One of the things Southgate gets deserved plaudits is uniting the team. The ‘golden generation’ had too many uncontrolled egos and no coach with the strength of character to get them in check. This left them playing as individuals and the lack of team ethic cost us when we came across sides of quality.
I don’t think it’s all down to Gareth, I think the last decade or so of not feeding the egos of our players, not telling them they’re the best in the world like we did with Gerrard, Beckham and Lampard, has helped lead to a greater team spirit too. However, I don’t think it’s just that. We still played like a bunch of ill fitting donkeys long after the ‘golden generation’ retired. Kyle Walker said that one of the first things Southgate did was to get the players together and make everyone feel welcome, getting them to bond as a team a lot better, without the cliques. Lampard did say that during his time this wasn’t done and everyone seemed to keep to their club and not converse with those from others, plus he wanted to one-up Gerrard. This was the mentality within England. I think Southgate has removed this mentality and deserves plaudits for how he has united the squad.
My question is how he handles big games strategically, and picking of favourites. He might say it’s loyalty, but there aren’t any excuses for leaving Foden or Rashford on the bench now so Sterling can put in another lacklustre performance.
