A game of few laughs? Sports psychologist says joy is England’s missing ingredient

Gareth Southgate addresses the media on Monday. Sports psychologist Michael Caulfield says there is too much focus on the ‘cult of the manager’. Photograph: UEFA Handout/PA

Sporting success isn’t down to pickle juice, according to a leading sports psychologist. The secret isn’t to be found in the inflatable unicorns England’s players famously mounted to recuperate in the pool. Or the £3,400 electric bikes they pedalled to boost their post-match recovery. It’s not even about the manager.

“Instead, what I’m going to say will horrify you,” said Michael Caulfield, who has worked in professional sport for more than 25 years. “Football is – or should be – only about joy.”