Football News - The Purist meets Gareth Southgate

EXCLUSIVE!
England veteran defender Gareth Southgate talks about the England team, their opponents in the Group of Death, Sven Goran Eriksson, Middlesbrough, David Beckham and Buddhist temples in Bali.

Gareth Southgate biography:

Born 3rd Sept 1970.
Defender.
Club team: Middlesbrough FC, England.
Previous clubs: Crystal Palace, Aston Villa.
No. of England caps: 42
England goals in competitive matches: 1
[Luxembourg 0 England 3 1998]

During the Euro 96 tournament in England, Southgate played well, but his penalty was saved in the semi-final penalty shoot-out against Germany, thus ensuring England’s exit from the competition.
Featured in the starting line-up, but was injured in the first match in France 98.
Is currently trying to force his way back into England’s first XI for Korea/Japan 02.

The Purist meets Gareth Southgate

Soccerphile: There have been many plaudits for your performances since joining Premier League team Middlesbrough from Aston Villa. Are you happy with your own form?

Gareth Southgate: I have to say I’m pleased with the way I’ve played in what has been a tough season for Middlesbrough Football Club. I sat down and looked at what I considered my strengths and weaknesses when I arrived, with the assistant manager, Bill Beswick.
He’s a qualified sports psychologist and he helped me come to the conclusion that there was nothing stopping me competing at the highest level. If others had an edge we felt it may just have been a physical thing, so that‚s meant a few hours in the gym, which I believe has really helped.

Soccerphile: How much was Steve McClarençs role in the England set-up an influence in your transfer last year?
GS: Well he convinced me straight away that the move was right for me, regardless of his involvement with the national side. Boro put up the money and at the end of the day Villa blocked any other moves, so the gaffer’s role did not really play a part.
I would like to think, though, that he knew what he was getting. It’s essential that you have an organiser and a communicator at the back and I’ve gained in confidence as a result of being part of an effective defensive unit.

Soccerphile: How different has it been under England coach Sven Goran Eriksson, having played under other managers such as Venables, Hoddle, Wilkinson and Keegan?
GS: Well no one knew Sven, of course, so whatever people thought of having a foreign England manager, the main practical difference was that personalities didn’t come into his selection, in fact, we could be sure his thinking was entirely based on the matches he’d seen for himself. By that, I mean usually you have players who’ve worked under the incoming manager at club level, and as such have a history, whereas when he came in we simply all had to earn his respect. Everyone started from the same point.
Basically he’s such an impressive presence he just naturally commands respect himself. But I return to the importance of his not being known: players just don’t want to step out of line with him because we don’t know what the penalty would be. This seems to keep us in line!

Soccerphile: Do you agree that he has inherited a phenomenally strong group of young players?
GS: I do, but having said that, I don’t go along with the school of thought that says we should use this World Cup as some kind of trial run to put towards their future development! I’m old enough to remember an England side not qualifying and in my book you should make the most of playing in any major finals.
Sven’s arrival coincided with any number of young players who’ve come through and impressed everyone. Steven Gerrard and Kieron Dyer are just two examples, and both have more than dipped their toes in the water as far as international football is concerned. But the one player to have particularly impressed me is Owen Hargreaves of Bayern Munich. He’s holding his own at such a high level and at such a young age.

Soccerphile: Have you been to Japan or Korea before?
GS: No, the closest I’ve come is Hong Kong and China with England in 1996, in the build-up to Euro 96. I’m sure everyone can remember that trip! But I’m looking forward to the World Cup from a travelling point of view. I’m intrigued by different cultures, and though I expect we’ll be shepherded around to some extent during the tournament, let’s hope England are there long enough for us to have a look beyond the confinement of our base camp.

Soccerphile: Is it an urban myth that you were recognised somewhere exotic and far-flung just when you were trying to put the agonising end to Euro 96 out of your mind?
GS: No, that’s true! I got away to Bali with my wife once we were knocked out and we found ourselves in a Buddhist temple, with these isolated lakes and volcanoes nearby. Unfortunately I was spotted by a monk who told me, "You Gareth Southgate, England penalty drama!" Actually, I reckon he was one of these famous long-distance Man United fans!

Soccerphile: When it comes to relaxing at home, what kind of sites do you surf on the Internet?
GS: When it’s not a matter of keeping up with football news I’ll use Amazon, which allows me to pick out and buy music and books very easily.

Soccerphile: How far has the region’s humidity played a part in the England camp’s preparations, and can you see it influencing Sven Goran Eriksson’s tactics?
GS: We have spoken about what to expect in terms of climate and conditions already. There have been plenty of tests, which should at least indicate who is and isn’t likely to be adversely affected within the squad. I’m confident it won’t represent a problem, though, as all the guys are at their peak if we’re talking about fitness, anyway.
We’ll spend a week in Dubai and then two more in Korea, so we should have been able to adjust by then.
We’ve obviously thought about the danger of haring around, and the good thing is that counter-attacking is a viable option for us these days.

We have plenty of lads from Arsenal and Liverpool, and those clubs have proved that you can operate effectively away from home if you adopt the counter-attack as a tactic.

Woody & Nord Gareth Southgate & Andy Woodman

Soccerphile: Have you found the atmosphere at England games slowly evolving and improving, compared with the negative image that persists?
GS: As long as I’ve been with England the support has always been fantastic, and the bigger games, such as Germany away, for example, have been all the better for their backing.
However, the three tournaments I’ve been involved in have all been so much easier to travel to than this time around, so it will be interesting to see the difference when the English can’t take over a whole stadium at a time, as we’ve been able to do in the past.

Soccerphile: Which strikers do you fear most from Group F?
GS: Well that very much depends on the selections made by the respective managers, but each have strikers that must not be underestimated under any circumstances.
Going through them in the order we play, there’s Sweden’s Henrik Larsson, who’s such a key player for them. He has this knack not just of scoring goals but of scoring important goals, and there’s every chance he’ll be ably assisted by Fredrik Ljungberg of Arsenal.
I remember they gave us a torrid time less than four years ago in the opening Euro 2000 qualifier, and neither of them even played at Old Trafford when the Swedes earned themselves a draw with us in a friendly back in November.
With Argentina we’ve no idea who will take the centre-forward slot, but the fact that Gabriel Batistuta may not even be involved tells you all you need to know about their embarrassment of riches when
it comes to strikers. There’s Saviola, Cruz and Crespo also vying for that position, and they are all playing a high standard of club football.
Although I followed as much of the African Nations Cup held in Mali earlier this year as I could, I didn’t see as much of Nigeria as I’d have liked. However, having played against Nwankwo Kanu on a few occasions, I don’t need telling about any of the brilliant things he’s capable of coming up with.

Soccerphile: What of the host nations’ chances?
GS: I’ve not even seen South Korea play, to be honest, but I know a little more about the Japan team. Though they are not perceived as football nations, I’m sure enough enthusiasm will be generated to make it a memorable experience. Having been through a tournament played at home I can vouch for how valuable a lift that enthusiasm can provide for the players. It goes without saying that it’s far better for the tournament as a whole the longer the home side can stay in and maintain the interest of the man on the street.

Soccerphile: Who are your personal tips for the World Cup?
GS: Even though they’ve not been tested by a qualifying process and certainly weren’t tested by Scotland the other week, I think France rightly stand out as favourites.
They have quality throughout the squad and the fact that all their players are competing in Europe with the very best tells me they have, if anything, got stronger than when they won it last time.
Brazil, despite an uncharacteristically hard time in qualifying, are still a very real danger as far as I’m concerned and people write them off at their peril.
Then there’s Italy and Argentina, both of whom have the experience and know-how to keep up their proud records in the World Cup. They always seem to produce the goods when it matters and I was very impressed with the Italians when we played them in our warm-up fixture at Leeds.

Soccerphile: How hard does the injury to David Beckham hit England’s own hopes?
GS: Well although he was clearly in pain, I don’t think we should be writing him off yet. The manager has already made it clear he’ll be coming with us whatever happens, and, having had the same injury [metatarsal break] myself, I know what he’ll be going through.
It’s essential for the blood flow that the injured foot is kept in plaster, and while it’s a huge blow for United obviously, my fingers are crossed that he will be able to participate [in the World Cup].

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