GARETH SOUTHGATE has come under-fire for his tactics at Euro 2024 – but his biggest mistake could be his wardrobe.
And the England manager may want to look at the stats below ahead of Sunday’s last-16 clash with Slovakia.
Two beer cups were hurled towards Southgate after the drab draw with Slovenia on Tuesday.
England were held to a stalemate by the Euro minnows but still managed to claim top spot in Group C.
That was after they firstly struggled to a 1-0 win over Serbia before last week’s dour 1-1 draw with Denmark.
Despite the underwhelming displays, Southgate’s men now have a potential route to the final that avoids big guns Spain, Germany, Portugal and France.
But many feel that a potential triumph is a million miles away due to the Three Lions chief’s tactics.
He put Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield for the opening two matches – a decision that attracted huge criticism – and then chose Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher for Tuesday’s game, a switch that fans could see was not working even before half time.
After their impressive late cameos from the bench, supporters want to see attackers Cole Palmer or Anthony Gordon introduced to the fold.
However, these stats seem to show that Southgate’s woes might have nothing to do with his players.
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And if Southgate was superstitious, then he could be thinking about ditching his now more casual look in favour of going back to the look that made him a national hero.
Southgate’s lucky waistcoat at the 2018 World Cup became a big hit as he led the Three Lions to the semi-final for the first time since 1990.
At the following Euros, he ditched the waistcoat but kept the shirt and tie as England went all the way to the final, only to be beaten on penalties by Italy.
When it came to the 2022 World Cup, Southgate started to relax a little more when it came to his matchday attire.
He opted for a quarter zip-up top and jacket for those games in the Middle East – but England were beaten 2-1 by France in the quarter final.
Southgate wore a similar quarter zip-up and jacket for England’s opener against Serbia.
However, the two bore draws that have followed have both seen him ditch the jacket as he watched on from the dug-out in a white zip-up.
Southgate boasted a 57 per cent win record with the waistcoat and a 100 per cent one with just a shirt and tie at major tournaments.
In fact, he has only lost once in 13 while donning a tie, while he has won just half of the eight matches he has gone for the quarter-zip.
So if you see him back in a waistcoat or even returning to a shirt and tie prior to kick off against Slovakia, now you might just know the reason why.
But if he continues his current trend, expect another dismal display.
