Sunday 29 May 2016 16:08, UK
England assistant coach Ray Lewington is hoping to see the national side benefit from a set of unusual preparations for the upcoming European Championships in France.
The Three Lions took the unusual step of playing outside of London for their first two warm-up matches in an attempt to make the tournament's build-up feel like an extension of the domestic Premier League season.
Meanwhile, England's players were not given the usual week away from football typically granted by the national side following the end of the league campaign.
The changes to preparation have already proved to be successful following friendly victories over Turkey in Manchester and Australia in Sunderland.
And now Roy Hodgson is set to name his final 23-man squad for the tournament ahead of England's final warm-up match against Portugal at Wembley on June 2.
"We've changed the way we have gone about it," Lewington told the Professional Footballers Association's 4 The Player magazine.
"When we took over for the Euros in 2012 we didn't have too much time to think about it. We went in there with the usual generalisations and carried that through to the World Cup.
"It was the usual - the season finishes, the players go and have a week with their families then they join up and go to camps, but we tried to turn it upside down.
"This is where Gary Neville with his views as a player came in. We thought about whether players should have a week off after the season finishes.
"Logically it sounds right because they've had a long, hard season. But the sport science people were asking 'what would you do with a week off apart from giving them a rest?'
"A lot of the players - where they're not under our supervision - can be given the freedom to go off with their families and do anything they want. So we have changed it around a little bit."
With Fabian Delph now expected to miss the Euros with a groin injury, Hodgson now has to cut just two more names from his 25-man preliminary squad before UEFA's final deadline on May 31.
Lewington refused to comment on Hodgson's selection policy but expects England to impress at this summer's tournament, regardless of which players are included in the final squad.
"I think we're capable of playing and doing really well," Lewington said. "It's difficult in a tournament because you don't know who you're going to play.
"If we come across Germany early that is going to be a very difficult game. But we've shown we're capable of beating Germany and we know we're capable of beating anyone else.
"We really hope we start getting a pattern to us and a look to us where people start saying 'that's the way England play'.
"We've managed to do that because we've now got a lot of pace and running power in the team and that hasn't always been in the England team."
One player who could be on his way to France is Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, who staked a strong claim to be included in the final squad after a man-of-the-match performance against Australia last Friday.
The 18 year-old has impressed for both club and country since making his Premier League debut in February and Lewington believes the national side is benefitting from giving youth a chance.
"The age of the team has reduced drastically since we took over as it has evolved in the four years since we have been here," he said.
"We have a youthful, athletic look about us and we want to continue that. And we feel if we continue with that success will come, but football is hard to predict.
"We want to go all the way and we have the ingredients to give us a realistic chance of having a really good tournament."
