Acknowledged British football writers believe something new is needed if England are to make the final step on the bigger stage. Even Gareth Southgate (52) is in the thinking box.
– Most players write better coaches in their clubs The Times commentator Henry Winter.
He is aware that Gareth Southgate – who has a contract until after the European Commission in Germany in 2024 – should be replaced. At the same time, he wonders why more Britons aren’t upset that the World Cup in Qatar ended with France’s exit.
Southgate undoubtedly started something special, but now they need an experienced tactician. He writes that England needs someone with that extra bit.
Football expert Lars Sievertsen says it’s a view shared by many in England. Winter continues with much of the argument.
Southgate’s legacy is somewhat contradictory. In a way, you could argue that he has had more success than any other national team coach in the modern era. But the counterargument is that they never beat any very good teams. The exception may be Germany in 2021, Sivertsen tells VG.
At the same time, there are also experts at the very other end of the scale.
– I would have loved it if Gareth had stayed for two more years and longer than that, says Gary Neville to ITV.
Sivertsen believes what Southgate has to enjoy most after taking over in 2016 is the way he has transformed so much culture.
– They are used to completely falling apart in tournaments. The players looked a little intimidated when they played for England, and they were completely different players than they were with the club teams. His job was to get rid of this horror. He managed it.
Winter, for his part, is not necessarily just critical of Southgate, but also of the English Football Association (FA). He believes that the communication and signal sent after exiting the restroom cannot be criticized.
– We’re talking about margins. After 56 years without winning anything, it’s about more than that, he thinks, before emphasizing that the English sound very nice.
Between 1968 and 2016, England won six World Cup or European Championship knockout matches. Between 2018 and 2022, the number was also six. Many believe that it is impossible to ignore it.
No England manager has been anywhere close to Southgate’s success in major tournaments. Not even close. Writing in The Mail, Oliver Holt said we should do what we can to make Southgate stick.
But now it may end soon. After, after Loss 1-2 As for France, Southgate stated that he needed time to decide whether or not he wanted to continue as manager.
– At the moment I am divided. Much of what has happened in the past eighteen months has been difficult. I don’t want to continue, the 52-year-old said, according to The Telegraph, and then regretted it in four or five months.
At the same time, he admitted that the past 18 months had taken their toll, with England losing 0-4 to Hungary and being relegated from the Nations League first division.
West Ham’s Declan Rice is clear that he wants the boss to move on.
– I hope he stays. “There was a lot of talk, but I think it was brilliant for us,” Rice told AFP after the loss to France.
Winter points out that England cannot beat the big nations when it really matters. In 2018, Croatia is very strong. In 2021 it is Italy. In the year 2022 France.
As he turns to potential replacements, Winter is clear the England manager has to be just as well – English. This is why he almost dismisses names like Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel. This is despite the fact that he had no obvious English candidates on hand.
Names like Graham Potter, Eddie Howe and Brendan Rodgers are mentioned, but all are under contract to Premier League clubs.
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