The divisive England coach has united a nation behind his team just in time for the European Championship final against Spain
“We all want to be loved, right?” With a slight quiver in his voice, that was the question Gareth Southgate posed to the watching press after guiding England to a second-consecutive European Championship final – a result he achieved despite coming under the most intense criticism of his eight-year tenure.
His words will have cut deep for England fans, critics and pundits alike, and perhaps provoked a moment of self-reflection. After almost a month of unprecedented, relentless abuse, innumerable questions asked of his tactics and even being barraged by plastic cups thrown by his own team’s so-called supporters, Southgate has achieved exactly what he had set out to do.
No-one would argue that it’s been pretty – indeed, for extended periods it has been downright awful – but in certain moments on their journey to the Euro 2024 final, Southgate has reminded a nation exactly why it loves him and his team. Now, he is one match away from unlikely greatness
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Getty ImagesTurgid football & favourable pathway
Let’s get this out of the way first: despite widespread hope and expectation that a ridiculously talented generation of England players would turn it on in Germany and blow every opponent away en route to lifting the trophy, that is, of course, not what has transpired.
A number of big names have underperformed, the football has largely been excruciating to watch and the Three Lions have made very heavy weather of defeating so-called lesser opponents in the forms of Serbia, Slovakia and Switzerland, while they were held to uninspiring draws by Denmark and Slovenia in the group phase.
They have also been fortunate to benefit from UEFA’s bizarre tournament format, avoiding being on the same side of the draw as footballing giants Germany, France, Portugal and Spain, and not facing a nation in the top 10 of FIFA’s World Rankings until the semi-final against the Netherlands.
But when all is said and done, if England somehow get their hands on the Henri Delaunay Cup in Berlin on Sunday, that will all pale into insignificance for anyone who follows the Three Lions – just like the question of whether the ball crossed the line on that fateful day at Wembley in 1966.
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Getty ImagesTournament mastery
You can only beat what has been put in front of you, and whether or not there has been any method to some of the mediocre football is a question only Southgate can answer. His record at major showpieces now speaks for itself, though, as he continues to meet expectations.
England are into their second-consecutive European Championship final, and it is perhaps no surprise that criticism of their manager died down as he successfully guided them to the latter stages of a major tournament for the fourth time in four attempts. Before Southgate, England had won six knockout games in half a century. Maintaining his calm, unassuming demeanour in the face of a torrent of abuse, unsolicited tactical advice and literal missiles that have been launched in his direction, Southgate has continued to do things his way and, as usual, it’s worked.
He never seems to set out with a plan to take things game by game, but rather a tournament is seen as a journey that will unfold before him and his team, with the aim of getting as close to the end of it as possible. There is a resolve, too, that they will achieve their objectives; even with England 1-0 down to Slovakia after 94 minutes of their last-16 clash, Southgate claimed he always knew his side would triumph – words that were ridiculed at first but have gained credence in the days since. “I had belief right the way through that we’d get the goal,” he said. “I wasn’t ready to go home yet and clearly the players felt the same way.”
Slowly but surely, Southgate has made the necessary tactical adjustments, changing personnel and formation, the football has improved and the team has once again shown its mettle, culminating in a deserved victory in normal time over the Dutch in the semi-finals – comfortably their best result and performance of the tournament. Now England stand one game from history, and they have Southgate’s tournament acumen to thank in large part.
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GettyEngland FC
One of the manager’s most notable achievements has come off the pitch, as he has made the infamous days of fierce Premier League rivalries between the likes of John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand, that would prevent harmony and cause divides on the international stage, a thing of the distant past.
The England camp now seems akin to a football club, with the core of the squad generally kept the same over a number of years. Call-ups are not dissimilar to new signings, and those who are dropped are like sales with a slim chance of a recall. This theory would go some way to explaining Southgate’s much-derided track record of staying loyal to players who have been horribly out of form at club level, such as Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips, whom he was somehow able to get the best out of.
Rightly or wrongly, by sticking to a fairly limited pool of players he has fostered strong bonds and enabled a synergy to develop organically, with that togetherness palpable in England’s social media posts and the post-match celebrations that have endeared them to the fans once again. Even those who haven’t had any minutes have a big role to play as cheerleaders, and they seem happy to be part of the journey.
There are no big egos here, just a group of disarmingly normal young men who seem to have a steely determination to right the wrongs of the men’s England team’s past. They have been through so much together, and there is clearly a collective desire to make history.
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GettyA love rekindled
Having lost vast swathes of support in the early stages of the championship, Southgate and his men have hooked everyone back in. But it’s not simply through battling to Sunday’s showpiece and the squad’s charm that we have fallen back in love with the manager and his players, but rather the moments of pure ecstasy that have punctuated an otherwise uninspiring run to the final.
The history of the England men’s football team is dappled with those flashpoints; Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick in 1966, Paul Gascoigne’s unforgettable goal against Scotland, Michael Owen’s run and finish against Argentina, David Beckham’s free-kick against Greece. But at Euro 2024, Southgate’s England have created their own highlights reel.
Jude Bellingham’s 95th-minute bicycle-kick to haul the Three Lions level against Slovakia is a goal that we will see time and time again; Bukayo Saka’s inch-perfect equaliser against Switzerland was sublime, and the flawless penalty shootout victory that followed was another marker of England’s progress in an area they have fallen short in so many times in the past; Ollie Watkins’ last-ditch winner against the Dutch was an instantly iconic instance of euphoria. They are moments that have recaptured the imagination of an entire country and, indeed, reminded us just why we love Southgate and his players.
“We all want to be loved, right? When you are doing something for your country and you are a proud Englishman, when you don’t feel that back and all you read is criticism, it is hard,” Southgate said after triumphing over the Netherlands on Wednesday night. “To be able to celebrate a second final is very, very special. Especially the fans that travel. We’re kindred spirits in many ways. Of course, I’m the one that has to pick a team. To be able to give them a night like tonight is very, very special.”
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GettyHe knows what it means
That ‘proud Englishman’ once again finds himself on the cusp of completing an incredible redemption arc, although he has arguably more than made amends with his work over the past eight years as he has restored the Three Lions to the upper echelons of international football from the nadir of an ignominious defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016.
But few will have felt the 58 years of hurt of the England’s men’s team as keenly as Southgate. After all, the image of the former defender trudging back to the halfway line, hands on head, after missing the deciding penalty against Germany in the Euro ’96 semi-final on home soil is permanently seared onto the nation’s collective memory.
“I can’t give closure on what’s happened in the past because I can’t give closure to the teammates I’ve played with,” Southgate has said previously of his role in the years of hurt dragging on. “I’ve got an opportunity of doing something now.”
Indeed, in his time as boss, in his own, calm, measured way, he has shown a dogged determination to right the wrongs of the past. No England manager has come closer to doing so, and no manager has such a fundamental understanding of just what it will mean when the men’s team finally bring a trophy home.
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GettyOne more step
There is, of course, one more significant hurdle to overcome for Southgate and his players; a formidable Spain side stand between them and European Championship glory on Sunday, and the Three Lions will be widely considered the underdogs despite their status as pre-tournament favourites. Boy, how they could do with another one of those special moments at the Olympiastadion – a museum of sporting history made for those moments.
“They (Spain) would be rightly favourites for what they have done this tournament,” Southgate said before another date with destiny. “They have been the best team. They have got a day longer and in the past three finals, maybe more, it has been quite significant, so we have got to get our recovery spot on. Tactically we will have to be perfect as they are such a good side.” He elaborated: “They are a bloody good side. Let’s pitch it right. We have got to be perfect to win this game and we will have to find everything that we have got from within us.”
The togetherness in the squad is not lost on him, however, and he hopes England can draw on that as they face one of the biggest nights in their history. “There is no question, the big nights, that a lot of this group have been together and this new group, that has formed so well and have learned so much from these six games already,” he continued. “And we have got players who have played lots of big matches so they will know what is required on the night. You know, we are here. And it is a game we can prepare for, so, no matter what, the players have shown… the togetherness and the spirit.”
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GettyLegacy secure
Win or lose on Sunday, there is the sense that Southgate’s time at the helm has run its natural course, and his words pre-tournament suggested he is ready to step aside even if the FA are desperate for him to stay on, bringing down the curtain on what has been the most sustained period of relative success in the history of the men’s England football team.
Speaking to German outlet Bild before the Euros, the manager said: “If we don’t win, I probably won’t be here any more. So maybe it is the last chance. I think around half the national coaches leave after a tournament – that’s the nature of international football.
“I’ve been here almost eight years now and we’ve come close. You can’t constantly put yourself in front of the public and say, ‘a little more please’, as at some point people lose faith. If we want to be a great team and I want to be a top coach, you must deliver in big moments.”
Who knows, landing an elusive piece of silverware and ending the 58 years of hurt in Berlin may just dissuade him from calling time as he targets more glory at the World Cup in 2026. But as things stand, there is a significant chance that the Euro 2024 final will be Southgate’s last game in charge, having previously admitted the toll major tournaments take on him.
Whatever happens, though, his legacy is secure; in eight years in the role he has changed the face of English international football forever, and even if he isn’t the man to get his hands on a trophy, he has laid the foundations for future success. The heady summers of 2018, 2021, and 2024 will never be forgotten, and we have unassuming Mr. Southgate and his loveable squad to thank for the memories.
Source goal.com
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