Gareth Southgate played under enough England managers to know his job was never going to be easy.
But the transformation from “miserable” to magnificent in just nine months has been nothing short of remarkable.
England lost to Denmark in the Nations League last October, it was played behind-closed-doors in a horrible Covid world at an empty Wembley when even Southgate admitted he was going through a tough time because football had become a chore.
But, now, they are just 90 minutes from reaching their first major final in 55 years and have got a semi-final against Denmark with up to 66,000 fans inside Wembley and the whole nation dreaming of glory.
It just goes to show how crazy football is, how quickly things can turn for any England manager and now Southgate has the chance to achieve what was beyond the likes of Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle, Sven Goran Eriksson and Kevin Keegan.
Southgate said: “I knew when I took the job what it was. I was a kid watching Sir Bobby and Graham Taylor. I played for Terry, for Glenn, for Sven, for Kevin. I was under no illusions of what the job was and what it entailed.
“But I just think we were in an interesting period: midway through the pandemic, no fans in the stadiums. It was a very different experience. I can’t say I enjoyed the autumn matches at all. The covid restrictions on the camps were really inhibiting, with lads not able to sit and chat.
“So much of what we are about as a team is this social part and this connection with each other. I thought it was a miserable experience for players. We were fulfilling fixtures rather than looking forward to them. I think a lot of teams felt the same way.
“On the back of all the other issues we had eight lads on the back of Covid or with Covid in the September camp. Everything was geared around not losing players rather than performing well.
“Then we’re asking players to perform freely on the pitch when every other part of their life was totally restricted – back to their rooms, masks in meetings and everything else.
“It’s been a joy to be in a bubble now where we’ve been able to sit outside all the time, where we’re tested so regularly that we’ve had the freedom in the camp. As well as the time you’ve had to work with the players I think it’s made a massive difference to how we’ve been able to work.”
Southgate tasted criticism during that period for arguably the first time during nearly five years in charge. Harry Maguire was sent off in that Denmark defeat at Wembley, there was a clamour for Jack Grealish to start and England took similar jibes after drawing with Scotland.
But this tournament has become like a dream for England, something the players may only get to experience once in their careers and yet Southgate insists they will be able to handle the pressure.
Southgate said: “There was a definite shift in how we were viewed in the autumn. It was the first time I’d experienced that since Russia definitely. That was a very good learning process for us. The games against Denmark themselves were tough.
”Now I think they're just looking forward to a hugely exciting opportunity. They understand that to play in tournaments is what international football ultimately is all about.
“They know that this is a great chance to be the first team to get to a final. But they're excited by it, I don't think they're inhibited by it.
“That's why I'm not worried about the occasion. We had that with the opening game and we dealt with that. We had that with the Germany game and we dealt with that. I think the message for them is, I've got total trust in them and they're ready.”
