England’s gritty win over Netherlands is Gareth Southgate’s finest hour: Tactical flaws remain but Euro 2024 glory would be just reward for the manager’s incredible resolve

The Three Lions boss deserves respect after reaching a second major final, regardless of the achievement being more down to luck than judgement

England fans chanting “Football’s coming home” at major tournaments is nothing new. It became the anthem for an entire nation the moment it was released by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds, ahead of the 1996 European Championship on home soil.

But most of the time, it’s been sung in hope rather than expectation. For so long, the Three Lions have fallen short on the biggest stage, despite being blessed with a host of great players across several different generations. And so the supporters got used to disappointment. Few serious football people really dared to dream when England arrived at major tournaments.

Gareth Southgate, the man who missed the decisive penalty in England’s semi-final shootout loss to Germany in ’96, has changed all that. When the iconic chant started reverberating around Borussia Dortmund’s iconic Westfalenstadion on Wednesday night, there was an undertone of genuine belief.

It wasn’t pretty, but England outbattled, and ultimately outfoxed the Netherlands to progress to a second successive Euros showpiece. Southgate has been ridiculed, pelted with cups, and completely written off en route; always facing up to the vitriol with dignity and unwavering resolve. And now, putting his obvious limitations as a coach aside, he’s just one game away from getting the reward he deserves.

Being bold pays off
Most important England games in the Southgate era have gone the same way. England start well, only to sit back and invite pressure, leading to a nail-biting finish. It was certainly the case in the Euro 2020 final, when they took an early lead at Wembley through a brilliant Luke Shaw goal, only to end up suffering another painful defeat on penalties to Italy.

Against the Netherlands, it felt like another shootout would be on the cards as England once again ceded control in what was a thoroughly exhausting second half. Southgate did bring Shaw on for Kieran Trippier at the interval, but only because the Newcastle man was carrying an injury.

The England manager’s most glaring flaw is his inability to react when the opposition moves into the ascendency. He’s not proactive enough with his substitutions, and no one was surprised that he waited until the 80th minute to start ringing the changes.

Fortunately, though, they ended up making him look like a genius. Southgate finally withdrew Harry Kane, who showed nerves of steel from the penalty spot to draw England level at 1-1 in the first half, but then faded into near anonymity, and replaced him with a willing runner in Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, while also throwing Cole Palmer on for Phil Foden.

Taking off Foden raised a few eyebrows given he’d been England’s most dynamic performer on the night, but in the 90th minute, Southgate was vindicated in heart-stopping fashion. Palmer immediately looked for Watkins after picking the ball up on the right, and found him in the box with a beautifully weighted pass. The Villa man then took one clever touch to turn before lashing a wicked strike across Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and into the far corner – cue absolute pandemonium.

The Netherlands toiled in vain to hit back in stoppage-time, but the game was won. Southgate’s uncharacteristically bold decisions paid off, and it was impossible not to delight in his fiercely passionate celebrations after the final whistle.

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  Never straightforward

  It was actually the Netherlands that drew first blood with just seven minutes on the clock, via a long-range thunderbolt from Xavi Simons, who is reportedly set to join Kane at Bayern Munich ahead of the 2024-25 season. Denzel Dumfries would see a header cannon off the bar later in the half, too, but England were otherwise completely dominant, with Foden serving as the chief creator.

  Manchester City’s diminutive magician displayed the form that earned him the Premier League Player of the Year award as he ran rings around the Dutch defence. He saw one of his efforts cleared off the line and another clipped the post, with England finally showing a sense of urgency that had been absent in their previous five games to force Ronald Koeman’s side on the retreat.

  Things might have been different had Kane’s equaliser not come so quickly, but the Three Lions were purring, and it looked like there would only be one winner when the two teams went down the tunnel for the half-time break. Alas, it’s never that straightforward with Southgate’s England.

  Koeman introduced former Manchester United striker Wout Weghorst just after the restart, which gave the Dutch a much-needed out ball. Tijani Reijnders, Jerdy Schouten and Joey Veerman, who came on for the injured Memphis Depay late in the first half, then began to take over in midfield, shutting down the channels in which Foden, Bukayo Saka and Kobbie Mainoo had seen so much joy.

  England completely lost their rhythm, and didn’t even muster a shot at goal in the first 42 minutes of the second half. Crucially, though, they dug in. The Oranje struggled to carve out clear chances, aside from a poked Virgil van Dijk effort that was well saved by Jordan Pickford. And in the end, another moment of individual brilliance got England over the line, as Watkins repeated Jude Bellingham’s heroics against Slovakia from the round of 16.

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    Is VAR ‘destroying’ the game?

    On balance, England were worthy winners, but the Netherlands had every right to feel hard done by. Kane’s penalty was the key turning point in the game, and it was one of the softest decisions you will ever see – to put it as kindly as possible.

    There were no real protests for a spot-kick when Kane went down in the box after blazing a volley over the bar, and had the England captain not been so theatrical, Dumfries probably would have got away with his late follow-through. It was an honest attempt to win the ball, and Kane had already got his shot off. Match referee Felix Zwayer certainly thought nothing of it initially, as he pointed for a goal-kick.

    But then VAR intervened. Video assistant referee Bastian Dankert advised a penalty, which forced Zwayer to check the pitch-side monitor, and 99 percent of the time, there is only one outcome when that happens. A foul was eventually given, and Kane miraculously recovered from the blow to step up and fire the ball low into the net.

    Understandably, the incident left Koeman furious. “This is not a penalty. His [Dumfries’] only intention was to block a shot. Harry Kane then shoots and their feet collide,” he told reporters. “Football is getting destroyed by these type of decisions by VAR. This penalty would not have been given in England. What should you do as a defender?”

    The legendary Dutchman is right about VAR. Even if you agree with the majority of decisions that are given, it has made football far less enjoyable as a spectacle because it completely disrupts the natural flow of matches. But England won’t care. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, which has been a running theme for Southgate at this tournament.
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    ‘We all want to be loved’

    Southgate called out the “unusual environment” around the England camp after they finished top of their group on five points, with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Serbia followed up by two sleep-inducing draws against Denmark and Slovenia. Jeers rained down on the 53-year-old after the third game as fans expressed their frustration over his conservative selections and tactics, while some even suggested he should be immediately removed from his post on social media.

    High-profile pundits such as Gary Lineker, Gary Neville, Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand also publicly urged Southgate to throw caution to the wind and make full use of the exceptional attacking talent at his disposal. It would have been easy to bow to the will of the mob, so as not to lose the connection built up with supporters over the last eight years, but Southgate has stubbornly stuck to his core principles in the face of temptation.

    England have gradually improved in the knockout stages, despite his refusal to make any radical personnel or system changes. Entertainment has still been in short supply, but Southgate is now the first person in the history of the men’s national team to reach two major finals, which is a testament to his strength of character.

    “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 at his post-match press conference in Dortmund. “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.”

    What Southgate has achieved is special, and may never be repeated. Any reservations over his management style now need to be locked away, because he deserves the respect and full support of his country heading into Sunday’s showdown against Spain.

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      Spain can be beaten

      Make no mistake, England will be facing by far their biggest test of Euro 2024 so far at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Spain are the overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy and rightly so. Luis de la Fuente’s troops have won all six of their games, scoring 13 goals – the leading total in the competition – while conceding just three.

      In truth, quality football has been in short supply in Germany this summer. Avoiding defeat has been the primary goal, leading to chess-like contests decided by the finest of margins, but Spain have been the exception.

      With 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams leading their charge, and Fabian Ruiz and Rodri pulling the strings in midfield, La Roja have been thrilling to watch, blowing opponents away with their quick, incisive passing and ruthless edge in the final third. Stopping Spain’s danger men will be a very tall order for England – but they can do it.

      Granted, the Three Lions have had a far easier draw, but they’ve looked rock solid defensively for the most part. A lack of fluidity in attack has been England’s biggest problem as they’ve faced a series of teams content to play a low block.

      Spain will be an entirely different prospect, which may actually suit England. They will likely be pushed back towards their own goal for long periods due to La Roja’s superior technical ability, but there will potentially be far more space on the counter for the likes of Foden, Bellingham and Saka to exploit.

      There is argument that starting Watkins over Kane would be the best way to stretch the Spain backline, because the pace of Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola hurt them when they came on as substitutes for Germany and France, respectively, in the previous rounds. But even if the skipper retains his spot, England should be able to play more expansive, direct football than they have up to this point, and an upset is entirely possible.

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      Revolutionary

      The likelihood is, Southgate will stick with the same set of players in Berlin. But this time, there shouldn’t be any groans when the teamsheet is read out. The man on the touchline should be trusted to finish the job his way, having already proven all of his doubters wrong.

      “I took the job to try and improve English football and we’re now in a second final,” Southgate declared after the Netherlands win. “The last one was the first in 50 years. We’re now in the first that isn’t played on our shores. I think we’ve got a team that will be together for quite a while, so it’s not as though this is a team that’s at the end of a cycle. I think we’ve given our supporters some of the best nights over the last 50 years, so I’m hugely proud of that. I’m delighted if everybody at home is feeling the way we are and the way the supporters in the stadium are feeling. But from our point of view, we came here to try and win the tournament, and that’s still our aim.”

      There are plenty of brighter footballing minds in the game than Southgate. Some of them have even stood in his shoes, but none came close to turning England into genuine trophy contenders. He hasn’t just improved English football, he’s revolutionised it, from the grassroots level all the way to the first team.

      Southgate is a thoughtful leader and an expert communicator who has created meaningful relationships with all of his players, so much so that they would all run through a brick wall for him. His mental fortitude is unrivalled, and he has a deep-rooted competitive streak that has kept him hungry for success after every damaging setback.

      Sunday could very well be the final game of Southgate’s tenure. He might bring football home, but it’s also possible Spain will prove too strong. Either way, he will be able to walk away as a true England legend.

      Source goal.com