Sunday 1 January 2017 12:34, UK
Gareth Southgate discusses his vision for the England national team and approaches towards discipline in a wide-ranging interview with Sky Sports.
The England manager was also quizzed on Wayne Rooney's future as captain and how he plans to handle Marcus Rashford's development between the senior and U21 squads.
England end the year ranked 13th in the world following a tumultuous six months which saw them endure a disappointing Euro 2016 exit to Iceland and two managerial changes thereafter.
Southgate was initially named England's interim manager in September following the sacking of Sam Allardyce, whose now infamous 67-day reign came after Roy Hodgson resigned in the summer.
And following two wins and two draws under Southgate's guidance, the former England captain signed a four-year deal in November to take the job on a permanent basis.
Here, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, the England manager opened up on a number of topics…
Southgate said he wants England to become the best team in the world but concedes there are many obstacles to overcome first - though he cited England's World Cup-winning rugby team of 2003 as a source of inspiration.
"We are currently ranked 13th in the world," Southgate said. "Respectfully in the last two tournaments we went out in the group stage and then the first knockout stage, and we are at a moment where we have 30 per cent of English players playing in the Premier League.
"So there are a lot of obstacles. But our long-term target is to become the No 1 team in the world. I always look at the England rugby team that won the World Cup in 2003, and they went into that tournament as the number one team.
"They had to go from fifth to first, we have to go from 13th to first. I'm not 100 per cent certain how long that takes, but we have to keep continuously improving all the time."
During Southgate's time as interim manager, pictures emerged of captain Rooney drinking at the team hotel following their 3-0 win over Scotland, while many of his team-mates had reportedly gone into London to celebrate.
The FA came out to say they would review what players are allowed to do in their free time, though no punishment was handed to Rooney or any other member of the squad.
"Discipline's an interesting word," Southgate said. "What is discipline? In my view, it's not having a load of rules and thinking that makes a disciplined environment.
"For me, it's an opportunity to establish a way of working as a team. There were things that I wanted to establish immediately in terms of how we played and trained, and now we can focus on what the next couple of years will look like for us, looking towards Russia and what standards we will want to set.
"We've seen the success of our Olympians and in football we have to match that.
"It's important that the environment makes the players feel relaxed enough. We're not Italians. Being locked in the hotel room, which is the norm in their pre-seasons and build-up to games.
"It's different for English players so we have to have the right balance of time where we're working and where people can relax and unwind.
"We have to be clear on what that looks like and what's expected of each other."
Having previously managed England's U21s for three years, Southgate grew accustomed to interacting with Hodgson with regards to player development and who was ready to step up to the senior squad.
Rashford was one point of contention, but the young Manchester United forward impressed at the Euros despite having no tournament experience at youth level.
With the U21 European Championship on the horizon, Southgate will be tackling this issue from a new angle come the end of the season.
"I'm tempted to say that I will pinch all their best players and leave them to get on with it. We made good strides with Roy in terms of our dialogue around when players would move up and when they would go back down to the U21s," Southgate said.
"The advantage I have over Roy is that I know all those players really well and that gives me a bit more of an insight as to exactly where they are.
If I looked at a young player who we believe will have a future with the senior team, you would want him to have tournament experience and Marcus doesn't really have that yet at any of our age groups.
"For his overall and international development, that would be a good thing. Again I have to balance that with how many games he plays for Man United, because he's still physically developing at his age and we have to make sure that call is correct.
"I think he's aware that is part of the plan, but those decisions will have to be finalised come April or May."
