“I’VE WATCHED CLIPS OF GAZZA PLAYING AT EURO 96. HE WAS UNBELIEVABLE”
England’s squad is full of exciting youngsters – few more exciting than the Everton playmaker, who has been busy researching the man he calls a football legend...
You helped England come from behind to win 3-2 in Germany – how did that feel? It was unbelievable. When Eric Dier scored that header in the last few minutes, it felt like we’d won something. Even though it was a friendly we can take a lot from it, like belief – for the last 20 minutes we outplayed the world champions, away. We’ve got young lads who can be world-class in the future, so playing from an early age and beating the world champions gives us a lot of hope.
We hear you’ve been watching clips of Paul Gascoigne at Euro 96 – is that true? I’ve watched clips of him playing against the Netherlands and Scotland, because I like the way he played. He was unbelievable in that tournament. He was the complete player: he had no fear, he made everything tick, he ran with the ball, he tackled players, he created chances. Against the Dutch, it was the all-round performance. I want to get to the best level I can, and I’m focused on being the best I can be. I watch other players to see what I can add to my game, and I watch my games back as well.
Is it an honour to be compared to Gazza? Yes, of course – it means a lot that people say that. Gazza is a legend of English football because of the type of player he was. He liked being on the ball, he liked dribbling, and he scored some unbelievable goals – it’s similar to what I like to do. I don’t deliberately look to play like anyone else, though; I play the way I feel I should play. Hopefully someone will be compared to me in the future!
How much would you love to have a big impact in France this summer? It’d be unbelievable. That’s what I’m aiming to do. It would be a dream to do really well there.
“I believe Dele and I can play together at Euro 2016 and in the future as well”
You’d made only three England appearances as a sub before being named in the World Cup squad. How different do things feel now? I feel more important to the squad now, and more confident when I go into England camps because I’ve played over 20 games. I think I’ve matured as a player since the World Cup: I have added more goals and assists to my game and I understand the defensive side of the game more as well. International football is different to Premier League football. It’s more tactical. I have realised you need to keep possession of the ball, and I understand that you’re playing against quality opposition all of the time.
It has been suggested that you’re fighting with Dele Alli for a place in the team. Do you think you can play together, instead? I definitely believe we can play together if asked, in this tournament and in the future. It’s up to Roy what he sees in each game: whether he needs both of us, or one attacking midfielder with a bit of balance. Dele’s done really well. He is a great lad and has settled into the squad easily. He scored a great goal against France and that allowed him to go into all of the other games with a lot more belief. What do you think you bring to the squad that other players perhaps don’t? I bring a no-fear approach of trying to create something; trying to get a shot away. If we are under the cosh in a game, then creating something out of nothing and getting a goal, or taking someone on and creating a chance, can help build momentum for the team. What is Roy Hodgson like as a manager? He’s really good. He brings young players into the squad – in the past, people had played a lot of games before they got selected for the first time. I hadn’t played that many games when he called me up. He believed that I was good enough to be in the squad, so that gave me the confidence, and you’ve seen that with Dele Alli, too. He hadn’t played that many games after coming into the Premier League, but he came into the England squad and the manager has shown a lot of confidence in him. It’s the same with Raheem [Sterling] and John Stones. He puts a lot of belief and trust in us younger lads, and we go out and perform for him. He helps us a lot on the training pitch, too. He talks to us around the place and gives us an understanding of what he expects of us during the internationals, so we know what we’re doing when we get there. He told me last season to think about getting more goals, and this season I have scored more goals than I’ve scored in my career up to now. I have been doing more finishing every day at training, trying to think like a striker more than a midfielder. We have also talked together about the defensive side of my game.
Your Everton team-mate John Stones has been tipped to become a future England captain. Do you agree with that? Yes. At a young age he’s a leader at club level: he talks a lot and he leads by example. He’s not your typical English defender; he’s more of a ball-playing centre-half, and at international level that’s what you need from your central defenders, as well as being solid at the back. He’s the type of player you’d normally see in a Spanish side. He’s an unbelievable player – he’ll probably play for England for the next 10 or 15 years and reach over 100 caps.
Raheem Sterling has told us that you’re the worst table tennis player in the England camp. Any response to that? [Laughs] All I can say is he’s not great at FIFA! I’ve three-nilled him loads of times – I don’t think he’s beaten me yet! The young lads in the squad are all close – myself, Stonesy, Dele, Raheem, Luke Shaw and Eric Dier. The funniest player in the squad? Danny Welbeck. He’s always happy and messing around. He’s a really funny man.
Are you a fan of French food? I went to Paris recently and I liked the food then, but they eat things like frogs’ legs, don’t they?! I haven’t tried them...
Can England win Euro 2016? We are capable of winning it, and we’ve got the quality to win it, as we showed in the qualifiers. We won every game, and we’ve had a few friendlies against top nations and played really well. But we know there’s still
room for improvement.
Ross Barkley wears England’s new 2016 home kit, built for speed with revolutionary Nike Aeroswift innovation. Visit nike.com for more information