England football manager Gareth Southgate explains the Covid rules for Euro 2020

England players will be required to live in a bubble, away from their families, to ensure the Euro 2020tournament is Covid-safe, football manager Gareth Southgate said after announcing the 33 players in his provisional squad.

The football manager also suggested playing in semi-full stadiums, due to the pandemic, could affect players’ decision-making during games.

Explaining the Euro 2020 Covid rules that involve the England squad living together in a bubble, he said “some players will find it easier than others”.

Asked whether players will be able to see their families during the tournament in order to boost morale, he said: “That’s a little bit more difficult.

“That’s part of the reason why we always give them time with their families before the tournament.

“Once we’re into the tournament itself, UEFA have basically said we’ve got to stay within a bubble. So we’ve got to make that atmosphere as relaxed as we can.”

“We’re asking them to give a lot of themselves for that time away from the family,” he continued, “and we’ve got to recognise some players will find it easier than others.”

‘The atmosphere makes a difference,’ says Southgate

He said: “We’ve seen already stadiums that are a quarter full. The atmosphere makes a difference to the intensity of the games and the decision-making of the players.

“So, that is an aspect where some guys have made their England debuts and never played in front of a crowd, which has been heartbreaking to see them make those big match debuts and not be able to play in front of their family, not be able to play in front of a crowd.”

Euro final is ‘a million miles away’, but it is an aim for England

Asked about his ambitions for the Euro 2020, which had been delayed a year, he said: “The first thing is to get this squad selected, get the first week good positive preparation, then how do we get out of the group and we go from there.

“And we’ve always got to chunk those aims and ambitions into bitesize lumps, if you like.

“We’re not thinking about the final now, it’s a million miles away. Of course it’s an aim for us but we’ve got a lot of difficult games to get there.

He stressed that the key to England’s success was consistency: “We’ve had a consistent level of performance. What we need to do is back up the big wins we’ve had against the likes of Spain and Belgium and to win a tournament, we’re going to have to do that consistently to win those big matches, and that’s the next challenge for us.

Delay in deciding England squad

Southgate is still in the process of selecting his 26-man team, with his final decision due next Tuesday, June 1.

Explaining the delay, he said: “We knew we had these European finals coming with 12 players, add another couple of injuries over the weekend to that.

“And we just felt there were so many complications and so many issues we weren’t totally clear on that we will all have a clearer picture in the next couple of days, and certainly in the next seven days.

“Sometimes when you’re making decisions, to give yourself time if you’ve got time is an important thing to do.”

The issues are compounded by the fact that there is “a little bit less preparation time than for previous tournaments”, Southgate said.

He added: “I’ve talked to some other managers in the tournament and they’re sort of giggling to themselves the problem we’ve got and thanking their stars it’s not them, really.”

‘We want to help our country put a smile on people’s faces’

But most importantly, the England manager said he hopes to “help our country put a smile on people’s faces” as they watch their national team compete in the Euros.

He said: “We know what our country has lived through. We know how fabulous it has been to see supporters back in stadiums and what a lift that’s given to the games. It’s another sign that we’re heading back on a good path.”