McClaren - admirer of MourinhoSteve McClaren will use Chelsea as the model for his 'Club England'.
The new national coach spent time at the Blues' training headquarters this week as he checked on the fitness of midfielder Joe Cole ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Andorra and Macedonia.
Even during his time as Middlesbrough boss, McClaren was an admirer of Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho, and he admits he wants to build a similar ethos with England to that which the Portuguese has established at Stamford Bridge.
McClaren said: "That's the most important thing to him. Since he came into this country, that's all he's talked about, the team ethic, the work ethic of the players.
"You are not just taking a model from Chelsea, that's the model of great teams. They play as teams.
"It's interesting to watch the great teams play, and that's what we want to be.
"I stressed that before and after our performance against Greece: we played as a team, and we have to maintain that."
McClaren revealed he will maintain close contacts with the clubs in an effort to discover what makes each of his players tick.
He said: "I think it's key. There is a lot you can learn from the managers.
"They (the players) come with England and you have them for whatever spell and you talk and you chat in the England context.
"But you don't get to know them like the managers and the coaches at the clubs get to know them.
"They get to know everything about them, every small detail. You watch them play and yes, you pick up certain things.
"But what I want is a club atmosphere, a 'Club England'. The only way you can develop that is by communication, is by talking to the people who are working with them and talking to the players continuously and get a feel for them.
"Sometimes with England, it's too small a period to really get to know everybody, whereas if you can go out to the clubs and speak to the managers and coaches, you can find out little quirks about a player, little things you did not realise."
McClaren announced his first squad for a competitive game on Friday, and there were recalls for Andrew Johnson and Michael Carrick as Gary Neville and Joe Cole missed out through injury.
But Johnson's return meant there was no place for 17-year-old Theo Walcott despite his excellent start to the season at Arsenal.
However, McClaren revealed the teenager has a future at senior international level, although not until he becomes more established with the Gunners.
Asked about Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill's glowing assessment of the youngster after his side's 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium, McClaren said: "Isn't it always the same, that everybody builds everybody up, and the high expectations on teams, on individuals, are beyond proportion?
"Theo has got great potential - that's the key word, it's potential.
"He has to become a regular at Arsenal and break through and consistently perform at that level.
"He's at a big club, he's surrounded by big players and that's when you grow not just physically, technically, tactically, but also mentally.
"That's something he has to develop. He has to mature, and he's at the right place to do that.
"He has had a lot to contend with. He was training with us and he was excellent in training.
"He was a treat to work with. But he's only 17."
England launch their campaign against minnows Andorra next Saturday, but McClaren will be taking nothing for granted.
He said: "This is only my second game, it's a big game. It's a qualifier and we need to get off to a good start.
"We need to continue the kind of work and the performance which we saw against Greece. That's the key for me.
"It doesn't matter. Andorra, Brazil, whoever the team is, we have to perform."
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