THE BUBBLE
Foden and Greenwood are about to discover just how cold it can be on outside
MAYBE it is time Southgate to call in again.
For 10 months Southgate has been scribbling away at ideas in his office, plotting a way to turn the country’s young stars into world champions. The plan was in place.
Indeed, the England manager’s job would be so much more simple were it not for the players.
After the jolting surprise of Harry Maguire’s brush with authority clouded his squad call- up, it would have been a good idea for the remnants of England’s squad to keep their heads down for this get together. Well, you would have thought so.
But reports suggest that two of its brightest newcomers were plotting their own downfall before they had even taken off for Iceland.
Focusing on their leisure time when they should have been working on their focus. In his early for Gareth the marines months as England manager, Southgate took his squad to Dartmoor, confiscated their phones and allowed a number of Her Majesty’s finest troops to dunk them underwater and show them true adversity.
Not just the mere inconvenience of having nothing to do for a night than kick around on a few restricted floors of a five- star hotel.
The idea was to build trust and establish collective team spirit in an exercise that, even in Russia, Southgate still credited for getting them a long way towards the World Cup semi- finals.
Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood were not part of the squad back then. Had they been, perhaps things might have turned out differently. They may have been more aware of the real dangers that can hit you when you step outside football’s protective bubble.
“Everybody has a responsibility with this virus to play their part,”
WARNING: Southgate plans to make clear what is expected from England players, as rest of squad trained in Iceland yesterday
Southgate said. “We have operated an incredible procedure, really, for 10 days to keep all the players together.
“They have been tested four times – we have operated in the hotels and we have been in our own separate areas. We have kept that secure.
“That was important, not only for our own well- being, but to get these games played. It has been such a massive operation across Europe. I think the responsibilities are very clear.”
Throughout Southgate’s clearly painful explanation of events in Reykjavik he alluded a few times to the fact that neither player was one that he knew particularly well.
So many of the unexpected international successes to emerge in this era were schooled by Southgate as youngsters – made aware of the expectations at a very similar age to that of Foden and Greenwood.
It is why the 50- year- old will give them both one chance to learn the hard way.
He knows they have days of grovelling for forgiveness from fans and their bosses alike – the tone of the statements from both Manchester clubs made no secret of that.
“I’m very conscious that these two boys are going to walk into something that’s going to be very intense, and very difficult for them or their age to deal with,” Southgate said.
“So, whether people like it or not, I’ve got to try and support them through that.
“That said, I will be very clear with them on my feelings and how they need to respond and how they need to react.”
Otherwise, it can be very cold outside the bubble. Colder even than Dartmoor.