Raheem Sterling outlines the most important thing that Gareth Southgate has got right for England
Raheem Sterling stars at Euro 2020
As England made it to the final, Raheem Sterling was key in their progress. The Manchester City man netted three times in 7 games, and provided another assist to help the Three Lions make it out of the group stages atop the group.
🗣”It’s been quite the journey.”
Raheem Sterling talks about approaching nine years being in the England set-up. pic.twitter.com/f4WTvCecA2
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 5, 2021
For Sterling, though, the plaudits ring hollow, with the Englishman saying in an interview with Sky Sports:
“You still have people saying congratulations or something and it’s like… there’s not much to congratulate as we didn’t win,”
“That’s the great thing within the squad, we’re not happy with doing well and putting on a show for the country, we genuinely wanted to come home with that trophy and that’s the mentality in the squad now.
“It was class, we went to the final but we want to win, we want to make history, and I think that’s the message since day one when Gareth (Southgate) came in.”
Sterling reveals one thing Southgate has got absolutely right
For Sterling, one of the biggest changes has been off the pitch. From personal experience, he knows only to well the vitriol that England players have been exposed to in years gone by. However, he outlined perhaps the most important thing Southgate has got spot on during his stint as England manager.
The point in question? Getting the media back on side with the players, rather than against them.
The English winger said:
“I feel like when I first went into the camp, it was very much them versus us, the media versus the players,”
“When Gareth came in, he made it very clear what his intentions were, they were to make England challenge on all fronts, make us challenge at Euros and World Cups.
“If we were to do that, we had to change the perception in the media, public and us the players – we all had to be one if we wanted to achieve something with the national team.
“From the moment he (Southgate) came in – he really tried to work on building that relationship with the media and the fans and I think he’s done a fantastic job at doing that.”
Will the renewed unity result in success on the pitch going forwards?
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