Gareth Southgate is attempting to bring a sense of accountability and responsibility to England's players - an approach Ryan Bertrand has called a "breath of fresh air".

Tired of the Three Lions floundering on the biggest stage, the former defender is trying to shake things up away from the field as well as on it.

Southgate wants more players to shoulder the burden of responsibility and express themselves more freely, whether that be in a match or a meeting.

Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6 out of 10 Rash when coming out to challenge Vardy early on, but stood firm to block Alli’s decent chance towards the end of the first half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Joshua Kimmich – 7 out of 10 One of the few young German players to have a decent evening and potentially sent a message to Carlo Ancelotti, who has not offered him much playing time this season. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Mats Hummels – 7 out of 10 Germany’s best all-round performer, rarely looked troubled by England’s attacking talents. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Antonio Rudiger – 6 out of 10 A solid display, if unspectacular. Did well on the rare occasions when England went aerial. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jonas Hector – 7 out of 10 Impressed after taking his time to grow into the game. His link-up play with Sane in the second-half was at the root of all England’s problems. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Julian Weigl – 5 out of 10 The main culprit in Germany’s surprising struggle to who Hauled off for Liverpool’s Emre Can midway through the second half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Toni Kroos – 5 out of 10 Surprisingly poor when it came to the simple stuff, misplaced several passes when not under pressure. Struggled to win his battle against the lesser light of Livermore. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Leroy Sane – 6 out of 10 Did not crackle like we know he can from his recent Manchester City form, but another who improved as the evening went on. Perhaps should’ve doubled Germany’s lead. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Julian Brandt – 4 out of 10 Another player reportedly attracting Premier League interest, he did not show why here. Switched for Andre Schurrle. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Lukas Podolski – 6 out of 10 The equivalent of a testimonial for the veteran and you could tell from his first-half performance. Then came Der Hammer, as Germany’s support calls his left peg. A stunning winner. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Timo Werner – 4 out of 10 The RB Leipzig frontman, a reported target for Liverpool, failed to translate his exciting form at club level to the international stage. Disappointing, but it was only his debut. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Joe Hart – 7 out of 10 Could do little for Podolski’s goal, but did well shortly after to deny Sane with an excellent stop down low to his left. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Gary Cahill – 4 out of 10 Lucky not to concede a penalty for needlessly leaning into a cross in the first-half and could have done better to stop Podolski’s screamer. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Michael Keane – 6 out of 10 Asked to play in a back three on his debut after excelling in a rigid four at Turf Moor all season, but coped admirably. One lapse in concentration was almost punished by Sane. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Chris Smalling – 5 out of 10 An indifferent night from the centre-half. Unlike Cahill, he was rarely called into question, but still did not convince. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Kyle Walker – 6 out of 10 Showed why he will be integral to Southgate’s England in his forays down the right flank, but only did so in glimpses. Hector and Sane began to cause him problems has the game went on. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Eric Dier – 6 out of 10 A lucky boy not to be severely punished for a late, robust tackle on Weigl. That aside, he helped to stifle Germany’s midfield. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jake Livermore – 7 out of 10 Not everyone’s idea of a no 7, but combined well with Dier in the centre of the park to disrupt Germany’s passing, particularly in the first half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Ryan Bertrand – 6 out of 10 Not as threatening as Walker was in moments, but defensively solid and frustrated Brandt in the first-half. Schurrle gave him a few more problems after the break. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Dele Alli – 7 out of 10 England’s main creative outlet, but also found himself on the end of several chances. Should have opened the scoring with the first-half’s best chance but hit it straight at Ter Stegen. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Adam Lallana – 7 out of 10 Came close to scoring in his fourth straight England appearance, but thwacked the post after an impressive burst forward. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jamie Vardy – 5 out of 10 Aggrieved to have not won a penalty early on, but you could tell he was looking for it. Too deep at times too, despite Germany’s defensive line offering him space in behind.

Asked what he is giving his players, Southgate said: "I don't think it is about power. You have to be comfortable enough as a coach to be challenged.

"We prepare a team but the most difficult thing to do is to step over the white line and play. You have to make decisions on the field.

"We might talk through set-plays and then the opposition do something different and players have got to react to that in an instant.

"You want players who are good at making decisions and if they make the wrong decisions on the pitch, then our job is to help them see how they might have done it differently and try to improve, not to kill them for making mistakes.

"But that is the sort of environment I like to create.

"Mistakes will happen in games of football - I made millions of them - but it is what you learn from those mistakes. You're a better player for going through that."

Southgate's desire to have players taking a bigger role in decision-making was welcomed by Bertrand.

No stone is left unturned tactically, the Southampton left-back says, and the coaching staff encourage players to express themselves, bringing more responsibility to the group.

England's bold new away kit in pictures Show all 6 1 /6 England's bold new away kit in pictures England's bold new away kit in pictures England's bold new away kit in pictures Nike England's bold new away kit in pictures England's bold new away kit in pictures England's bold new away kit in pictures England's bold new away kit in pictures

They have already discussed the three-man defence and three-pronged attack that looked so promising in England's harsh 1-0 midweek loss in Germany, with Southgate looking to give a framework but avoid overloading players.

The benefits of such a tweak in approach were explained by England rugby coach Eddie Jones when he spent Friday with the group.

"I think we're creating a new culture, an open culture that is focused on being the best that we can be," Bertrand said.

"I think that comes down to working had and that was one of Eddie's main points. How to sustain it? You just have to work harder.

"As a group, we very much want to achieve things for the whole country and we all have the ability, so there's no reason for us not to.

"We're more than focused on creating a great culture. That's why it was fantastic that Gareth invited everyone, not just those who had been called up (to Monday's meeting).

"For the longevity of the team going forward, we're going to need all these players, so it's important we all buy into it and come together."

England coach Jones won his first 18 matches in charge of his adopted country, equalling the All Blacks' world record streak, and claiming back-to-back Six Nations titles after a four-year drought.

The Australian was blunt at times during his day with his footballing counterparts but Bertand called him a "massive inspiration".

"In the end, it's the players that lead," the England full-back added.

Bertrand was left inspired by England coach Eddie Jones (Getty)

"It is the players who need to be looking after one another, making sure the expectations are constantly met.

"You have to breed that culture, it has to be 24/7. You can't just have off days and on days. It has to be constant.

"That was very much the impression we got from the rugby guys, one of their main psychologies that has driven them to achieve the success that they have had."

While drive is important, so too is a feeling of comfort - something extended to the way Southgate is addressed, with Bertrand and many of his team-mates referring to him as Gareth rather than 'boss' or 'gaffer'.

"As long as they keep it clean, I don't care what they call me," Southgate said, smiling. "I think it is outdated to be 'boss'.

"Maybe some people might view it as a sign of respect, but you can call somebody 'boss' with zero respect and you can call somebody by their name with more respect.

"To me, it makes no difference, really. It's a slightly archaic thing that we have in our game.

"In football it's engrained and we just do it, but actually why do we do that?"