all of Southgate’s failures.
Yup, in every tournament as soon as Southgate meets a decent side, he loses, and so it was as England faced Spain in the Euro final, and lost, due to all of Southgate’s failings we’ve seen repeated over and over again.
A half decent manager would have led England into the Euro 2024 final in Berlin with a decent chance of retaining the Euro title. But no, England has Gareth Southgate who has seen his favourite XI fail, game after game but went there again for the seventh time.
Southgate has gone with the basic XI for every game, yes he started with Alexander-Arnold and swapped that one midfielder, had to replace Guehi when he was suspended and eventually played a left-back in the left-back slot. But it’s basically been the same setup every game. A setup that’s failed every game.
2018 World Cup, Southgate loses to Belgium in the group stage, it opens up the easy side of the draw. England play nobody until Croatia, go ahead then lose. Then lose to Belgium in the 3rd/4th game. Euro 2020, get the easy side of the draw, make the final and the first decent team they meet, they lose, after going ahead. 2022 World Cup, first decent team the face, France, they lose. Euro ’24, first decent team they meet, Spain, they lose.
Well, everyone has lost to Spain. They were the best team in the tournament. Combining the passing we’ve seen from previous Spanish winners but with a willingness to go forward quicker than before. Even the keeper takes long goal kicks.
Spain controlled the first half, without making Pickford make a real save. They were running rings round England’s midfield and defence. Walker being shown up repeatedly – but he can run fast kept saying Ally McCoist – as was Rice. While we had the pundits creaming themselves because Shaw used his obese gut to barge off a 17 year old kid, once.
While Spain had 70% of the ball, Kane had one shot from the one pass he received, their one attempt on goal coming from a Foden poke from a dangerous free-kick. Other than that it was the same old same old. When they had the ball they either coughed it up very quickly, passing it backwards or going for personal glory.
We then had the pundits telling us how Southgate will sort them out at halftime. You know like he’s never done before. It’s almost as if they’ve never actually watched England after 15 minutes with Southgate and his number 2. They always come out as if their halftime orange was laced with something. Mogadon.
Things got more euphoric with the pundits when they saw Rodri was being replaced at the beginning of the second half. This was it, Spain’s only player – because he plays for City – England can’t lose now.
It took two minutes for Spain to take the lead. A lovely move, one touch, forward running, playing others in instead of going for personal glory and yet again a goal against England comes from Walker’s side. It’s the type of play that’s made Spain the best team by far at the tournament.
Before long it could have been game over. Fortunately for England the Spaniards then missed a string of excellent chances, all created through some cracking build up play. They could quite easily have been four or five ahead.
But then they let England back into it. I wonder if they would, they did against Italy, Germany and France. Just drop off and allow the other side to get on top. Luckily for them England just couldn’t yet again play as a team and so ego and personal glory was taking over again.
Again it took the introduction of Palmer to make the difference. Again it took an age for Southgate to make the change. 70th minute. Ollie Watkins had come on for Kane 10 minutes earlier. But again, in Southgate’s predictable manner, it was like for like. Take of a striker to put on a striker. Why not play two. Watkins being the Shearer/Lineker and Kane being the Sheringham/Beardsley? Kane has the vision and passing to do that role so easily.
Southgate has played Kane with another striker just once in the tournament, against Slovakia, it lasted for 18 minutes. England scored to goals in that time. Including the winner than came from Kane via an assist from the other, Toney.
McCoist did finally get something right, saying that it didn’t matter who was up front because they needed more from the “creative players” well they couldn’t get less. Bellingham almost provided something, playing a ball through that Kane would give his right nut for but never gets. Watkins blew his chance with a poor touch. Even Rio Ferdinand got it right when stating Kane can score goals by the bundle in Germany, did so in England, does so in Europe why can’t England play to him?
There was a period just before he went off I said “they ask why Kane drops deep to get the ball” as he was moving around the edge of the box, as the ball went sideways between Foden, Saka and Bellingham and not one of them even contemplated passing to him, though he was free, or putting a cross in.
Palmer was on less than 3 minutes when he curled in a beauty, which came from the only assist Bellingham, Foden or Saka provided all tournament. Bellingham’s poke back to the Chelsea player. If there was another game, Southgate still wouldn’t start Palmer.
It kicked Spain back into life and thirteen minutes later they were back in front. Again one touch, go forward play. For the first time since they scored Cucurella got into a crossing position and of course Walker let the cross go by him, as Stones was in no man’s land and it was left to Guehi the left sided centre-back to deal with the striker on the right sided post. Tight but not offside.
Cucurella, you know that weak like all the English pundits were telling you about. Just mugged your “best right back in the world”.
And that’s the rub, they keep talking up Walker, they talked up Shaw, yet per 90 minutes Trippier – who they all said wasn’t playing forward because he was on the wrong side – played more forward passes than either of them. Yes, a bloke on the wrong side played it forward more than guys on their correct side but they won’t mention that. While Walker player 690 minutes of football, every minute of every game, yet didn’t complete one successful cross in all that time. They talk up Rice, who did nothing but ran around like a headless chicken, when he wasn’t picking the ball up from the back three, while level with the back three, then passing back to the back three. Once in the game Stones came out of defence with the ball, it caused consternation the Spanish side. Wasn’t seen again.
In the final minute of normal time England had chances to level, Rice’s header from a corner went straight to the keeper, his parry was headed back by Guehi but off the line before Rice put another header in well wide.
It would have been undeserved, Spain were the far better team and it shows that when Southgate’s luck runs out, England under him are a mess, a mess all of his making, with nothing to mask the rubbish if they don’t win. Surely he can’t continue but just look at social media and the number of people talking him up because he’s reached semis and finals, all from the easy side of the draw, against weak opposition, with a better squad of players than most England managers have ever had, playing the dullest sideways/backwards football you’ve seen. Some people, easily pleased.
Spain played forward football and it’s funny that the pundits are now saying this is the next thing Southgate should copy.
Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. Southgate would rather die on his knees. He’s so FA though, always reminded of what Brian Clough said about Ron Greenwood… “Nice man, couldn’t start an argument with his wife if he tried”…