Gareth Southgate has become the quiet leader at this World Cup.
Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte are three of the most excitable managers on the touchline as they kick every ball and shout and scream instructions. But Southgate has revealed that he has very deliberately taken to stay sitting down in the dug-out rather than constantly be in the technical area by the edge of the pitch.
England boss Southgate said he began taking a different approach after Covid when he used to stand on the touchline to try and motivate the players when there were no fans in the stadium. But Southgate clearly felt it was not very helpful to be constantly barking instructions at players and now lets them get on with the job on the pitch.
Southgate said: “I got into a bit of a habit during Covid of standing out there because you felt they needed more encouragement at the side of the pitch without the fans.
“But I'm happier just biding my time and taking my moments really, I don't really need to be playing every ball for the players, I trust them and it has been nice to sit and watch a little bit more.
“In the modern game you see quite a lot going on at the side of the pitch. Look, it won't be for some but I don't feel that I need to be out there to play every ball with them.
“They know what they are doing, they are prepared, they know I'll be there when they need me and also we have got the monitor where we can watch everything with a slight time delay if things happen when you've got to make some tactical decisions.”
It is clearly having the desired effect in Doha as England are into the last 16 as group winners, won two of their three games and scored nine goals, conceding just two in the process.
England have experienced players in the squad with Harry Kane captain on the pitch, they have got the likes of Declan Rice, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson who captain their clubs. Kieran Trippier often captains Newcastle.
Even Jude Bellingham has captain Borussia Dortmund at the tender age of 18 and the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and John Stones could all be considered as leaders.
There is also a school of thought that managers constantly barking orders from the touchline actually ends up intimidating the players and puts them off their game.
Southgate did make a big tactical tweak at half time in the Wales game as he switched Marcus Rashford to the right and Phil Foden to the left but he did that from the dressing room.
It also perhaps underlines that, in international management, you are in charge of an elite group of players who do not need much coaching and you almost have to be a leader of state.
Southgate’s No2 Steve Holland takes a lot of the training, Southgate delivers the team talks in the dressing room and then, when they cross the white line, they have enough experience to manage the game themselves.
It is a different approach from Southgate who has stressed that he thinks the current squad is better than the 2018 generation when they reached the World Cup semi finals. His biggest job is to keep the squad happy and particularly those who are not getting many minutes.
Southgate himself could even be taking charge of his last World Cup as his contract expires in 2014 and he says he is savouring every moment in Qatar.
Southgate said: “I have been determined to enjoy the tournament, I am enjoying the tournament. It is a great group of players and staff to work with.
“We have got to keep them on track, there will be players who feel really great, some who will feel disappointed and that is an ongoing process for us. What they are achieving, they have got the first objective done and when you look back they've done that pretty clinically.”
