SOUTHGATE, Expectation AND CYNICISM
Tom Ball
Gareth Southgate's EURO warm-up has been nothing short of tricky. The provisional 33-man squad can be seen as a smart move, giving as many players as possible a taste of the international stage while allowing him to keep his options open. However, it did just delay his decision of who were to be the final twenty-six.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United's involvement in the European Finals lead to an extended absence for ten of the thirty-three players he named. Ten who were perhaps shoe-ins for that finalised group. The absence of these players led to much of those involved in the warm-up friendlies against Austria and Romania knew they were not going to be on the pitch come competition time.
We cannot escape the gutting injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold and the questionable fitness of leaders Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire. Southgate has most certainly not had things easy this summer. Many will insist that these issues were avoidable, and many will say it is a byproduct of the strangeness of this season.
Nevertheless, what is inarguable is the silent expectation that is almost uncannily contradicted by a cloud of cynicism. An expectation coming from the electrifying group of young attacking talent lead by a supreme captain in Harry Kane. Jack Grealish and Phil Foden go into the England fray for their first major tournament off the back of a season that has shot the pair into the stratosphere. Jack seems to remind everyone of the enigmatic and iconic Paul Gascoigne, while Foden took the comparisons more literally with a brand new blonde barnet reminiscent of Gazza's EURO 96' look.
That tournament was the last one to be hosted in England. With Wembley taking centre stage in 2021’s multinational version of the tournament, many hope for some memorable moments just like Gazza’s goal against the Scots, who just so happen to be our Matchday 2 opponents.
Let's not get too involved in any romanticism. While the players on the pitch are driving inspiration. There is a man in the dugout who continues to divide that inspiration—a man who once carried the hope of this nation on his back just three years ago.
"Southgate you're the one" was being screamed in every pub, living room and fan park across England while England got to its first World Cup semi-final and since 1990. Of course, that ended with heartbreak. However, many came out of that tournament feeling proud. Throughout the country's golden generation, we were exposed to drab, soulless displays that left a sour taste in the mouths of England fans that are yet to waiver. A clear disbelief of names like Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, Ferdinand, Cole and Rooney stinking out the place created an inescapable aura of pessimism. 2018 restored that, A well respected and model professional in Harry Kane succeeded an unfairly criticised and divisive Wayne Rooney as captain. At the same time, the team welcomed a group of young stars excited to play with one another.
Southgate has come under a little more criticism from a footballing perspective recently. His adoption of a 3/5 at the back became an incredibly stubborn and organised system that proved difficult to beat and engineered some brilliant performances. However, the lightning fast rise of players like Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount to add to Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling has seen a shift into the fans desire for a more daring, attractive system that will see these players thrive. There is no doubt that the enjoyment of a fluid, possession-based game played through a 4-3-3 does seem like the dream. However, we have to look at this a bit more realistically.
Many successful national teams have played a more structured and robust system that utilises the strengths of more specific players rather than just shoving as much talent on the pitch as possible. If you take a look at reigning world champions, France, Olivier Giroud caught a lot of attention for not scoring or assisting during Les Bleus' triumph. However, while that point stands, France still won. His contribution was clearly enough for him to start most of the tournament, including the Final. Furthermore, 2006 champions Italy prided themselves on imperious defence and stubborness.
The outliers are obviously teams like Brazil and Spain. Brazil has produced some of the most extraordinary talents the game has ever seen. However, their entire footballing identity has complemented these flair-filled talents from Garrincha to Zico to Ronaldinho to Ronaldo Nozario to Neymar. On the other hand, Spain dominated the international stage when their club teams dominated the club stage. The entire team was made up of Real Madrid and Barcelona players who understood a distinct footballing identity built within Spain.
There is a reason England never had this allure; we do not have great managers. The footballing identity has never had tactical exoticism. This is not a knock on Southgate; he stumbled into the job after the embarrassing Sam Allardyce scandal and brought England to their best finish in almost 30 years.
However, there is no secret that England has stalled in its production of truly brilliant managers. No Englishman has ever actually won the English Premier League, and if I were to line up all the possible replacements if Southgate were to leave right now, I can't imagine you'd even flinch for any of them.
Our domestic game has created a group of six clubs that dominated its riches. At the same time, they pay foreign managers like Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel insane money to come in and implement the philosophy of their native footballing institutions. While this is brilliant for the Premier League, our national team suffers. We expect to see this brilliant football from the Three Lions when there isn't the culture to support that sort of philosophy.
If we are willing to accept our national team being lead by a foreign man, we can begin to have a conversation about the future of Gareth Southgate. However, if we are looking to keep it within house, we must understand its limitations and frustrations. As mentioned before, the England football structure was in a very bad place a decade ago. The players of that generation have even admitted since the struggles within the camp. Southgate has overcome the first task. Many of today’s stars have touched on the togetherness, a togetherness the national set up was sorely lacking previously. This is something Southgate has mastered. The tactical set up over the team can, most likely, be put put down to his Steve Holland-led coaching team just as much as Southgate himself. Southgate’s biggest influence clearly comes a man manager.
The national team set up is a very complex dynamic when compared to club level. You have a group of players who, apart from three of them, all play against each other in an incredibly competitive league. While the other top national sides have players competing in all different leagues around the world. There is a uniqueness to this dynamic in the England camp when it is compared to other top nations in the world.
This is something that held back the national team, especially before Southgate took over. It is also very clear however, that Southgate has changed this. There should be an awareness that this is a job that many have tried and failed at and Gareth, based on track record, is certainly the best we have had at it this century. This does not mean expectations should be lowered but just a tad more carefully considered.