capello’s boot camp and even in 2014 Roy Hodgson’s squad lived a life of luxury before being home before the postcards.
This time the Repino base is more modest and Southgate believes the squad dynamic and atmosphere in the group is better than before. There are no big egos or cliques and that will help the team deliver better performances.
“We are seeing this is a team who enjoy each other’s company, get on well, are very proud to represent their nation, have some talent, and have a real desire and determination to play for England,” said Southgate.
“They are determined to play in a style that people are warming to and enjoy watching. We ask people to pay a lot of money to watch football. In the end, we want to entertain where we possibly can.
“What people have seen is the way we want to play and we definitely want to be an intelligent team in terms of tactical approach and dealing with different stakes and stages in games.
“The style is clear: we’ve selected players who can use the ball and the level of training is incredibly high at the moment, I have to say. It’s a great challenge for every player to come in.
“All the players right through the team can use the ball well, so when we are defending against pressing, it’s very difficult to win the ball back. That’s a very good sign that the level of the players is very high.
“Our focus as a team has to be on the bits we can control. Ultimately, we know we’ll be judged on results, but we have to focus on the processes.
“We are constantly trying to improve, playing in a style that we’ve used in the last year or so. Of course, if we do all of those things and we play with a smile on our face, and we enjoy our football – enjoy being in a tournament – then I think we will get results.”