Once again, England have chosen to base themselves far from the city buzz as they prepare to tuck themselves away in a rustic German hicksville for Euro 2024. This is not the first time England have opted for a secluded base camp in recent years, and it all but confirms a more considered and holistic FA approach to these things.
Since Gareth Southgate took hold of the reins as England’s manager in 2016, we have seen England adopt a fresh philosophy with regards to the training base selection. The criteria has been simple: quiet, cordial, relaxed. Without question, a shift from prior thinking.
Southgate has stressed the importance of a laid-back atmosphere during tournaments, with the team spending anywhere up to six weeks in a hotel. Players have been allowed to see families and make regular calls to loved ones as well as spend their free time as they please ― playing games and watching TV, but all has been done within the walls of minimalist venues.
The FA have paid greater attention to the impact of selecting the right hotel and training camp under the Southgate tenure, and it’s so far so good. They’ve looked at Germany’s 2014 World Cup winning side for inspiration with not only tactics but with the whole approach to tournament football.
That year, Germany were one of only three nations to base themselves in the Eastern Brazilian region of Bahia, far from where other countries were based. They have been keen to emulate this in more recent tournaments, for instance in 2016, 2022, and more notably for their home Euros this summer.
England’s home from home come June will be the Weimarer Land Resort near the historical red-roofed town of Blankenhain in East Germany. Located 90 minutes from Leipzig, the nearest city, it’s safe to say England will be withdrawn, which is exactly the effect they have begun to enjoy under Southgate.
Characterised by its undulating landscape and open forests, Blankenhain offers everything England will need for their private preparation. It’s a near replication of the aesthetic they created in Southgate’s first tournament in Russia 2018.
Six years ago, England’s young, zestful squad stayed in the quaint village of Repino, near Saint Petersburg. England had 7-foot fences installed along with security cameras every five metres to protect their training sessions against potential spies from other competing nations. This provided early insight into Southgate’s thought process.
The two tournaments since have not lent themselves to the idea of being remote. England played the majority of their games at Wembley during Euro 2020, and so planted themselves at St. George’s Park, their usual training facility year-long. In 2022, countries had no choice but to stay within minutes of each other, given the host nation of Qatar has a land mass similar to that of Yorkshire. In reality, this summer’s European championships in Germany provides as clear a sense of what Southgate and the FA want in a base camp as we’ve seen since 2018.
The FA have been determined to steer clear of the flashy venues of years gone by. Many have perhaps been overkill, and none more so than Baden-Baden in 2006… the last time Germany hosted the football world.
England’s star-studded team were located near the spa town, where their wives and girlfriends ― or ‘WAGs’ as they became known ― stayed. The Three Lions scored just five goals in the tournament, bowing out in the quarter-finals to Portugal on penalties following Wayne Rooney’s infamous red card.
Instead, this Summer will again show England’s attempts to magpie the German winning approach as the two sides hide away in the rural regions of Thuringia and Bavaria, respectively.
England have enjoyed relative success under Southgate. The 53-year-old has reflected positively on daily life during the past three major tournaments. How ironic to think that if hibernation works for England, it’ll be Germany they thank.
[This article was produced by our England writer Aidan Smith, from ThreeLions.net.]
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