Cesc Fabregas says Steve Holland’s ‘meticulous coaching brain is England’s secret weapon’.‘I appreciate a lot his quality,’ said Antonio Conte, Blues manager when it was announced in December 2016 that Holland would be leaving Chelsea to work full-time for England the following summer.‘He is a great man and a great coach,’ the Italian added. ‘He has a big opportunity to work for his country and I know very well what this means but for us for next season he will be a big loss.’'He's been terrific and we're very fortunate to have someone of Steve's experience and pedigree,' said Gareth Southgate even earlier than that, back in 2013 when the pair began working together with England Under-21s.'He's been involved at every level of the game and now the very highest level after five or six years at Chelsea. We're very grateful to Chelsea for letting us have him and I'm delighted to have him alongside me.’The Three Lions boss’s delight can only have swelled over the past month as Holland assisted Southgate in guiding the senior side to a first European Championship in the England national team’s history, so ahead of today’s big meeting with Italy at Wembley, we look back on the Steve Holland story at Chelsea when the coach was a key member of staff during plenty of successful years.

It is a story that began back at the start of the 2009/10 season when the then 39-year-old became our new reserve team coach, replacing Paul Clement who had moved up to work with the men’s first team, having himself only recently taken the reserve reins from Brendan Rodgers.Holland had briefly been at Stoke City as their academy director after long service at Crewe Alexandra where he had also been in charge of their academy and, for an 18-month spell, of the first team. Injury had brought a very early end to his own playing career.‘I got the call and it does take your breath away momentarily, the opportunity to go and develop myself in that environment with the calibre of staff at Chelsea,’ said Holland at the time of his move to Cobham, one he said he grabbed with both hands.

A young Nemanja Matic was among his highest appearance makers in his first season running the Chelsea second string, and Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini were the joint topscorers.In the second year under Holland, Chelsea were crowned national reserve champions, the first league success at that level for almost two decades. The core of the team was the one that had begun the modern era of FA Youth Cup success the season before.With changes happening at first team level, Andre Villas-Boas replacing Carlo Ancelotti as manager, Holland was promoted into that set-up as an assistant first team coach. The season was 2011/12 – a year that turned out to be one of the most momentous in Chelsea history.

Villas-Boas did not see it out. Instead it fell to Roberto Di Matteo, another who had been appointed as an assistant at the start of campaign to lead Chelsea in the latter stages of the Champions League and towards the FA Cup final, and although Eddie Newton who Di Matteo brought in alongside him when appointed interim manager was more familiar to Chelsea fans due to his playing career, Holland was very much part of a coaching triumvirate that oversaw victory against Liverpool at Wembley to lift the FA Cup and then came up with the game plan to beat Bayern Munich in their own backyard, crowning Chelsea as European champions.‘When you are working in development and you don't get results you can console yourself with good performances from the collective or individuals,’ said Holland when moving from the reserves to the senior team. ‘With the first team it is all about winning, full-stop.’

They had certainly done that in 2012 and more trophies arrived while the management changes continued at Chelsea – Rafael Benitez replacing Di Matteo and then Jose Mourinho returning to the club. Each brought their own staff but one constant during this period was Holland in the dug-out.On occasions he would perform the media duties around a match and when he did so he spoke eloquently, giving a glimpse of his vast knowledge of the game, a good example being when he highlighted how the modern top-level player needs to be flexible, in the same he did when working with different managers.'Having to adapt is nothing particularly new here,’ Holland said. ‘I have been here five years and going back to Carlo Ancelotti's team playing with Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka playing behind Didier Drogba with three soldiers in midfield, Frank Lampard had to adapt and get out to defend against full-backs because Anelka wasn't asked to do that in the role he played.'It changed with Andre Villas-Boas to 4-3-3 and Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata had to chase the full-backs, and with Roberto Di Matteo that changed a little bit and Salomon Kalou and Ramires played wide. Mata played in the no. 10 role for the first time really at Chelsea.'With Rafa Benitez it again changed a little, a bit more of a compromise. Oscar was asked then to play wide and Ramires, especially in the bigger games. When Juan's role was the no. 10 it was another adaptation that was required.’

It was at the start of the 2013/14 season that Holland’s know-how was called up by then England Under-21 head coach Southgate, initially for just two matches, with Chelsea and Mourinho happy for him to have a club and a country role during what are quiet international breaks at Cobham.‘I believe there is a strong will within the FA to try to improve the development of our young players, and I am very excited to be asked to be involved,’ was Holland’s reaction.That initial two-game involvement was extended, with Southgate saying: 'Steve shares my belief in giving young players the confidence to express their talents and play the game in the right way, which is something the FA are looking to apply across our national teams.’Back at Chelsea, having been part of the coaching team under Benitez that added the Europa League to the Champions League captured under Di Matteo, Holland assisted Mourinho in winning the League Cup and the Premier League title in 2014/15.It was just over a year later that Sam Allardyce’s very short tenure as England manager came to an end and Southgate was asked to take temporary control of the Three Lions side, naturally doing so with his Under-21s assistant involved.

However when Southgate’s job became permanent a couple of months later, Holland performing a dual role with England and with Chelsea was no longer possible and so it was announced in December 2016 he would be leaving us at the end of that season after eight years of sterling service, but not before he finished playing his part in one more Premier League title win.There were two big farewells at the Chelsea Player of the Year event that May, with tributes paid to Holland as well as John Terry. Among the presentations made to our departing coach was a set of designer luggage for his globe-trotting in his new job, travelling that has been relatively light this summer as England progressed to being just one win away from Holland adding to the trophy wins he contributed to at Chelsea.'I was never good enough as a player to represent my country and I had never experienced standing there listening to the national anthem before, and it was a special moment,’ he said early on in his time with England Under-21s, adding: ‘To be asked to coach for your country is the next best thing.'Later today, former Chelsea coach Steve Holland may experience the next best thing to being an England player making history at the European Championships.