John McDermott (center) has a good relationship with Gareth Southgate. At the Al-Bayt stadium in the desert north of Doha, one of the victorious French players confessed frankly to John McDermott.
«It was like, 'Wow, we were broke there,'» says McDermott, reflecting on England's brutal 2-1 defeat in the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar. The next day, the Football Association's technical director spoke to one of his predecessors, Howard Wilkinson, about how «sometimes the gods are with you, but [should 'sometimes' be here?] the gods aren't.»
That's not however, the FA, England, Gareth Southgate and McDermott leave as little as possible to chance. Indeed, in an in-depth interview, the first he has given since his appointment two years ago, McDermott discusses a variety of topics:
- How England are on the cusp of winning their first major trophy since 1966
- Brilliant prospects for a number of underage teams in tournaments this summer
- How the new 'DNA Plus' document came to be, clarifying how England play, and «psycho-social work» at the heart of it
- Like anyone who claims to have known that 14-year-old Harry Kane would be so good is a «liar»
- Why the ex-Dutch striker Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, not the English coach, is the right person to work with Southgate.
This is McDermott's third time with the FA since returning to the organization from a similar position at Tottenham Hotspur — first as Les Reid's deputy and then succeeding him in January 2021 — and there is a comment that has stuck with him since his first tenure. there.
«I always remember Sir Bobby (Robson) saying 'at the FA you are the defender of the game' and that feeling 'how can we make sure that under our leadership, my leadership, the game will stay as healthy, if not healthier.' position» stayed with me. I've always felt that, I've always felt that responsibility,» says McDermott.
After 15 years at Tottenham where he helped find players like Kane, it's time to «lift your head above the parapet» although returning during Covid and with FA spending cuts has been admittedly difficult. «I would say that this was probably the most difficult part of my career,» states McDermott.
England's rising curve
First, and it's undeniable, the main challenge — or rather the most important challenge — revolves around the men's senior team, and McDermott is optimistic about his chances at the European Championships next year. There is also a determination not to “be like Greece” (which won the Euro in 2004 but has never come close since), but to “try to keep it.”
“This is the most successful time I can remember with England,” he says. “But I also look back at the feeling after playing France and the feeling of surprise in that camp.
“The surprise of our own players, the surprise when I talk to some of the French players that we lost. There is a real belief that we are good enough and our players believe that we can win the next tournament and believe that we could win in Qatar.
“There is real data on what this team is doing and how they are accumulating evidence that we can win and that we are going to win. There is this inner conviction, but also what I feel when I am with the players and in the camp that this is not a fake. There is a sincere, sincere belief that this group of guys will make it.”
That belief, McDermott insists, mostly comes from Southgate, whose «superpower» he says is «building a team.» He adds: “Gareth is great at gathering evidence, and instead of going in and throwing cheers and cheers… I think based on the evidence, there is a genuine feeling that should have belonged to us, that could have belonged to us. I don't think it's arrogance or arrogance.”
England got off to a strong start to the Euro qualifiers with away wins against Italy for the first time since 1961 and Ukraine, and two more matches in June. against Malta and North Macedonia. They're on their way to a tournament in Germany and these games are part of a hectic summer ahead for McDermott.
This week he will be in Hungary with Ryan Gurry who is coaching the Under 17 team at the European Championships, in Argentina with Ian Foster at the World Under 20 Championships with seniors and then with the Under 21 team with Lee Carsley at the Euros in Georgia. and Romania.
«I'm a supporter of international football and whether or not they leave for tours and tournaments, I think it's the healthiest learning environment a player can be in,» McDermott says, and while there's frustration that » Juventus have blocked Samuel Ealing-Junior's under-20 challenge, all players from England are transferring despite being outside the international window. disappointment that Samuel Ealing-Junior was not allowed to play for England. Photo: Getty Images/Matt McNulty Player Links
The key problem with challenges is that players are eligible to play for more than one country. What attracts them to FA? “We just developed DNA Plus,” says McDermott, which is an update of the “England DNA” document created nine years ago by Dan Ashworth when he was FA and Southgate technical director and then under-21 coach. He championed excellence in finding, training, developing and preparing young footballers.
“So it's an evolution of the players we have and the way we play. And in general, how we play against a big team, how you play thirds, how you have the aura to try to dominate with style,” McDermott says of DNA Plus.
“I don’t think DNA Plus is something radically new, but it is definitely an evolution of what we had and also an upgrade in terms of just branding, refreshing and giving new staff information about how we we are working. going to play. But based on principles: we will play openly, we will use teams and recognize the «Six Moments» in the game — the principles of the game from time immemorial.
«Six Moments» is a well-known coaching term referring to fundamental principles such as actions in and out of possession and on a standard play, but the most interesting aspect of DNA Plus is what McDermott calls «psychosocial «. Job. “That's a huge part of what we're trying to do: how do we make sure we can communicate with our players. Now sixty to seventy percent of our players have dual citizenship,” he explains.
“So we need some of our top players to get some delayed rewards; willing to wait a little longer than if they were playing as a smaller nation. It's about how we connect with our players, how we can make sure they really want to play for England and are willing to maybe wait another two years and not get that instant limit with another country. So this psychosocial element is an important part of what we're trying to do.”
Talent ID
Developing young players and winning junior tournaments is the backbone of his work, and McDermott's vast experience has taught him several key lessons. “Maniball (a book based on the use of statistics in sports) talks about the “curse of talent”. Being ahead of the peloton at 16 is one of the worst places,” he says. “Now Fabregas and Rooney are passing, so there are examples. And Phil Foden is a fantastic player and I think he is a real player of the future.
“But I don’t think that winning international (youth) tournaments gives any guarantees, because suddenly Jude Bellingham comes from Birmingham (and overtakes everyone). (But) do we want to win England teams? Of course there is.
Kane is perhaps the best example of a player who came to his senses relatively late and didn't show much previous promise. “At 14, I would never have known that Kane would become Kane. I think if anyone says yes, I think they are liars,” McDermott says of the England and Spurs striker who started out at the club's academy.
“His resilience to go (on loan) to (Leyton) Orient, move to Millwall, break into Leicester, Norwich, not so good, come back and fight against (Roberto) Soldado and (Emmanuel) Adebayor to break the team. Mentally incredible and very, very diligent.
“Harry's record at the time (at age 14) his agility record, his running record was not very good. But he had the ability to want to learn this football obsession. I don't think he was on the side of his district.
Harry Kane playing for the Tottenham Under-21 team in 2013. Photo: Action Images/Henry Browne. cent. There are ongoing discussions about what can be done and how work permits are processed through the FA, but McDermott believes that quotas do not work.
“There has always been competition, and we are not in a position to set quotas … I don’t see the point in “you have to play with four,” he says. “This is a good margin. We want the most competitive league in the world, we want the most viewed league in the world, we want this international league. But of course I play for academies and young English players, and Gareth too. So, trying to find a middle ground for the future, how do we make sure we do have outstanding talent for our England teams, but it doesn't dilute the Premier League and vice versa.”
The coaching path
It's also about creating the right coaching environment and giving the right coaches the right opportunities. With the under-21 team, McDermott brought in former England internationals Ashley Cole and Joleon Lescott to work alongside Irishman Carsley. He calls them «two gladiators».
“Gareth has talked about this before – when a player comes in who works with Jürgen (Klopp), Pep (Guardiola) or anyone else, it can be a disappointment if the level of coaching or inspiration is not so good. . That's what I think about the 21s is to make sure it's a Premier League-like environment. And, therefore, to attract these guys,” says McDermott.
However, is there enough chance, in particular, for black coaches?
“This is something I'm passionate about. Ces Podd gave me my first chance to be a manager (at Leeds United). When I moved to the Spurs, I moved to Chris Ramsey, a brilliant thinker, brilliant communicator with young players. Working for a cosmopolitan club like the Spurs and a place like London, I am very aware of our workforce, the way we communicate and the need to not just talk about diversity, but understand it and model it.
“ There are various schemes running through the FA and the Premier League at the moment and it is important to keep them going, but there is also a more informal way to do it. So the appearance of Joleon and Ash is connected not only with the color of their skin, but also with the fact that they are outstanding gladiators who inspire these players.”
Another black coach, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, has just joined the senior roster. However, is bringing in the 51-year-old Dutchman the right signal for English managers looking for a chance?
“But I think if we're trying to do what's best for the players, we thought Jimmy was the best person for the job in terms of the era the team is in. If we look at some of the other people working along the way, I don’t think that in any way undermines the way of black English coaches,” McDermott argues with Will Antwee (England Under 15s), Gigton Noel-Williams (assistant pre 17 years old) and Harry from the FA.
Even so, Hasselbaink will be part of the team that will go to Germany next year, and this appointment looks out of place.
Will whether this is Southgate's last tournament remains to be seen. If he wins, he can continue. In any case, McDermott, pleased that the manager chose to stay after the World Cup, says «there are succession plans.» These plans may prevail next summer.
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