WHAT’S going to happen to England coach Gareth Southgate?
If you don’t deliver at the world’s biggest football stage, you’re likely to get the big boot.
Like so many times before but, really, in a totally different way. England ultimately go out of an international tournament after a missed penalty from a star. But this wasn’t a shoot-out, and it wasn’t a case of Southgate’s side getting outclassed in midfield.
It wasn’t even a player of Kylian Mbappe’s class scorching them as they went down to France.
Definitely, Southgate may be feeling the pressure to deliver a first World Cup for England in 56 years, especially after it was revealed he is the second-highest earning coach in Qatar. Out of the 32 national team bosses at the tournament, he is only second to Germany’s Hansi Flick. This is according to the rich list rankings as European bosses dominate the top 10.
SUPERIOR TEAM
It’s touch-and-go in the knockout reviews. England were arguably the superior side in this 2-1 defeat to the French, who still remain world champions.
Jita Singh, now in Qatar for the World Cup, felt Southgate got it “spot on” in terms of game plan in the quarter-final loss to France, especially as Kylian Mbappe was so “quiet” and both goals came against the run of play.
“I think you must relook at Southgate’s continuity as I’m distraught too, because we really believed this year that it could be a year for England,” Jita said.
“England obviously got to a Euros final, they’ve really progressed well as a team over the last few years and I really felt as a young team they were confident enough to know that we could go out there and beat France. That’s the mentality switch that England have not had over the years.
YOUNGSTERS IN TOW
“I really hope Southgate stays because the core group that England got and what he’s made, it’s so special with the youngsters. He got everything spot on again. It’s not on him. The tactics were right, England played the right way but France edged them out.”
Jita, analysing the match, added: “England dominated the game, other than their two goals. I don’t really remember them creating much, England played some great football but it is a game of small margins. We win together, we lose together and I think that’s credit to the manager, the spirit that he’s brought to this team and togetherness that they’ve got.”
STAY CALM, SOUTHGATE
“Like I said, England weren’t overly confident but were confident enough to feel they could win this tournament and that is not the mentality England have had over the years.
‘You could see that in the performances, England were really aggressive, created loads of chances – scored one great penalty, missed another but that’s football. It’s obviously really hard to take at the minute. To lose a quarter-final against France is really tough.”
For Southgate, he just got to keep his fingers crossed as no one is seriously calling for his head to roll. But in football, anything can happen tomorrow.
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor.
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