It isn’t really a surprise to understand that in the aftermath of England’s European Championship final defeat, manager, Gareth Southgate, has decided to step down with immediate effect.
A man that has managed to galvanise the Three Lions to two finals and the latter stages of the World Cup, whilst bringing some sort of harmony to the England dressing room, still hasn’t managed to get them over the line in a major tournament.
?England have announced that Gareth Southgate will step down from his role as England manager after the Euro 2024 final defeat.
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) July 16, 2024
When push came to shove against Spain, Southgate reverted to type and played defensively for the most part.
He also didn’t appear to possess the courage to drop both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham for the showpiece, despite the fact that both had been well below par in the tournament to that point.
Neither impacted the final in any meaningful way either, and though Cole Palmer came off the bench to great effect, it was too little, too late as far as England’s chances of landing a long-overdue piece of silverware was concerned.
It is perhaps a little unfair that he should be judged on his failures because he has done more for the national team in terms of togetherness and will to win that most realise.
He hands over the reigns to someone new with the England squad in a much better place than when he took over.
If there’s one criticism, which needs to be addressed as soon as the new man in charge is chosen, it’s that they’ve got to stop playing an English brand of football.
The game has moved on incredibly, and therefore the national team also need to move with the times.
Most of the players are used to playing in an attacking, front-foot, system, so booting it long from Jordan Pickford needs to go out with the rubbish.
Time will tell if the FA pick the right man to replace Southgate.
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