Southgate’s set-piece success inspired by trips studying NBA

Manager travels world to glean insights from other elite sports, writes Jason Burt in Repino

When Gareth Southgate was in the United States in February to attend the 52nd Super Bowl in Minneapolis, he grasped the opportunity to take in a basketball match. It featured the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Milwaukee Bucks but Southgate was not there to munch popcorn and enjoy himself.

The England manager had an idea in his head as he took the train to the Target Center, where the Timberwolves play – he wanted to talk to Glen Taylor, the team’s owner, about how the NBA club operates. He also wanted to see, out on the basketball court, where it is five versus five, how players found space and the tactics that were being used to block off opponents in tight areas. A bit like how footballers deal with corners and free-kicks.

Fast forward to last Sunday and observe how Ashley Young subtly blocked off Michael Murillo, the Panama defender whose duty it was to mark John Stones while his team-mates grappled with Harry Kane and Harry Maguire. Stones ran free and headed home Kieran Trippier’s eighth-minute corner in Nizhny Novgorod to set England on the way to their 6-1 victory.

Maybe it was a coincidence. But Southgate, his assistant Steve Holland and strikers coach Allan Russell have worked hard on set-piece routines at this World Cup. On match days, the players even walk through the various scenarios and it seems highly unlikely that Southgate has not adopted some of the techniques he saw that night in Minneapolis.

More than any other England manager, Southgate has gathered information from other sports – tactical, technical and psychological – and applied them to football. He has visited American football teams, such as Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings, but also looked into rugby union, cricket, athletics, boxing, swimming and even canoe slalom and short-track speedskating, where Holland has spoken to Nicky Gooch, the coach of the Olympian Elise Christie.

Such an approach is not new. Years ago, Alan Pardew attended the America’s Cup to see how yacht crews operated on teamwork and had a similar interest in Formula One, where he looked at how pit-stops and tyre changes were coordinated. But no one has done it to such an extent as Southgate and applied it so clearly.

For example, he and Holland attended the UK Sports World Class Performance Conference, where Southgate spoke and took time to talk to the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Southgate is a sponge when it comes to tactical gains and simply thinking differently

Southgate is also part of the intake for UK Sport’s Elite Programme, a three-year course, from which he is due to graduate next year, with fellow students including Mel Marshall, who coaches the Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty and British Cycling’s Paul Manning, who is coach to Laura Trott.

Back to Southgate’s visit to the Super Bowl in February, the second time he and a delegation from the Football Association, which included chief executive Martin Glenn, had attended the event, and the manager was interested in how the teams were presented to the media.

It is why the FA adopted a similar media day at the England base at St George’s Park, before heading to Russia, in which every one of the 23 players was put up for interview at the same time. The

Paul Hayward England should try to win but conserve energy with changes. The back three need as many minutes as possible, but Rose for Young would help Maguire. Dier plus Henderson would be a chance to see whether a twoman screen will spoil England’s rhythm. This side is less exciting without two No8s but Rashford brings another type of thrust. day was a resounding success. Southgate was in the US to attend a Leaders in Sport conference

– going to the Super Bowl was part of the week-long event – along with Sir Dave Brailsford, the general manager of Team Sky, who Southgate knows well, and Michael Cheika, the Australian rugby union coach.

It is well documented that Southgate speaks to Eddie Jones, the England rugby union coach, and he has been at training sessions held by Jones and vice versa. A lot of this is encouraged by Dave Reddin, the FA’S head of team performance and strategy, whose CV includes his role in England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup triumph and working with Team GB at the 2012 Olympics.

There was another simple idea, taken from rugby, from the All Blacks, in fact, with Southgate introducing a ritual by which a decorated former player presents a debutant with his jersey in the dressing room before the match.

It reinforces just how much of an honour it is to represent your country. Ian Wright, for example, presented Tammy Abraham, Jordan Pickford, Joe Gomez and Jack Cork with their shirts before the friendly against Germany last year. Alan Shearer has also been invited to speak to the squad although that, interestingly, developed into a discussion on the role of punditry and former players in the media.

It was a healthy debate that Southgate, who has worked as a pundit, enjoyed and felt was beneficial to the players.

He has been helped by the fact he was England Under-21 coach, where he had more time with the players but was also able to be more innovative. That is already something he has translated to the senior squad – hence the 48 hours spent with the Royal Marines.

It is about managing people, building psychological strength and team bonding. Southgate is a sponge when it comes to small margins, tactical gains and simply trying to think differently and England are benefiting from that. As was seen last Sunday. Gareth Southgate travelled to watch an NBA basketball game last year in a party that included broadcaster Darren Fletcher. He revealed that Southgate was interested in how basketball players screen runners to create space for team-mates. Against Panama, Ashley Young (circled, top) blocked off Michael Murillo to create space for John Stones (circled, middle and above) to run through unimpeded and head in England’s first goal. Jason Burt I would prefer to give Alexanderarnold a chance than move Young, who should make way for Rose, across. Cahill deserves a start and Walker needs to keep getting used to his new position. Henderson needs a rest and Dier should start with Alli, if fit, and Delph. Rashford to partner Kane, who is on a roll, so why stall his momentum?