Exclusive: Gareth Southgate building an English identity

And whisper it quietly, but The Three Lions have a lot to be optimistic about.

That crushing and embarrassing loss to Iceland at Euro 2016 was followed by a laborious and uninspiring qualifying campaign.

And after watching Gareth Southgate’s side struggle to break down teams who sat 11 men behind the ball, it seemed Russia would be another tournament with little to cheer.

But Southgate began to his stamp his own vision on England once qualification was secure.

It meant a switch to a back three where all three defenders are comfortable on the ball.

And while there were high-profile casualties such as Man United’s Chris Smalling, England appeared a side transformed in friendlies against Holland and Italy last month.

Not only did the Three Lions look as technically good as their opponents, they also had options.

Jesse Lingard and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain impressed in a midfield supposedly lacking in creativity. Raheem Sterling shone in a front two.

And the performances arrived without a certain Harry Kane, while Dele Alli watched from the bench.

So was it always Southgate’s intention to try and change England so radically after qualification for the World Cup was achieved? And if so, why did he wait?

“When I look back, I was probably a little bit safe in my decision-making, which isn’t how I like to be,” he said.

“But we had a really interesting challenge when I took over.

“Everyone knows the manner in which I got the job wasn’t planned.

“The qualifying campaign had started and the most important thing was to qualify.

“There were young players I wanted to look at, but I couldn’t be sure if they were ready. And you have to qualify, it’s so important for the country.

“It’s vital for the experience of the players, but also for the economy it’s a big thing.

“When I took the role with the under-21s, it was because I believe English players could play in a certain way.

“But the team was coming off the back of a really tough experience psychologically in France.

"I think everyone was scarred by that. We had to do what we could to move on from it.”

Southgate admitted England’s drab qualifying campaign only reiterated the need for change.

“We qualified, but it was flat,” he continued.

“The performances were not as we hoped. It wasn’t enjoyable.

“We sat down as a coaching staff and looked at how we moved forward.

"We talked about how we wanted to play and who might be the players that can play in that way.

“That is when we decided to go to a back three.

“We tried it for the first time against Lithuania. We put Harry Maguire in for his first game. We put John Stones into the middle of the three.

"There were certain things we wanted to start to look at straight away.

“And I think everyone can see from the friendlies against Holland and Italy that the team is starting to play in the style we are looking for.

“It is still going to take time. But that is the way I believe we should play.”

Southgate is clear when it comes to what he wants from his players in Russia.

He said: “I think it’s important we have energy, speed, technical ability and are brave in how we play.

"I want our defenders to play out from the back, that is really important.

"If we are going to be a successful team and beat the top, top teams – that is what we are going to have to be able to do.

"We want to play in an attacking style, I think that is now starting to come through.

"But at the moment we haven’t beaten those top teams so we have loads still to prove.”

Now more than 50 years since England won the World Cup for the one and only time in their history, Southgate knows all too well the expectancy that comes with playing for the Three Lions.

He won the last of his 54 caps in 2004.

He has also seen numerous players fail to cope with the pressure after pulling on the famous white shirt.

And it’s the mindset of players he has been most eager to change – with the boss happy to draw on his famous penalty miss at Euro 1996 if it means helping England’s current stars.

“I think in the past with England we have been too worried about what could go wrong,” Southgate said.

“That’s been the focus instead of what we can achieve.

“I don’t have that because I have been through the most difficult thing, in a professional sense, that I am ever going to experience with that penalty miss.

“I’m thinking of how we make the team better and how we can play in a way that people will enjoy rather than what happens if we lose.

“I think that is an important mindset. Sometimes we talk about what might go wrong rather than how good we might be.

“I want the players at the World Cup to be looking at – and be excited by – what they can achieve because I’m very confident in their ability.”

It’s not just Southgate’s penalty miss that has made him realise the England camp needs to be a relaxed one in Russia.

“It’s really important we get the balance right when it comes to working and relaxing,” the boss said.

“The level of intensity is so high. Most weekends, there are 10 Premier League matches so 20 clubs and 20 stories.

“The focus of the media is spread across a lot of big characters. But come the summer, there is only one story.

“We do have a bigger media focus. We need that balance of being able to do as many normal things as we can, while also being aware that as soon as the players step outside the hotel – there is likely to be a camera in their face.

"That is why we have taken an area that is a little quieter but is close enough so the guys’ families can come in.

“It hit me when I was at the World Cup in Brazil, we stayed in a hotel with the Dutch. Louis van Gaal was the manager of Holland and they got to the semi-finals.

“It was only a small thing but the night before games, the families would come in to get their tickets.

“They sat down and it was really relaxed. I think at times with England, it’s been a bit uptight, again we’ve been worrying about what might go wrong.

“But let’s think how good we can be. I want the players to play with confidence and to go for things.

“You can’t say play without fear because there will always be fear.

“But I want the defenders to bring the ball out. I want midfielders to express themselves.

“Otherwise you finish and look back and feel you were inhibited in those games – that you didn’t play as you could have done.”

If Southgate wasn’t as brave as he would have liked during qualifying, he certainly was in the friendlies last month.

Kyle Walker, the Man City full-back, was asked to play at centre-back.

Sterling, normally a winger, was deployed in a front two while Lingard (pictured inset) dropped back into a deeper midfield role.

“The rationale for the change of system was to get a few more offensive players into the midfield area,” Southgate continued.

“You still need stability behind that. But it means we have been able to get more attack-minded players on to the pitch and get more numbers higher up the pitch when we are in those attacking areas.

“The messages we are giving players are clear. And the more they do it, the easier that will be.

"A lot of them have played similar formations with their clubs and even if they haven’t played in those exact positions, they are in areas of the pitch where they do their best work.

“For example, playing Kyle Walker in a back three, although it seems different, he is in that position a lot for Manchester City so it shouldn’t feel uncomfortable for him. It’s not something that is completely alien.

“I think that’s really important when selecting players to play for England.

“You want them to be able to replicate the form they are producing for their club.

“You want them to be comfortable in the position they play.”

With Alli watching the recent friendlies from the bench, Lingard in outstanding form, Sterling integral to Manchester City and Oxlade-Chamberlain rejuvenated at Liverpool, Southgate has a wealth of options at his disposal.

It means for the first time in a long time, England fans are struggling to predict the side that will start at the World Cup.

And the manager admits there will be players who are disappointed.

“The thing I am most excited about is the potential of this team,” Southgate said.

“There are so many exciting players coming through. But it’s a challenge because not everybody can play.

“As a coach, you want everybody to feel they can play and that they are important to the team.

“And we are only going to be successful by having that competition for places and by having a squad who are unselfish.

“Players are going to have to play their part at their time. To be successful, we will need more than 11 players.

“It is exciting because we have got players who can make a difference in games.

"But we have also got a lot of young players who are only going to improve over the next few years.

“We don’t want to limit their belief in what they can achieve going forward.”

Southgate can see the atmosphere surrounding England has changed following their impressive performances last month.

And he insists the only aim for the World Cup is to build on that.

“I can definitely sense people can see what we are trying to do and the style in which we want to play,” he added.

“Success would be that we come home from Russia proud of what we have done.

“For sure that means we will have to win some games because I don’t think people will be too impressed if we haven’t.

“But I think a lot will depend on how we play and the way we are as a group.

“I think there has been a bit of a disconnect between the team and the public.

“But we have got some very talented young players who are characters. They are England fans as well.

“Sometimes we forget as players and coaches we are all part of that England fan group – it’s just we have the honour of wearing the shirt and working with the team.

“It’s important the players remember that. But it’s nice the supporters are aware the players are fans as well.

“The squad we pick is going to do everything it can to make the country proud.”