DOHA, Qatar — England‘s wait for a major tournament victory will now extend to at least 58 years. Manager Gareth Southgate is deliberating whether he is the right man to lead the Three Lions into Euro 2024 as the Football Association conducts an internal review into a World Cup campaign which promised so much but ended in an agonising quarterfinal exit to France.
Southgate’s six-year tenure has taken England closer to ending that wait for silverware than ever before, but here ESPN looks at what can be done between now and the next Euros in Germany to help boost their chances of success.
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Retain Southgate
Public opinion is split on whether Southgate has taken this England squad as far as he can but let’s not lose sight of the progress made on his watch: England won six knockout games in major tournaments between 1968 and 2016; Southgate has won six between 2018 and 2022.
This generation of players want to represent their country again and are inspired by the sense of opportunity rather than being burdened by the weight of history. Southgate has been the driving force of redefining this relationship with the national team, creating a positive environment in camp and fostering a genuine emotional investment in England’s fortunes.
There are better tacticians out there — although Southgate has developed significantly in that area — but any potential replacement would have to ensure the same culture endures, and there is certainly no guarantee of that. His tournament experience is invaluable. England have improved as a team every two years — a quarterfinal exit feels like a step back given it comes after reaching the Euro 2020 final, but the quality of their football was better, and they were desperately close to beating world champions France.
Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino have star quality but not the same intimate knowledge of England’s past and present. The leading English candidates — Chelsea‘s Graham Potter and Newcastle’s Eddie Howe — do not (yet) have the same pedigree while Brendan Rodgers’ stock has fallen considerably at Leicester. If Southgate has the energy and desire to continue, he is the best option England have. The FA and the players certainly want him to stay, while a shorter, 18-month tournament cycle heightens the need for continuity.
