Beers, cricket, Love Island… and which player has barely missed a game on TV at Euro 2024? SAMI MOKBEL takes us inside the England camp as players enjoy downtime between matches
Just minutes before England’s training session at the headquarters in Weimar on Thursday, Declan Rice charged towards the sticks with the ball in his hand.
Captain Harry Kane, batting at the other end, drove the slow to medium speed ball straight back to Rice, only for the Arsenal midfielder to capitalise on the chance to have it caught and bowled.
Hands on head, Rice couldn’t believe it. Kane, on the other hand, couldn’t contain his laughter.
It was something to laugh about… finally. Although we can hope that Rice does not let an opportunity slip through his fingers on Sunday evening in Gelsenkirchen.
After days of negativity, the English players are doing everything they can to improve the mood.
Harry Kane and England are doing everything they can to keep morale high during training
Despite topping Group C and securing a favorable draw in the knockout stages, England are being heavily criticized by fans and pundits after a series of lackluster performances at the 2024 European Championship.
Declan Rice looks happy in training after playing a cricket match with captain Kane
The cricket set is just one of the tools the support staff are using to keep the atmosphere cheerful after a less than perfect start to this European Championship.
Manager Gareth Southgate gave his players permission to have a few beers on Wednesday as they recovered from their efforts in the 0-0 draw with Slovenia the night before.
Former national coach Fabio Capello regularly ignored England players’ pleas to have a few beers after matches.
It wasn’t about the players wanting to get drunk, but rather an attempt to build camaraderie by just sitting together and chatting over a nice cold beer.
It appears that Southgate, within reason, also recognises the benefits.
On Wednesday, Anthony Gordon also provided some unintentional cheer.
Germany were awash with conspiracy theories on Thursday as to why the Newcastle winger turned up for training with a painful cut on his chin and an ugly scratch on his nose.
Mail Sport has launched a new campaign – We Support England – to support the team
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate gave his players permission to have a few beers on Wednesday as they recovered from their efforts in Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia
Anthony Gordon cut his chin when he fell from an electric bike – to the amusement of his teammates
Surely the mood in the camp wasn’t so bad that they had resorted to fistfights?
Not at all. Gordon fell off one of the electric bikes that have become a regular part of the players’ daily routine during a recovery session, much to the amusement of his teammates.
“I came and sat on my bike, I saw Ant and he was laying there with his face, hands and chin covered in blood and I just started laughing,” revealed Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa. ‘At least he was wearing his helmet, that’s the most important thing.
“I’ve never been on a bike like that. It’s weird. You can get some speed, you press the turbo and when you pedal it goes fast. It must have been a bad fall.
‘I think he pressed the wrong brake, because in England the brakes are on different sides, so the left is the rear.
‘I think this is the last time we will go on our bikes. Knowing him, he’ll probably have a bike party now if he scores a goal.’
In between massages and treatments, the communal TV areas were key to boosting mood as the players gathered to watch the other matches of the European Championship.
Adam Wharton has hardly missed a game, it turns out. But television isn’t just for football. It’s also for Love Island.
Adam Wharton has hardly missed a European Championship match and can often be found watching the communal television
Ezri Konsa (right) says he and his England teammates enjoy watching Love Island every night
“Love Island – we’re big on that,” Konsa admits. ‘The boys love it. Every night a few guys come into my room and we watch it.”
What the television is not intended for, however, is for the players to follow the run-up to next week’s general election.
The English Football Association has issued guidance to the England team on how to cast their votes ahead of the July 4 elections.
They will not be able to vote in person next week if they get past Slovakia in their last 16 tie on Sunday as they will still be based in Germany.
But the FA contacted player representatives ahead of the tournament to resolve the matter.
The FA did not want to publicise their efforts to avoid appearing arrogant by assuming they would still be in the tournament. That said, you get the impression that voting is not at the top of the players’ list of priorities.
The Three Lions are preparing for an exciting match against Slovakia in the round of 16 on Sunday
‘Politics talk? Errr…not at all. We get the BBC and ITV but only show football on our TVs,” Konsa said.
So it’s football and Love Island. Luckily something to laugh about in the camp.
Let’s hope the nation laughs too on Sunday night.