Bromances rekindled and a ‘Chilly’ lookalike: What we learnt from England’s first training session
Gareth Southgate has been dealing with fitness issues and absentees in the build-up to Euro 2024.
But all 26 players trained on Tuesday as England went through their paces for the first time since arriving in Germany the previous night.
England kick-off their Group C campaign on Sunday against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, before taking on Denmark and Slovenia, and a couple of hundred people watched on at Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld in Jena as England were put through their paces by Gareth Southgate ahead of the weekend’s match.
Here are the key takeaways from England’s first training session in Germany...
Shaw in the rondos and everyone on the grass
At the open training session inside the stadium that is home to Carl Zeiss Jena, one of eastern Germany’s most famous old clubs, it was the first time that Gareth Southgate had all 26 players available since naming his squad last Thursday.
It was Jude Bellingham’s first training session since joining up after being given a week off following Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph and, importantly, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Bukayo Saka and Lewis Dunk were also out on the pitch.
All have been injury concerns – Shaw in particular – and it was encouraging to see the left-back take part in the session. Shaw has not played since aggravating a hamstring problem during Manchester United’s 2-1 win at Luton Town in February and he revealed over the weekend he should not have played in the game.
When announcing his squad Southgate even suggested Shaw was an outsider to make it but he has done so – although, clearly, from the evidence of the 40-minute long training session, he will not be fit to face Serbia on Sunday.
Encouragingly, he was involved in the ‘rondos’ – the boxes – a standard training drill with a group of players attempting to keep possession with a series of passes while one or two others are tasked with trying to intercept.
Again, though, Shaw did not go in the middle which is a far more taxing task. It shows he still has some way to go. The session will now be followed by four full days of training before travelling to Gelsenkirchen on Saturday afternoon.
Kane and Trippier manipulating a familiar referee
“It was a massacre,” grinned Harry Kane after he and Kieran Trippier had proved to be masters of a version of ‘foot volleyball’ – where players head or volley the ball to keep it inside a tight area. It is like the game ‘Teqball’, which has proved popular in training grounds, but without the table.
The seasoned pros of Kane and Trippier – clearly close friends – were wily enough to see off firstly Kyle Walker and John Stones (who are also close) and then Ezri Konsa and Bukayo Saka. Finally, they also proved too much for Ollie Watkins and Eberechi Eze who quickly fell 4-0 down in their match but rallied to bring it back to 4-3.
Faced with the prospect of a humiliating comeback, there was then, quite obviously, a bit of lighthearted gamesmanship from the Kane/Trippier partnership who took their time (timewasted?) as they ran down the clock before Steve Holland, Southgate’s assistant, blew his whistle. Southgate was the umpire at this end of the pitch. “Sometimes you have to manipulate the ref,” Trippier said, and he and Kane certainly knew how to get into Southgate’s ear when it came to some tight calls – much to Walker and Konsa’s frustrations, in particular.
What was also obvious was the continuing ‘bromance’ between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham – remember that from the last World Cup when Liverpool fans dared to dream that Bellingham was about to sign for them? – as they also paired up in other matches.
The aim of the exercise? It was to engender team-spirit and competitiveness but also to sharpen up close control in tight spaces and was – from as enthusiastically as it was played – a huge success.
Bellingham mobbed in mini-goal match
The lively session ended with a fast-paced game involving two teams – greens and blues - trying to score in four mini-goals that were turned around back to front. Why? It made it even harder to score with the teams having to go past the goals to then try and find the net. The goalkeepers – including veteran Tom Heaton, who was been added to the squad as a ‘training goalkeeper’ – all played outfield with the nearest player tasked with defending the goal should the other team threaten to score.
Some – such as Stones and Alexander-Arnold – clearly saw it as their duty to do so as the ball was moved rapidly from end-to-end. Shaw was involved but not fully while the other players appeared under orders not to make any contact with him.
The biggest celebration? That came right at the end when Bellingham scored emphatically for the blues – apt for the Birmingham City fan – and he was mobbed by his team-mates who piled onto him as the session ended.
And finally… the video producer nicknamed ‘Chilly’
Ben Chilwell may not have made it into the England squad but there was a double-take as Brendan Modini walked out. A popular figure with the players, Modini is the FA’s video producer and is behind much of England’s innovative content. But he is undeniably the spitting image of the Chelsea left-back. Modini was there to film for the FA but such is his resemblance to Chilwell that even the England players refer to him by the nickname ‘Chilly’. It is truly uncanny.
Meanwhile, the open training session – with FA technical director John McDermott among those observing in the pleasant 17 degrees Celsius sunshine – ended with the England squad signing autographs for the fans.
All of them were involved with Kane, Declan Rice and, unsurprisingly, Bellingham the last to leave. That trio were much in demand, but especially Bellingham who stayed way beyond everyone else signing and agreeing to ‘selfies’, before the squad headed back to their hotel.
