From unicorns to kabbadi, the bizarre tactics Gareth Southgate uses to drive England to World Cup glory
Southgate has trawled science and sports to rekindle an England who previously seemed cowed by expectation
ONCE you were as likely to see a unicorn as England winning on penalties at a World Cup.
Now herds of the mythical beasts have been spotted at England’s Repino HQ in Russia — helping boss Gareth Southgate turn the nation’s perennial underachievers into a team that has beguiled the country.
They are part of a seemingly bizarre blend of Subbuteo, Royal Marine yomps, contact sports and psychology tricks that Southgate has used to remould England.
Out went the inflated egos of previous squads and in came the inflatable unicorns.
In a now celebrated image, grinning players Harry Maguire, Jordan Pickford, Jesse Lingard and Kieran Trippier were pictured racing the blow-up creatures in their pool as part of their recovery session after the victory over Tunisia.
Southgate has trawled science and sports to rekindle an England who previously seemed cowed by expectation.
Here, we uncover his secrets.
Unicorn physio
It's difficult to imagine Nobby Stiles and Jack Charlton bobbing around on inflatable unicorns before the 1966 World Cup final.
Yet the pictures of the 2018 squad larking around on the floats is not just about them having fun – there is a serious side, too.
The pool session is a key part of recovery after matches and the unicorn races liven up an otherwise dull routine and develop squad unity.
The unicorns first appeared at England training under Roy Hodgson’s regime but the new, open England released the images to the public.
The message was clear.
The England camp is a fun place to be and we want fans to know it.
Openness and the end of the siege mentality has helped the public learn to love England again.
Legend of 1966 Sir Geoff Hurst said: “It makes sense to lighten the mood.”
Kabaddi
The Indian contact sport – once a Channel 4 regular – has become a key part of England training sessions.
Gareth Southgate introduced the game to help promote team spirit.
The players were a little bemused at first but it is having the desired effect, with the team laughing and joking their way through a session.
In kabaddi the object of the game is for a “raider” to venture into opposition territory and tag as many opponents as he can without getting encircled by them.
The attack must be carried out in a single breath, so the raider continually chants the word “kabaddi” so the ref knows he is not breathing in.
Marine Yomp
Harry Kane and the rest of the squad were bussed to Commando Training Centre Royal Marines in Devon last year and ordered to change into military fatigues.
They were then sent on a five-mile yomp and camped rough overnight.
The next day they tackled an assault course which included an underwater tunnel, with even the boss getting a dunking.
Before Tuesday’s crunch Colombia game, Southgate said of the Marines: “They’re an elite organisation who represent our country incredibly proudly.
"It was good for our guys to get an understanding of the fact that when they represent their country the consequences of failure are far more serious.
“It is putting it in the context of playing a match. But the age of the guys in the Marines is similar to our team.”
Subbuteo tactics
Beloved of Seventies schoolkids, FA coaches believe table football game Subbuteo is an effective way for the team and coaching staff to discuss their tactical formations.
Before England played Spain in 2016 Southgate, who was then caretaker manager, was seen stooped over a Subbuteo board at St George’s Park National Football Centre in Burton-on-Trent, Staffs.
He was with Tottenham’s Eric Dier and Liverpool duo Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana.
For more than an hour they went through Spain’s midfield tactics by moving around model figures.
FA coaches believe Subbuteo can be more effective for working through formations and set plays than other methods, such as video clips and diagrams, giving players the chance to visualise situations.
Let’s hope they remembered to “flick to kick”.
Psychologist
Doctor Pippa Grange’s FA job title – Head of People and Team Development – and her love of “wellness questionnaires” might sound like something from BBC spoof comedy W1A.
But the Yorkshire-born psychologist’s methods have been credited with giving the squad new-found inner strength and fixing their “mental frailty and brittleness”.
Pippa, 47, has plastered the team gym with motivational slogans.
The former UK basketball player has also taught the players how to visualise scoring a penalty to help deal with pressure.
Embedded with the squad in Russia, she has encouraged the players to share their life stories, fears and insecurities.
An insider said: “She has a way of getting everyone to open up. She’s helped make it a less laddish atmosphere.”
The team are also bonding over a card game called Werewolf.
Contestants split into werewolves and townsfolk and set about “killing” each other without being detected.
Left back Danny Rose said: “We we have 15 or 16 of us playing it every night.”
Penalties
For years England’s players had been told that penalties were simply a lottery.
Southgate, from his own bitter experience of missing a crucial spot-kick in the semi-final at Euro 96, begged to differ.
Before the shootout against Colombia, he insisted: “It’s not about luck. It’s not about chance.
“It’s about performing a skill under pressure. There are individual things you can work on within that.”
Southgate insisted on daily rehearsals.
The players picked a spot where they wanted to put the ball in practice – and were then told to stick to their guns in the nerve-shredding showdown.
As the five penalty-takers, including Marcus Rashford strode forward, they were also given words of encouragement by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
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Motivation
When Southgate first assembled his squad as England’s full-time manager in 2017, he sat them down to watch a specially made movie.
It began with the calamitous 1996 Atlanta Olympics – where Great Britain came home with one solitary gold medal.
Then there was footage of footie failures from the 1970 World Cup quarter-final defeat, penalty shootout heartbreaks and the Iceland horror show at Euro 2016.
It might sound like torture for players from a nation which has consistently underachieved.
But Southgate also spliced his video nasty with images of glory.
There were scenes from Team GB’s Olympic successes in Sydney, Beijing and London, where Jessica Ennis-Hill took gold in 2012.
The film drew to a close with British athletes returning home as heroes after finishing second in the 2016 medals table in Rio and images of Harry Kane and Dele Alli netting for England.
Southgate’s film underlined that England’s post-1966 record has been pretty dismal.
Yet, just as our Olympians had not been held back by history, so his young Lions could also transform their destiny.
By Scott Custis, son of Head of Sun Sport Shaun Custis
OTHER than a fry-up and a cuppa, can there be anything more English than football?
So imagine growing up with an utter hatred for the sport and in a country where it is almost a religion.
Never in my wildest imagination did I think I’d be jumping around like a madman cheering a penalty kicked by someone called Eric Dier.
All football used to mean to me was the typical stereotypes of lad culture, thugs, and stories of a family friend who once had trials for Arsenal.
I’m now 24, and ever since I was born my Dad has been a football journalist. I couldn’t have cared less. Imagine a boring hobby like gardening or DIY and substitute football in its place. That’s how I saw it.
Match of the Day to me was like a long car journey listening to Status Quo’s Greatest hits. Repetitive and dull.
The first moments of my life are caught forever on video with my Dad’s immortal line: “I reckon he’s big enough to be a Newcastle keeper”.
How little he knew about my lack of football ability.
I wasn’t even good enough to be a goalpost when my “mates” put me there to keep me out of the way during an intense five-a-side.
Also my family are all Geordies which meant I had to support Newcastle. I mean, did I even stand a chance? I might not know anything about football but I know enough not to keep backing a horse whose legs are broken.
If you’ve ever seen the IT Crowd, I’m one of those who needed the football app to speak to other fans and pretend to be real men.
I was five when I was dragged along to my first match. We stood in the rain, Newcastle went four up, Dad was loving it, and I was crying demanding to go home.
When Dad was on the Daily Express, I had a great afternoon playing with Gary McAllister’s son Jake.
I couldn’t understand why I was given a signed picture of Jake’s Dad. Nobody else’s Dad had ever given me a signed photo. The fact he had just won the treble with Liverpool meant nothing to me.
One story my family loves to tell is about us being in a Manchester hotel where Real Madrid stayed before a match against United.
I was ten and holding a copy of a FIFA video game. Football wasn’t my thing but I was into video games. A man stood next to my mum and asked in broken English “You like football?”. I replied: “No, it’s rubbish but I like FIFA.”
Later I saw a picture of the bloke on TV and explained to Dad that was who had been talking to me. “That was Zinedine Zidane!” he said, totally exasperated.
I went to a number of big games where Dad was working but I was bored to tears, and don't remember any of the actual football, although I did enjoy Peter Crouch doing his robot dance.
But I now realise how big a part football has been in my life. I saw the first ever match at the new Wembley stadium and was in Lanzarote when Spain won the World Cup in 2010 and saw swarms of people stopping traffic and jumping in the sea.
In Leicester I met a future girlfriend while they were celebrating winning the Premier League. My friend had a flat right across the river from King Power Stadium and we could hear the whole Kasabian concert from his balcony.
And this World Cup I’m starting to understand what everybody loves so much about football. I can see it has the capacity to bring people together. I can appreciate the skill required and I like the attitude of our players and the manager.
I've changed but they are responsible for that. Gareth Southgate is clearly a decent man and instilling his qualities into the team. He is helping us to like footballers which is no mean achievement.
And I hope his ways are rubbing off on the fans. It’s not about beating someone up if you lose - in fact it’s entirely the opposite (although there are still a few bad apples in the cart).
Now with the advent of a dedicated England team which has broken the curse of the penalty shoot out, I genuinely feel my chest swelling with pride.
I’m avidly joining in conversations about Harry Kane’s movement in the box and our prowess at set pieces.
When I was younger I always used to ask Mum if Dad was ever coming home.
Instead, along with everyone else, I’m singing “It’s coming home”.