Mark Sampson exclusive interview: A New Era for England

An exclusive five-page interview with Mark Sampson by Catherine Etoe, conducted at his Wembley Stadium office after the 31-year-old Welshman succeeded Hope Powell as England manager. Sampson discusses the squad’s first camp under him at La Manga, where he held one-to-one talks with every player, arguing that reading character matters as much as tactics and that the difference at international level lies in the emotional side of the game. He sets out a vision of creative freedom in the final third, quicker regains, and a team competitive at the latter end of major tournaments, and jokes that the weather was rubbish after packing sun cream to protect his bald patch. He describes weekly national coach meetings under Dan Ashworth alongside the men’s age-group staff, meeting Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho and Roy Hodgson in his first week, and says plainly: “I’m very confident in my ability to produce good football teams.” A factfile records his four-year contract.