GARETH’S VISION
How Southgate thought up England’s masterplan over dinner in Russia a year ago
GARETH SOUTHGATE dreamed up his Russian revolution over dinner in Sochi last summer.
Twelve months after a football road trip, Southgate believes the tactical masterplan will give England a chance of competing with the best at this World Cup.
The Three Lions boss’s bold move to a back three is designed to play to England’s strengths and take his team away from the very English 4-4-2.
A side which plays possession football from the back with style and confidence.
That is the reasoning behind the switch and having been part of the last England team to make the nation proud under Terry Venables at Euro 96, he is determined to build on the solid start after beating Tunisia.
Southgate’s assistant Steve Holland said: “We had dinner in Sochi and that was more or less where it was named.
“Gareth’s first game in charge made it three managers in three games after Iceland with Roy Hodgson, then Sam Allardyce and we needed to get through qualification, get some stability and then look again.
“We went to Russia last summer for the Confederations Cup, spent a lot of time travelling round on planes, talking it through, we spent about four weeks on the road, the two of us.
“We watched matches in the Confeds Cup – Germany, Portugal, Mexico, Chile, some good teams – and tried to envisage how our team would look in those kinds of fixtures.
“We made some decisions. One was a back three. We felt we would be better with and without the ball with a back three.
“We looked at Terry Venables’ Euro 96 team, McManaman and Anderton as wing-backs and Neville in a back three, the balance of the midfield. Even back to Bobby Robson in Italia 90, who started with one way of playing then went to a back three.
“But rather than it being something he was comfortable with or that he remembered from the past, the process was – what gives us the best chance of not conceding? What gives us the best chance of having more control of the game?”
There were good signs against Tunisia with England excellent in the first half-hour, but the letdown was in front of goal.
Despite Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard scoring 91 goals between them at club level last season, only Kane is prolific for England. Lingard has one goal in 13 caps, Sterling has not scored for three years and it is nearly two for Alli.
Holland, who left Chelsea last summer to go full-time with Southgate (below), believes the other three will score for their country and gave Manchester United’s 1999 Treblewinning team as an example.
He added: “The team is hitting a good level of performance. It’s making more chances, looking more dangerous and what it isn’t doing is finishing games off. It could have been three or four against Tunisia.
“To have a successful team you need three-and-ahalf goal-scorers. If you think back to that United team with Yorke, Cole, Sheringham, Solskjaer, that’s two scorers in the team.
“Then Giggs, Beckham, who both get 15-plus. Scholes. That’s five and even Keane gives you a half. If you look at England, where are our goals? Harry’s the one player with a track record.
“Raheem has got goals, but hasn’t transferred that to international level. Jesse has taken time to get goals for Manchester United. Have we got better scoring options? I’m not sure we have.
“We’re going with the ones we think have the potential, but they’re young. It might take time. We have reason to believe they’ll get there.
“If you imagine these guys in a couple of years and I hope I’m still around, once they are more seasoned, that could be really exciting. It already is now.”