BBC experts give their insight behind the scenes of the England camp after following the team's journey to the Euro 2024 final.
England players took part in more than 50 media commitments during their stay at the five-star Weimarer Land Spa and Golf resort in BlankenhainAn overhauled, younger, less experienced England squad "inhibited" by their own winning expectations; being held together by a "resilient" manager "hurt" by abuse and relying on his core group of "leaders".
The squad is a lot younger with less tournament experience. Of course there was a lot made of the fact there was no Harry Maguire, and England lost big characters in Jack Grealish and James Maddison. I actually think he and the senior players in the squad had a harder job of binding together because there were so many new faces and new experiences - but it now feels like England are a squad that I believe are closer than ever.I speak to the squad the day before a match, with Southgate and a player that England put up for interview - and then post-match. I have noticed that they have leaned very heavily on the experienced players.
BBC Sport was told by one player's camp that after the Denmark game there was a belief among some members of the squad that the fringe players who had not played - such as Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo and others - could have made a difference to performances and the difficulties the team were having.
There had also been a pointed joined-up message from the camp throughout the tournament. The phrase "we choose our destiny" or "in control of our destiny" was used multiple times after the second group game. If I watch an interview back from say Euro 2020, I think he has changed - but for the better. As a manager you can be a nice person, but you have to have that hard edge. And it infuriates me that people do not think he has that. He is smart, and he will use it when he needs to.
"Gareth being Gareth, he hasn’t made it about him", Phil Foden told me in the build-up to the semi-final. That is true of everything he does apart from his approach to criticism - he has desperately tried to make that all about him, shielding his players as a result. He knows what the public expects and he also knows that there are so many different opinions. He has been around football long enough to know that we are all very reactionary in the moment - but there has to be some degree of reflection that he has changed English football.Gareth talked of the frustration that his team selections have come out, particularly the switch of formation for the Switzerland game.
Despite the criticism, despite the noise, they are as open now as they were on day one when Ivan Toney joked to me he would get a tattoo of the Euros trophy on his face should they go all the way and win it. There is no hint of trepidation, no sign of discomfort in front of the many cameras. Six years have gone by, but you would not know it has been more than two seconds, aside from a new cast of characters joining the squad.
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