When Gareth Southgate talks about being “very careful” not to go back to the old England “environment”, there are specific moments he is thinking of. One memory that stands out was when Southgate himself was picked to play midfield rather than centre-half for the infamous 1-0 defeat to Germany in 2000, which was the last match at the old Wembley. He and Kevin Keegan — the manager about to resign due to how unenjoyable the job was — had been savaged for it before the game. It got worse afterwards.
Just a few months before that, Southgate’s usual centre-half partner Tony Adams had a specific message for newcomer Steven Gerrard. Adams went right up to the midfielder’s face and screamed “Are you f****** ready for this?!”
