A lot has been said about England’s transformation into contenders since Gareth Southgate’s appointment as manager in 2016.
After years of underperformance, the Three Lions boss turned the narrative on its head when he led the national team to their first major tournament semi-final in 22 years at the 2018 World Cup.
With a first final appearance since the 1966 World Cup following at Euro 2020, Southgate’s influence has been clear for all to see, not least by the players who have witnessed this shift first-hand.
Everton defender Ashley Young represented England at the 2012 European Championship, before becoming a mainstay in the side that reached the final four in Russia in 2018.
And for the former Manchester United star, the difference in camp at his second major tournament compared to the first was night and day, which he puts entirely down to Southgate.
Speaking to talkSPORT.com, Young said of the 53-year-old: “He’s fantastic.
“I just remember, not just him, all his staff… I was in other camps and a lot of players have turned around and said how it was divided. Gareth made it feel like you weren’t away from club football.”
The 38-year-old is not the first to comment on the international manager’s success in creating a sense of unity among the players, which England squads of the past famously lacked.
Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor, who made three England appearances between 2008 and 2009, told talkSPORT that club rivalries had once made training camps uncomfortable.
Speaking in 2023, he said: “Going in the camp is what people hated doing — not playing for your country — that was a big achievement and honour.”
But Young revealed there was no such problem in Russia under Southgate.
He continued: “Everyone was together, there was mixing between players and staff. He just brought everyone back together.
“In previous years, it wasn’t that way. How many players pulled out of camps? It wasn’t through injuries, it was through just not wanting to go.
“Whereas now, it has been a pleasure to go and be in the squad. He just knew how to get everyone together.”
Followers of the national team will be familiar with the various leisure activities enjoyed by England’s players during their downtime at recent tournaments, including darts at Euro 2020 and a ‘spelling bee’ held by Bukayo Saka in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup.
And Young explained that these team bonding moments were all made possible by the Southgate and his staff’s creative thinking.
The 39-cap former international said: “At the World Cup, you’re in a hotel for however long you’re in the tournament.
“When we arrived, I just remembered the staff, they had literally gutted the hotel and made it feel like home.
“There was pictures of your family in your room. There were sofa areas, the gym was massive, there were so many rooms that they took into account, listening to the players and what they wanted.
“Everything was there.”
Previous England managers may have taken a hard line on family visits at tournaments, with former coach Fabio Capello reportedly banning wives and girlfriends from the World Cup in South Africa.
But according to Young, Southgate understood the importance of the players having a support network in place whilst on international duty.
He shared: “Gareth knew, the day after the game, it was a cool down and then family could come to the hotel, you could see them.
“When you’re at tournaments, it can be tough being away from family, but Gareth knew which way to make players feel at home.”
Bayern Munich star Harry Kane was captain in Russia, a role he will continue this summer at Euro 2024, and he certainly led by example, as he netted six goals to win the Golden Boot.
And Young was full of praise for the Three Lions skipper: “He’s a great captain. You see Harry Kane as a leader. You get it on the pitch and off the pitch.”
Southgate’s innovative methods meant that Kane did not have to shoulder the responsibility of leadership on his own however.
Young explained: “We had four ‘captains’ who we would go to with any concerns among players.
“We would sit down with [assistant manager] Steve Holland and Gareth Southgate to air what players were saying.”
The former England defender-turned-manager is now preparing for his fourth major tournament in charge as his squad look ahead to the upcoming Euros in Germany.
And fans will hope that he has more game-changing strategies up his sleeve to help lead the bookmakers’ favourites to some long-awaited silverware.
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News Summary:
- I played under Gareth Southgate at World Cup and noticed subtle methods which made England duty fun again
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.