GARETH SOUTHGATE
Do you have a rigid system or should we expect to see different approaches?
In terms of formations, we have to be adaptable. We talk about tactical systems, but during the game players have to adapt and adjust. You can write the formation down at the start of the game, but there aren’t many moments within the game when the players are actually in those positions. The game is so fluid and players have got to make sure they make good decisions.
Harry Kane has developed his game this season and is playing deeper. Could that be displayed for England this summer?
Harry’s always had that capability and the technique to link the play. He’s probably as good a forward passer as we’ve got in our squad. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a part of his game that we weren’t aware of. It shows what an outstanding all-round player he is.
What will be your approach to beating the top nations this summer?
We’ve got to go into big games with a very positive mindset. We know that we can hurt teams. We’ve got players who can score goals and we know we don’t concede many, so we’re an improving team that are going to
get better over the next few years. When you look at the age of youngsters like Declan Rice, Mason Mount and the team on the pitch in the autumn – 19-year-olds, 17-year-olds... the future is so exciting. We’ve got to make sure we’re getting results and progressing.
How do you solve the right-back dilemma?
Trent [Alexander-Arnold] is a super talent and will play a big part with England in the future. I don’t think he’s played at the level that he found in the last couple of years this season. Reece James and Kieran Trippier have had exceptional seasons and Kyle Walker’s been in great form with Manchester City. It’s a remarkable position of strength.
Jack Grealish has become a buzzword player for supporters over the last year. How difficult is it to avoid that clamour?
If you want to be the manager of any big team then you’ve got to make decisions that you believe are the right ones for the team. That’s part of life at the top. We are blessed with some very good players, but I imagine that when Sven [Goran Eriksson] had to pick from Scholes, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Carrick – that was a pretty difficult choice as well. All big managers have to make those decisions and you’ve got to be strong and make them for the right reasons.
Since the World Cup, the players seem fearless. How have you achieved that?
When we took over it was on the back of the Iceland match at the Euros and there wasn’t a great deal of enjoyment. The players of today shouldn’t be burdened [by the past]. They’ve seen what getting to major semi-finals [at the World Cup and Nations League] feels like. We’ve got to have a mindset of challenging, rather than being fearful. I think that’s what the players want and that’s what we have now. WORLD SOCCER