Gareth Southgate, still the perfect man for England

Gareth Southgate and England have qualified for the semi-finals of Euro 2024 after beating Switzerland on penalties. This is why we believe Southgate remains the best option for the Three Lions, despite the heavy criticism he has received.

Southgate isn’t known for his exciting football, but his pragmatic approach has led England to a World Cup semi-final, the final of Euro 2020, and the quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup. Given the arbitrary nature of knockout football, his record is excellent.

As Phil McNulty of BBC Sport writes, “Southgate's reign… must always be viewed through the prism of the progress made in relation to the shambles he inherited.” For those who don’t know or remember, he was given the job after Sam Allardyce was fired in difficult circumstances.

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With that in mind, plus England’s terrible record in major tournaments, Southgate deserves praise. Before his reign, England had only reached the World Cup semi-finals twice, once in 1966 when they would go on to win, and again in 1990, per England Football Online.

England’s record at the European Championships was even worse, with just two semi-final appearances, both times failing to advance to the final, via England Football Online.

All three of England’s major tournament losses in recent times were heartbreaking. Losing late to Croatia in 2018, on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, and falling 2-1 to France in 2022 with the usually reliable Harry Kane missing a penalty. In games this tight, a flip of a coin could be the difference between the sides, suggesting the coaching is doing almost everything right.

Under Southgate, England has gone from international embarrassment to the bookie’s favourites to win the Euros this year. No other manager in recent times has had England perform so consistently in major tournaments.

As Phil McNulty writes, “Southgate has also brought about a sense of wellbeing inside England's squad, where players now enjoy representing their country without feeling dragged down by the weight of the shirt and expectation.” Something that cannot be said for previous regimes.

McNulty’s comments speak to a unified England team, something many England fans haven’t seen in decades. The so-called “Golden Generation” of Lampard, Gerrard, Scholes, Ferdinand, etc etc, was held back by divisions along club lines. Emile Heskey told FourFourTwo, “the rivalry [in the squad] was very fierce back then – and there weren’t only two teams involved, but a few”.

Southgate has been accused of being too rigid in his squad selection at previous tournaments, unwilling to move away from established veterans. That is not the case for Euro 2024, with Southgate leaving out a combined 400 international caps, per The Independent.

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Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton were members of one of the hottest sides in the Premier League, with Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace side playing a free-flowing, direct style of football. At previous tournaments, Southgate would have chosen his favourites, now he’s gone with youth and talent, creating a buzz around the squad.

Southgate has been accused of playing favourites at times, but not this year as he cut Jack Grealish from his tournament squad in what could be seen as a risky decision. His justification is clear and concise, “We back our decisions but we recognise we could have gone a different route. Both boys are big characters and great to work with.”

Is Jack Grealish’s England career over?

The life of an international manager can be tough. Measured solely by successes, but with only two tournaments in which to really prove their mettle, a yardstick for success is difficult to find. However, as Phil McNulty writes for the BBC, “What the manager and England must do out here now is prove they are winners.” Now is the time.

Whilst his future is still very much undecided, many in the media seem to think this will be Southgate’s last tournament in charge of England. But that begs the question, if not him, then who?

Per Sky Sports, the three favourites to succeed Southgate are Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, and Mauricio Pochettino. Two of those three have recently been sacked by the same club, Chelsea, and Howe is coming off an uninspiring year with Newcastle that saw them finish seventh. Is there a clear upgrade to Southgate who would realistically do it?

There are plenty of valid criticisms of Southgate, his football can be dull, rarely does England put teams to the sword, everything is risk averse, and so on. But given how England performed at tournaments before his arrival, and how they perform now, it’s night and day different. Sometimes, the pragmatist is needed, and never more so than now.

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