As trepidation grows over the thought of Harry Maguire and John Stones trying to stop Kylian Mbappé when England face France on Saturday night, Gareth Southgate can take comfort from the knowledge his right-hand man dealt with this kind of situation when Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012.
Steve Holland’s experience is a reminder that any player, even the most devastating forward at the World Cup, can be contained if the tactical approach is good enough. Southgate’s assistant was on the backroom staff at Chelsea when they became European champions 10 years ago and he remains proud of how Roberto Di Matteo’s unfancied side stopped a peak Lionel Messi from scoring when they reached the final of the Champions League at the expense of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
