Southgate you're (not) the one

After an embarrassing Nations League campaign, many are questioning whether Gareth Southgate is indeed ‘the one’ to take England to the Qatar World Cup in November. Failing to win all three of their Nations League games this camp, a harrowing 4-0 defeat at home to Hungary and a last place position in their group has left England supporters wondering whether Southgate’s tenure has run its course. I think that it is rather unlikely that Southgate will be replaced so close to the World Cup, and to be quite honest, I don’t think that this would benefit the team at all. 

 

Nations League Campaign

To start, let’s have a look at England’s recent woeful run of Nations League games. England are in Group 3, alongside Hungary, Germany and Italy. So granted it’s not the easiest of groups for England to find themselves in, however surely as one of the favourites for the World Cup (which Italy haven’t even qualified for) England should not be finding themselves in the position they currently do.

The first game resulted in a 1-0 defeat in Budapest by Hungary and left England supporters questioning the apparent disorganised and uninspired group of players before them. Next, England took on Germany at the Allianz and despite an average (some would even say below so) performance, England managed to steal a draw after a Harry Kane penalty. Southgate’s substitutes had a key hand in rescuing the team from another defeat. England’s third game, and first home game saw them take on Italy at Molineux. This game was the first meeting since the heart-breaking Euros 2021 defeat and with two much-changed sides, was what many thought would be England’s chance to settle the score. However, despite England rattling the frame of the goal a few times, the game was a dull deadlock 0-0 finish and overall, a disappointing 90 minutes of football. With a switch in England keeper from favourite Jordan Pickford to Aaron Ramsdale, Ramsdale had to earn his place in the team by pulling off some smart stops to repel the chances of the opposition. However, even though England grew in stature leading to a domination of possession, it just wasn’t quite enough this time round. The breaking point for a lot of people, however, was the final Nations League game in this England camp which saw Hungary batter England 4-0 at home. This defeat meant that it was only the second time under Southgate that the Three Lions had failed to win in three successive matches and was the worst home defeat in over 90 years. Not since 1928 have an England team been beaten so heavily on home soil. I’m sure that when Southgate’s said that he wanted to re-write the history books, this is not what he meant.

All in all, this set of games was a disastrous addition to England’s tally. Only one goal and no goals from open play is not a common occurrence for this England side and is the first time since 2014 that they have gone four matches without a victory. With boos echoing around Molineux after the Hungary game, Southgate described it as a "chastening night”. England have only two games left to rebuild confidence before the World Cup, and although Southgate maintains that he is now “clear on what works for us as a group and what doesn’t”, this Nations League campaign has left fans wondering whether Southgate’s experiment came too close to the looming World Cup, and whether he will be able to rebuild the team’s confidence in time.

The Players

Usually, one thing that I think a lot of England fans will agree with, is that regardless of the result, you don’t often feel disappointed in this England side. In his post-Hungary interview, Southgate stated that the players have been “totally committed throughout this period”, but from where I’ve been sitting it’s often appeared the opposite. And I don’t say that lightly because I think that this England side have the best attitude that we’ve seen in a very long time. They always look committed, they always look formidable, and they always act like putting on the England shirt is a privilege. Playing four games on the back of a long season was undoubtedly a factor in England’s poor performance and it meant that Southgate had to rotate heavily between fixtures.

Arguably, this is possibly the best England team we have ever had. With top end league players falling over each other to get in the starting line-up, this team should absolutely be one of the favourites for the World Cup, and they should be going out and dominating the majority of games they play. But during this set of games, the team has looked heavily disjointed and worn out which is a worry so close to the World Cup. During this camp, there has been a real lack of creativity within the team. People keep talking about the players only relying on Kane and Sterling for goals in this Nations League campaign, but this has been the case for a long time. Over the course of the Euros, Kane and Sterling contributed seven out of the eleven goals; only three goals were scored by other players (and one own goal). 

This campaign of games has come at a less than ideal time. However, I think that poor performance can only be attributed to that to a certain extent. Harry Kane spoke to Kelly Sommers after the Hungary game and when asked what had gone wrong, responded with ‘that’s football’. In a lot of the interviews, it has come across as though the players do not want to take responsibility for a lack of effort. Other international teams have flourished in this campaign - Germany for example, beat Italy 5-2.  I can’t help but feel that the team need inspiring, and I do think that it is the manager’s job to inspire the players. At the end of the day, you’re putting on an England shirt and that is a privilege that has to be earned not declared. I think that some players who are frequents in the starting XI for Southgate and seem to always make the squad regardless of their performance for their club are potentially contributing to an undercurrent of bad attitude that is rippling through to some of the new, younger players. Regardless of England’s reputation as one of the best football teams in the world, England still they have to show themselves as being a scary opponent that other countries should fear playing against.

I think that the team may still be feeling the effects of the Euros heartbreak, and potentially fear that the World Cup could bring more heartbreak both to the players and the country as a whole. It is a heavy burden for a group of players to carry, especially since that team is made up of so many young players currently. I think that people often forget what this team have been through in the past couple of years: being defeated in the World Cup semi-finals by Croatia, playing to empty stadiums for a year due to COVID, Euro heartbreak, ongoing racial abuse directed at players and some big defeats. If you put all of that background noise over a Nations League campaign scheduled at the end of a busy season, it is probably unsurprising that we delivered the performances we did. 

Gareth Southgate

Southgate has undoubtedly taken this England side to new highs, and I think that the backlash he has faced following this Nations League campaign has been undeserved. If you take a step back and consider Southgate’s body of work, it is undeniable that he is one of England’s most successful managers in history. If you take just the last five years, he has achieved a World Cup semi-final, a Euros final and has put England as favourites for the upcoming World Cup. Personally, I don’t think that four games are a long enough period of time to jump on the ‘Southgate out’ bandwagon. Especially since these games have come at the end of a long season where the players are tired, and little is riding on the games. Southgate has consistently proven that he can deliver in tournaments and his defensive style of play, which is under a lot of criticism currently, plays a big part in this.

The Three Lions have had two unbelievable tournaments in a row now, and with the talent that this England side harbours, there is no reason why they cannot continue this way if managed in the right way. Southgate has transformed this England side into one of the most successful sides we’ve had in the past 50 years. The worry that is crossing the mind of the England footballing world at the moment, is what if we keep Gareth Southgate as manager now and it gets to September where we play our last two games before the World Cup and the team still look lost. Then there will be no time to find a suitable alternative and for them to implement their style into the England team. For the last four Nations League games, England haven’t given us anything despite this being the best group of players we’ve had in a very long time. England are running out of time to address any problems before the World Cup, and some worry that if Southgate is not replaced prior to this then we could be giving up an opportunity to utilise the talent in this team and ultimately lose the tournament.

Aside from the fact that it would not be pragmatic nor clever to change manager two months before a World Cup, I don’t necessarily think that it would be the correct thing to do anyway. There has been lots of noise about Graham Potters, Eddie Howe or even Brendan Rogers as the new England manager. For me, all three are excellent managers and are doing great things for their Premier League teams, but respectively I think that managing England is very different. This is the England national men’s first team that we are talking about, you need the absolute best manager available to you. The care and skill it takes to integrate players that play across a whole host of leagues and get them to play together, and play together well is just not comparable to managing a club team. The fact is, we are too close to the World Cup to get rid of Gareth Southgate; it would be impossible to integrate a new manager successfully into the team by then. Depending on the outcome of the World Cup (although I dare say that Southgate will leave either way, either due to pressure or by wanting to leave on a high), the question of whether England should replace Southgate isn’t one for the present. Southgate said in a press conference that he “won’t outstay his welcome” and that he will know when “the right time to leave” will be, so for now, fans need to rally behind this England side and Southgate alike if we are to be successful in the upcoming World Cup. 

World Cup 2022

Southgate has been trying to balance giving young players a chance within the team, experimenting with different formations, winning games and trying to rest key players that he is going to need in the World Cup. In doing this, lots of people have criticised the fact that Southgate often opts for a defensive style of playing, almost always playing five at the back. However, playing in this negative manner and not utilising the attacking talent that this team possess, could be detrimental to Southgate’s side. New, young and sometimes more talented players are moving up into England’s first team and are finding it impossible to play to their strengths. Sometimes it even looks as though the reasons that new players have been scouted for the England first team cannot be replicated once they make it into the team because they are constricted to a certain style of play.

England only conceded two goals in the 2020 Euros, so I think that in big tournaments, Southgate’s defensive style of play does work. However, when you start playing towards the end of big tournaments and all the teams that are left, up their defensive play but at the same time have their usual attacking options that they demonstrate in all of their previous games, this is where England often fall down. If attacking players are not being used more in games where we don’t necessarily need a dominant back-line then there is a case that Southgate is potentially wasting the talent that this team possess.

I think that if creativity is to be delivered up front, then it needs to predominantly start from centre midfield. Having two holding midfielders as well as a back five creates a negative style of play that a lot of these players are not as familiar with. Phil Foden for example, is one of the best, most decorated young players in the world and delivers constant creative solutions for his club week in week out. However, when it comes to playing for England, he rarely gets in the starting XI because he doesn’t fit the mould that Southgate likes to play in. I think that if Southgate were to build the team around Foden’s style of play then he could easily be one of the best in the international game and England could dominate a lot more than they currently do. 

Conclusion

Overall, this camp has been disappointing at best for the players, for Gareth Southgate and for the fans. One thing for sure is that the Three Lions will not want people to lose confidence in them because it has finally started to rebuild for the first time in a long time.

This Nations League camp hasn’t made a lot of sense in terms of timing. It has come at the end of a gruelling season where players are tired and at a higher risk of injury. The players have a shorter break than normal due to the Premier League starting earlier this year because of the looming World Cup; some players (Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool) have an even shorter break due to their club commitments of a pre-season tour. All in all, I think that the physical and mental tiredness experienced by the players has been a big factor in England’s performance during these games. I also think that Southgate’s experiment with the players may have not been appropriate so close to the World Cup. However, I do think that Southgate is an excellent manager and despite not all decisions paying off, a lot have. I think that it would be silly to consider replacing Southgate so close to the World Cup when he has proven time and time again that he is in fact ‘the one’ to lead the Three Lions to victory.