England managers over the years have had some very different ideas about discipline, from Fabio Capello’s ketchup ban in 2008 to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s more laissez-faire approach to life at the 2006 World Cup that had Rio Ferdinand describing the camp as a circus. For Gareth Southgate, though, the plan for the European Under-21 Championships is a specific one that involves neither baked-bean embargoes nor commandments pinned to the wall.
Southgate’s side face Belarus at Oakwell on Thursday in their final warmup before flying out to the Czech Republic for a tournament in which hopes of success are high and the head coach believes he has found the right balance for his young side. “We’ve had lads like Tom Ince in the squad and they’re dads,” he said. “So although it’s a young team I think we’ve got to give them responsibility. This group have never betrayed that responsibility so I don’t have a load of rules but they know that they’ve got to be respectful – that means being on time for things, very straightforward.
“But I think when you have lists of rules and fines – No1 someone’s got to collect the bloody things so that’s a problem in itself and No2 I’m not sure that’s discipline actually. That’s just putting rules up. It looks like discipline but actually it doesn’t mean anything.”
England’s tournament gets underway against Portugal in Uherske Hradiste next Thursday before games against Sweden and Italy in Olomouc. An unbeaten qualification stage – which included 11 wins in 12 games – coupled with friendly victories over the Portuguese and the tournament favourites Germany, not to mention the surprise absence of big beasts such as France and Spain, means Southgate’s side go into the tournament with their sights set very much on the latter stages. Lifting the trophy, though, is not the be-all and end-all.
“I’ve said to them that we know internally what our objective is and what we believe we can do, but it should be a good life experience for them as well,” he said. “For them something like this is going to be different and I want them to embrace that and get used to that because this is part of the preparation for going in to the seniors. So take all of it in, absorb it.
“We’re staying in an area that’s far enough out of town that we’re not going to be swamped. But they can walk in to town, they can go and have a coffee, they can go and meet local people or if their families are over I want them to be able to come to the hotel and see them at the right times. Because they’re also young lads and being away from home for some might be a challenge. I’ve no reason over the last 18 months not to be that way with them.”
Harry Kane became the final member of the 23-man squad to join up with his team-mates at St George’s Park on Tuesday following Tottenham’s games in Malaysia and Sydney. He is unlikely to start at Oakwell so the Liverpool-bound Danny Ings or West Bromwich Albion’s Saido Berahino will fill the No9 role against Belarus.
