Latest news with #GarethSouthgate
Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Gareth Southgate brought in the Marines, Thomas Tuchel prefers Pilates
What hits you — well, what gently brushes your cheek — about La Camiral Golf & Wellness is its stillness. When sounds come they are just mild departures from the quiet. A whirr of a golf buggy, the twitter of birds, chirruping insects, a rustle of leaves in the breeze. The music of moneyed relaxation; and from this, England hope to build a soundtrack ending with Sweet Caroline. Generals show themselves through how they treat their troops and it was fascinating being at this resort near Girona, Spain, to see Thomas Tuchel's version of what Gareth Southgate did eight years ago. In June 2017, at the start of his stint as permanent England manager, Southgate used an end-of-season camp as a sort of culture ground zero — a chance to bond the squad and instil the values that would sustain it at the following year's World Cup. Players met in the dressing room at St George's Park and a door sprung open, through which marched representatives from the Royal Marines. The players were told to leave everything, including their phones, and change into fatigues. They went on a bus all the way to the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre near Lympstone in Devon where they spent two days camping on Woodbury Common and tackling gruelling challenges such as the 'sheep dip', which involved crawling through a submerged tunnel of brown, freezing water. Southgate himself plunged in first. It was all very Gareth, the combination of men sharing their feelings under the stars in a context as patriotic as hell. It successfully set the tone for a period peaking at the 2018 World Cup in Russia where a new England, an honest, un-glitzy, vulnerable-but-proud younger squad, recaptured the affection of the English public. The boot camp also helped Southgate choose how his group would be led — by Harry Kane, who the Marines picked out as having the most officer-like quality. REUTERS/ALBERT GEA La Camiral is very Thomas Tuchel. Refined, relaxed and overseas — with a decluttered focus on sport. This is a man who likes a yoga retreat and Japanese tea ceremony. He's more a barefoot than a boot camp guy. But he took England to their retreat in the Pyrenean foothills for the same reason Southgate played soldiers: in a conscious attempt, a year from a World Cup, to establish the relationships and behaviours he thinks necessary for success at a tournament. It's why John Stones, who is rehabilitating an injury is here, and the players going to the Club World Cup were not excused. Being part of the camp was crucial, even if England's match against Andorra on Saturday, in Barcelona, is not. Tuchel is an unusual mix of personal informality and professional intensity, and the camp reflected that. The work part, involving high-tempo training and heat-testing where players ingested digital pills and strained on exercise bikes, in tents, to the point of exhaustion, made headlines. But the downtime stuff has been just as important. On Wednesday, the players were given a recovery day which included gentle exercising in the garden of their hotel with Pilates poles. Then they were free to do as they pleased. Several made use of the resort's world-class golf courses (used for Spanish Opens and PGA Tour events), Cole Palmer went for a bike ride, Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold used the outdoor swimming pool. Eberechi Eze 'spent time just chilling and speaking to family'. There were card games and a PlayStation. Had they been minded to, the players could have used the resort's bird-watching station or fishing pier. EDDIE KEOGH – THE FA/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES For a technocrat known for tactical detailing of the highest level, Tuchel is perhaps surprisingly fixated on the human side, and for him the camp has been invaluable for observing his group and furthering his own connections with them — often through casual, individual chats, like he enjoyed with Palmer, each sitting on a ball, briefly shooting the breeze. His ideas around leadership are embodied by Henderson's return to the fold. He sees the 34-year-old midfielder's vocal, outgoing influence as necessary to complement Kane's lead-by-example style and prizes his particular connection with Bellingham. Tuchel is thought to have in mind, as a leadership group for the next year, the quintet of Kane, Henderson, Bellingham, Stones and Bukayo Saka, which adds to the significance of Stones travelling to continue his rehab out here. The week started with a visit to the Spanish Grand Prix. To observers, Palmer seemed pretty nonchalant (or was it nonplussed) about being there but he claimed he enjoyed himself. 'It was good. I went to the one in Abu Dhabi not long ago. But I fell asleep at that one. This one, I was awake,' he said. The motor racing was not only a bonding jaunt but part of an attempt to replicate tournament conditions. The World Cup starts exactly a year from Wednesday (June 11) and trips to finals begin with a send-off, so being part of a big public event was seen as mimicking that in a fashion. Squads have to arrive at tournaments five days before their first game, generally checking into their base camp, preparing there, then moving to the city where they are playing on match day minus one. Accordingly, England spent five days at La Camiral and head to Barcelona on Friday for their meeting with Andorra the following evening. The idea is to have been, as close as possible, in tournament mode. Wednesday's media day was a conscious replication of this. Players were ferried from their hotel to a close-by external location, accompanied by media officers, just like at finals. Similarly, La Camiral — handpicked by the FA's team operations department — was organised like an England base camp hotel with an emphasis on socialising and eating in outdoor areas, and freedom to roam about the site. It is not a dissimilar location to the Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land in Blankenhain used by England during Euro 2024, and the ForRestMix Club in Repino, England's base at the World Cup in Russia in 2018. Being in the open air and feeling able to move around freely are seen as important by the FA's performance team, in staving off stress and boredom in tournaments. 'A mini-base camp' and 'World Cup lite' were two descriptions of what La Camiral has been about. England stayed at the main hotel on the resort and it was very much Tuchel's vibe. There, ambient piano music plays. On the corridor walls are giant, soothing paintings of woodland. There are Oriental chairs, diffusers, an open-plan atrium filled with natural light, where a red-brick fireplace and artful bookshelves stretch from floor to ceiling over two stories. In the wellness centre you could book for the 'Yoga & Brunch series'. Apparently each session is aligned with the lunar cycle, offering a unique blend of mindful movement, water rituals and nourishing seasonal food. Maybe Tuchel will come back for a holiday. Time will tell. If it all goes wrong, the place will be forgotten. But if England end up parading the World Cup, to their fans singing Sweet Caroline, La Camiral, June 2025, will go down as the starting point, the where and zen a journey began. Andorra v England
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Thomas Tuchel's love-in with Jordan Henderson does not say much for the leadership skills of Declan Rice and Co, writes IAN LADYMAN
Five months and two games into his reign as England manager and Thomas Tuchel has identified one problem familiar to Gareth Southgate and one we all thought we had left behind. The only question that remains is which one will hurt us most in America next summer. With a World Cup now a little more than a year away, Tuchel is accepting of the fact England will travel to the USA without an elite level holding player. To compensate, he may end up playing with two. For those out there who battered Southgate continuously for reaching the same conclusion during his time, this should ring some very loud and clear bells. But more startling is the fact that Tuchel is concerned that English football is short of homegrown leaders. I must admit that I thought – after eight years of Southgate team building and culture setting – we would have had that one fixed by now. Southgate made much of environment and responsibility and leadership. It was one of the core principles of his reign. But then Tuchel walked through the door, had a look at the best that is available to him and decided straight away that he needed Jordan Henderson. Twelve months away from Tuchel actually picking and announcing his squad for the World Cup, it is already quite clear that – barring injuries and other unforeseen issues – Henderson will be in it. Not for what the 34-year-old will be able to contribute on the field in the suffocating heat of an American summer but for what he offers as a leader. Tuchel is adamant and will not be swayed. The head coach understands that nobody else gets it. He appreciates that the question will continue to be asked of one of the strangest England call-ups for many years. But the fact he feels he needs Henderson's influence so badly makes one wonder just what on earth players such as Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker and Jude Bellingham have been doing all this time. That little bunch have 381 England caps between them yet now work under an England coach who feels the need to recall Henderson from the wilderness just to set an example. How very odd. Personality is important in any team setting and that only exaggerates and amplifies during long periods spent on tour or in camp. There are already players on the fringes of the England set up, for example, who are being kept there because Tuchel is unsure of how their presence would impact on team mood. Equally, a player like Newcastle defender Dan Burn is in a good place with the England manager because of things he brings above and beyond his football. But the point remains that if Tuchel needs Henderson as badly as he says he does then something fundamental is wrong and that's a dangerous place to be for a squad that is supposed to have a chance of winning the biggest tournament of all next summer. The Premier League does hold some clues to this malaise. Who, for example, are the stand-out and most obvious leaders at some of our big clubs? At Liverpool it's Virgil van Dijk while at Arsenal Rice sits behind Martin Odegaard and Jorginho when it comes to captaincy. At Manchester United, it's Bruno Fernandes, at Manchester City it has been players such as Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne, at Tottenham it is arguably Heung-Min Son and at Chelsea it really is hard to tell. There is a distinct shortage of English names in this conversation. Even England skipper Kane – now at Bayern Munich – was not club captain during his years at Spurs. That was always the French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Some people in football tell me this all points back to academy football and a culture that encourages a certain softness. I am not sure about that. Our academies are not perfect but they have not failed us when it comes to producing footballers capable of thriving and surviving in exacting and elite environments. However overt leadership is different and this is an England squad that will need some. Bellingham remains a maverick who - in terms of positional discipline and his countenance around the camp – needs some rough edges removing while England may yet head to America with a relatively green back line in need of nurture. Harry Maguire is not in this squad while John Stones has fitness issues. There is no experience available at left-back while Tuchel is unsure of Trent Alexander-Arnold – in terms of discipline - and Walker – in terms of his legs – on the other side. When questioned, Tuchel does not shy away from any of this. Nor does he the subject of what do at 'number 6'. Rice is an exceptional footballer but one who has grown used to playing further forward at Arsenal. Should Tuchel clip his wings or let him fly? He is currently wrestling with the dilemma. But if not Rice then who? It's a hoary old theme and one that Southgate worried about ahead of last year's European Championships and was unable to fix once we got there. An Alexander-Arnold experiment came and went as did an attempt to plug the gap with Conor Gallagher. In the end, Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United did a good job but the 20-year-old has had a regressive, injury-interrupted season and is not in the squad for Saturday's qualifier with Andorra and the Senegal friendly that follows. There was a time when Henderson was the answer to the problem but those days have gone. So the former Liverpool captain is in Tuchel's squad for a different reason entirely and the more I think about that the more disconcerting and strange it really feels. Liverpool's loss is Brentford's gain There were star performers and heroes right across Arne Slot's Liverpool team as they won the Premier League and one of them was a bloke who didn't play very much. Caoimhin Kelleher was Liverpool's reserve goalkeeper and as such made only ten starts as cover for the occasionally injured Alisson Becker. But such was Kelleher's form and temperament, what could have been a difficult spell in his team's league season last autumn passed by without a single game being lost. With Kelleher in goal, Liverpool beat Bournemouth, Chelsea, Brighton, Aston Villa, Southampton and Manchester City and drew big games at Arsenal and Newcastle too. The Republic of Ireland international has been at Liverpool for five years and is 26-years-old. He is right to leave Anfield for Brentford and all the signs are that the west London club are getting a very good goalkeeper indeed. Paqueta saga has gone on far too long It was August 2023 that news broke of Lucas Paqueta's implication in a spot-fixing probe and still he waits to discover his fate. We learn now that the FA hearing into the West Ham player's alleged indiscretion is complete but that it will be two months or more before Paqueta is told of the outcome. So August 2023 morphs into August 2025. Whichever way you look at it, this is just far too long. For the player, his club and indeed for the Premier League.
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Ivan Toney says he never feared Saudi Arabia move would end his England career
The 29-year-old has been recalled for the first time since making a money-spinning switch from Brentford to Al-Ahli, shortly after helping Gareth Southgate's side reach the Euro 2024 final. Toney was overlooked by interim boss Lee Carsley in the autumn and left out of Thomas Tuchel's first selection in charge but the England boss stressed in March that it was nothing to do with him playing in the Saudi Pro League. The striker appreciated the German coach calling him with that explanation and is even more grateful after recalling him for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Andorra and the home friendly against Senegal next week. 😃 @ivantoney24 — England (@England) June 2, 2025 'It's always tough missing out on a squad, but I think that's part of the game,' Toney said. 'You have to be strong, you have to stick at it and keep doing what you do best and I managed to do that and I managed to get the recall, which was a nice feeling.' Asked if he thought moving to the Saudi Pro League may affect his England chances, he said at their training camp in Girona: 'No. 'You see with me I think if you're just doing the right thing, playing football, playing well and scoring goals – a striker's job, that's what you're in a team to do – it doesn't matter where you play in the world, I feel like you should still get the chance. 'I think it's been proven me being me being back here and being back amongst the boys. 'It feels good to see the faces again and it feels good to get stuck in.' Toney admitted the first month following August's switch was 'tough' but credits the string of loans during the early part of his career for aiding his adaptation to new surroundings in the Middle East. The striker went onto score 23 goals in 30 Saudi Pro League appearances for Al-Ahli, helping the side to win the AFC Champions League Elite competition. 💚💚💚💚💚 — Ivan Toney (@ivantoney24) May 4, 2025 'I feel like I'm in good form,' Toney said. 'As you see, I'm here, I'm still scoring goals. 'I have a lot to give. All the time I want to improve, become a better player and try and help others around me. 'So, hopefully I can keep doing that and be in the mix for the World Cup.' Toney is bidding to be among a number of Saudi-based players starring at next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. There is a push for more stars to head there – with Al-Hilal falling short in their bid to coax Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes – and the striker believes the competition is far better than some suggest. 'Everyone always has their opinion,' Toney said. 'They're going to have their opinion on everything. 'You have to witness it and be there to realise what it's like. You can't have an opinion on something you've never seen. 'People always just assume certain things about things without seeing it, so I suggest people have a look before they start making judgements. 'It's tough, it's not easy. There's some good footballers and it's going in the right direction and I'm sure it will continue to do that over the years.'
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Business
- Leader Live
Ivan Toney says he never feared Saudi Arabia move would end his England career
The 29-year-old has been recalled for the first time since making a money-spinning switch from Brentford to Al-Ahli, shortly after helping Gareth Southgate's side reach the Euro 2024 final. Toney was overlooked by interim boss Lee Carsley in the autumn and left out of Thomas Tuchel's first selection in charge but the England boss stressed in March that it was nothing to do with him playing in the Saudi Pro League. The striker appreciated the German coach calling him with that explanation and is even more grateful after recalling him for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Andorra and the home friendly against Senegal next week. 😃 @ivantoney24 — England (@England) June 2, 2025 'It's always tough missing out on a squad, but I think that's part of the game,' Toney said. 'You have to be strong, you have to stick at it and keep doing what you do best and I managed to do that and I managed to get the recall, which was a nice feeling.' Asked if he thought moving to the Saudi Pro League may affect his England chances, he said at their training camp in Girona: 'No. 'You see with me I think if you're just doing the right thing, playing football, playing well and scoring goals – a striker's job, that's what you're in a team to do – it doesn't matter where you play in the world, I feel like you should still get the chance. 'I think it's been proven me being me being back here and being back amongst the boys. 'It feels good to see the faces again and it feels good to get stuck in.' Toney admitted the first month following August's switch was 'tough' but credits the string of loans during the early part of his career for aiding his adaptation to new surroundings in the Middle East. The striker went onto score 23 goals in 30 Saudi Pro League appearances for Al-Ahli, helping the side to win the AFC Champions League Elite competition. 💚💚💚💚💚 — Ivan Toney (@ivantoney24) May 4, 2025 'I feel like I'm in good form,' Toney said. 'As you see, I'm here, I'm still scoring goals. 'I have a lot to give. All the time I want to improve, become a better player and try and help others around me. 'So, hopefully I can keep doing that and be in the mix for the World Cup.' Toney is bidding to be among a number of Saudi-based players starring at next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. There is a push for more stars to head there – with Al-Hilal falling short in their bid to coax Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes – and the striker believes the competition is far better than some suggest. 'Everyone always has their opinion,' Toney said. 'They're going to have their opinion on everything. 'You have to witness it and be there to realise what it's like. You can't have an opinion on something you've never seen. 'People always just assume certain things about things without seeing it, so I suggest people have a look before they start making judgements. 'It's tough, it's not easy. There's some good footballers and it's going in the right direction and I'm sure it will continue to do that over the years.'
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Ivan Toney says he never feared Saudi Arabia move would end his England career
The 29-year-old has been recalled for the first time since making a money-spinning switch from Brentford to Al-Ahli, shortly after helping Gareth Southgate's side reach the Euro 2024 final. Toney was overlooked by interim boss Lee Carsley in the autumn and left out of Thomas Tuchel's first selection in charge but the England boss stressed in March that it was nothing to do with him playing in the Saudi Pro League. The striker appreciated the German coach calling him with that explanation and is even more grateful after recalling him for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Andorra and the home friendly against Senegal next week. 😃 @ivantoney24 — England (@England) June 2, 2025 'It's always tough missing out on a squad, but I think that's part of the game,' Toney said. 'You have to be strong, you have to stick at it and keep doing what you do best and I managed to do that and I managed to get the recall, which was a nice feeling.' Asked if he thought moving to the Saudi Pro League may affect his England chances, he said at their training camp in Girona: 'No. 'You see with me I think if you're just doing the right thing, playing football, playing well and scoring goals – a striker's job, that's what you're in a team to do – it doesn't matter where you play in the world, I feel like you should still get the chance. 'I think it's been proven me being me being back here and being back amongst the boys. 'It feels good to see the faces again and it feels good to get stuck in.' Toney admitted the first month following August's switch was 'tough' but credits the string of loans during the early part of his career for aiding his adaptation to new surroundings in the Middle East. The striker went onto score 23 goals in 30 Saudi Pro League appearances for Al-Ahli, helping the side to win the AFC Champions League Elite competition. 💚💚💚💚💚 — Ivan Toney (@ivantoney24) May 4, 2025 'I feel like I'm in good form,' Toney said. 'As you see, I'm here, I'm still scoring goals. 'I have a lot to give. All the time I want to improve, become a better player and try and help others around me. 'So, hopefully I can keep doing that and be in the mix for the World Cup.' Toney is bidding to be among a number of Saudi-based players starring at next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. There is a push for more stars to head there – with Al-Hilal falling short in their bid to coax Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes – and the striker believes the competition is far better than some suggest. 'Everyone always has their opinion,' Toney said. 'They're going to have their opinion on everything. 'You have to witness it and be there to realise what it's like. You can't have an opinion on something you've never seen. 'People always just assume certain things about things without seeing it, so I suggest people have a look before they start making judgements. 'It's tough, it's not easy. There's some good footballers and it's going in the right direction and I'm sure it will continue to do that over the years.'
