Southgate, Light and Shadow | SPORT

Gareth Southgate His path in the Eurocup was not smooth. Criticized for the always difficult situation in England. (fans and media, led by former footballers), touched the canvas several times and survived with its lights and shadows until it reached a summit that few believed in: the final, which will be played against Spain this year Sunday in Berlin.

Now, in just a couple of days, Southgate will have the chance to break a curse that has lasted almost 58 years. Since England won the 1966 World Cup, they have lost 29 internationals. Only one manager, Alf Ramsey, has ever won a trophy that could be displayed in the FA’s shop windows. Joe Mercer, Ron Greenwood, Bobby Robson, Graham Taylor, Terry Vanebles, Glenn Hoddle, Howard Wilkinson, Peter Taylor, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello, Stuart Pearce, Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce all tried and failed to do so. Southgate could emulate Ramsey, despite the fact that he has made more mistakes than successes in this European Cup.

Inappropriate statements

Before the start of the Eurocup, in an interview with Bild, he made several statements to the world that did little to improve the calm of the English concentration. “If we don’t win, I’ll probably not be here anymore. This might be the last chance. I think about half of the national coaches leave after the tournament; that’s the nature of international football.”He said you have to set the bar very high and put unnecessary pressure on your players.

Southgate will mark eight years in charge of the English team in December. He initially replaced Allardyce on a temporary basis, but after four games in charge of the “pros” he convinced the federation, which officially confirmed Southgate’s position that he would theoretically leave if Spain were not beaten. This is what he hinted at, to cause the first senseless shock to a team that seems to possess a magnet for trouble that provides fodder for the opinion-makers surrounding the England team. This, Southgate, you should have known long ago.

The Trent Alexander-Arnold “Experiment”

At the last European Championship, England reached the final, losing to Italy on penalties, with a very recognisable midfield pairing that worked like clockwork: Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips. The latter was left out of the equation as he was loaned to West Ham by Manchester City and had a sub-par season. Southgate did not call him up and decided to start Alexander-Arnold alongside Rice for the game against Serbia. when he had three other midfielders on the bench waiting for their chance: Conor Gallagher and youngsters Adam Wharton (20) and Kobby Mainu (19).

After a Pyrrhic 0-1 win in the second group game against Denmark, he insisted on Alexander-Arnold. He failed again and was replaced after the break by Gallagher, who in turn finally sent Alexander-Arnold to the bench for the third game, another stagnant 0-0 draw with Slovenia. Gallagher’s miscue also brought out one of Southgate’s lights.who, in finding this solution, yearned for Phillips: “We know that Alexander-Arnold is an experiment. We have no natural replacement for Phillips,” he lamented while Phillips was at home.

Victim during conversation

Another controversial decision by Gareth Southgate was his inclusion in the shortlist. Luke Shaw has been injured since February, the month he played his final minutes for Manchester United.A hamstring injury had left him embittered, but the manager had blind faith in him and took a chance by making Shaw the only pure left-back in the team, which he hoped would be available from the second game of the group stage.

He didn’t even call on another left-back in case Shaw didn’t arrive. He left candidates like Ben Chilwell and Tyreke Mitchell in place to take perhaps unnecessary risks.. What happened? The reaction did not greatly affect Southgate. Shaw did not appear until the last ten minutes of the quarter-final, which England won on penalties against Switzerland. Meanwhile, Kieran Trippier had to play on his altered foot, unnaturally and raising doubts about the opponent’s position. Southgate’s efforts with an injured player like Shaw reduced England’s performance.

Mainu, the great light of Southgate

If Southgate can boast of doing one thing right, it was his decision to opt for Manchester United’s young midfielder Kobby Mainu. It did take him some time to make the decision, though, and his inclusion in the squad was the result of his own mistakes. like the failed Alexander-Arnold experiment. The first attempt to correct his unsuccessful idea was will replace the right-back with Gallagher in the third group stage game against Slovenia. That didn’t work either, and after seeing Maina in the same accident for a few minutes, he definitely jumped into the pool.

In the last 16, in England’s agonising 2-1 win over Slovakia (after extra time and Bellingham’s bicycle kick in the last second of added time), Mainoo found a place in the starting line-up. He never let the ball go again because he had proven himself to be the balance his team needed.n. The more he played, the more he improved, until he finally exploded in the semi-final. Mainoo was one of the best against the Netherlands and settled the debate over the midfielder who should accompany Rice forever. Southgate has undoubtedly done the right thing by turning the United lad into a star.

Southgate’s resilience

The England manager has a superb stamina. The criticism he has received from various quarters, while sometimes deserved, could have been disconcerting to anyone. However,Southgate moved calmly forward, ignoring the mass of fans and media who were asking his team to improve significantly on the back of a poor performance. from a team that no one trusted to win the title after the first three games.

But step by step, Southgate, based on results, albeit with little action except for the first half against the Netherlands, has used his players to silence anyone who flung their criticism into the air. Kane was one of those who stood up for his manager to stop names like Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer: “They didn’t win anything either,” he recalls. Southgate, for now, hasn’t either. But despite the criticism, his work cannot be questioned.: England, under his leadership, reached two finals of the two European Championships he managed and finished third at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.and in Qatar 2022 they reached the quarter-finals. Its sustainability is confirmed by its results. Undoubtedly.