Published 24 June 2021 2 min read
England Men's Senior Team
Holland on pod
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England assistant manager Steve Holland joins the Official England podcast to talk coaching and more
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Gareth Southgate’s assistant manager Steve Holland explains his role within the group and the difficulties of navigating the unusual features of UEFA EURO 2020.
Holland was part of the coaching staff at Chelsea while working with our MU21s and joined the seniors full-time as assistant manager when Southgate was appointed in 2016.
The 51 year old was part of successful teams that won the UEFA Champions League and two Premier League titles during his time at Stamford Bridge but now his main focus is planning the training schedule for England.
With the Three Lions enjoyed a day off following their win over Czech Republic, Holland sat down to explain his role in more detail to the Official England Podcast host, Adam Smith.
“My responsibilities are to put the training sessions together with the rest of the coaching staff and obviously during the regular season there’s a lot of watching players - lads we know and ones that are emerging,” he said.
“We have a good relationship where we know each other well and we need to communicate to a point but we know how each other thinks so we can trust that we are on the same page.
“We have a good way of working where Gareth trusts me to look after the training schedules and share that with the coaching staff but nothing happens without him overseeing it and having the final say.”
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The tournament itself has already thrown out many curveballs to teams but Holland believes that one of the most difficult to navigate so far, is the increased training squad size.
“In basic terms if you have a 23-man squad it’s ten outfield players per side and then three goalkeepers which most coaches will tell you is the perfect number.
“Having the extra three players has been a bit of a conundrum because sometimes you’re working in 11v11 situations and you need to rotate players.”
Having acquired his coaching license aged 22 while working at Crewe Alexandra's academy, Holland has spent almost 30 years in the game and has watched it develop along the way.
His experience of looking after young players has proved invaluable to England and will continue to do so as Southgate and his staff continue to face the luxury problem of having a squad of equally talented and hungry players.
"The emotional, psychological and man-management aspect of trying to keep everyone in a good place so that when their moment does arrive they’re ready to take it,” Holland added.
“That is a big challenge because you pick a team of eleven from a squad of 26 players and you disappoint 15 of them. We have three we can’t even put on the bench.
“And then we have five substitutes and it’s about managing the group so that they all feel valued and important so there’s several aspects to it and it's a big challenge for the coaching staff.”
“In basic terms if you have a 23-man squad it’s ten outfield players per side and then three goalkeepers which most coaches will tell you is the perfect number.
“Having the extra three players has been a bit of a conundrum because sometimes you’re working in 11v11 situations and you need to rotate players.”
Having acquired his coaching license aged 22 while working at Crewe Alexandra's academy, Holland has spent almost 30 years in the game and has watched it develop along the way.
His experience of looking after young players has proved invaluable to England and will continue to do so as Southgate and his staff continue to face the luxury problem of having a squad of equally talented and hungry players.
"The emotional, psychological and man-management aspect of trying to keep everyone in a good place so that when their moment does arrive they’re ready to take it,” Holland added.
“That is a big challenge because you pick a team of eleven from a squad of 26 players and you disappoint 15 of them. We have three we can’t even put on the bench.
“And then we have five substitutes and it’s about managing the group so that they all feel valued and important so there’s several aspects to it and it's a big challenge for the coaching staff.”