Coach any Spanish youngster and you’ll realise they are obsessed by winning. So why are English coaches suppressing this natural instinct in their players?
By Alex Chapman for These Football Times, part of the Guardian Sport Network
As Isco squeezed the ball through a helpless Tom Heaton’s legs, Spain did the unthinkable and completed a stupendous comeback to steal a draw against England after being 2-0 down in the 89th minute. Though this was a friendly, tackles were late and tempers were fraying. Both teams wanted to win. With the England managerial post still officially vacant, Gareth Southgate was desperate to beat the country that has dominated world football for the past decade. He was a few seconds and a few bad decisions away from doing so.
The grief on Southgate’s face was clear to see as he questioned the fourth official about the amount of stoppage time allocated. Even after so many changes to personnel in the second half, the leading candidate for the job was devastated that his team couldn’t hold on to the two-goal cushion with seconds to go – but it wasn’t for a lack of opportunities to do so.
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