Should Gareth Southgate stay or go as England manager? Have your say
The footballing hangover of all hangovers. It's the tough morning after the heartbreaking night before for England and their fans following the team's loss in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.
Despite a spirited display, England were beaten 2-1 by deserved winners Spain and the long hunt for a first major trophy since winning the World Cup in 1966 goes on.
England had their moments in this final but, in the end, it finished with another chance at glory gone. For Gareth Southgate, the big question is: whether to stay or go?
Southgate has had his detractors this tournament, those who say he has been too reactive and not put his side on the front foot/ On the other hand, he can easily point to his record of reaching a semi-final and a quarter-final in consecutive World Cups, and now two Euros finals in a row.
Immediately after last night's match, Southgate, whose contract expires in December, would not be drawn on his future, telling ITV: “I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision like that. I’m going to talk to the right people and, yeah, it’s just not for now.”
Now is the time for you to have your say on whether Southgate should remain as England manager.
Where it went wrong for England:
Gareth Southgate must stay as England manager – the players froze . Former England player and Jamie Carragher wrote: "The failure when it mattered came down to the players failing to deliver. They didn’t play with enough courage. They didn’t play with enough courage. England’s stars froze and could never impose themselves on an excellent Spain team. We played with a fear of losing a European Championship final whereas Spain played like it was a European Championship group game." [The Telegraph]
Southgate oversees familiar failure – a tale of hope but lacking a clear plan . Jonathan Liew wrote: "This is what separates the great sides like Spain from the great triers like England. Perennial contenders. Really strong. They’ll be there or thereabouts. But you cannot be what you cannot really see. By 35 minutes England are printing photographs of the football and pinning them to trees and lampposts, as if it were a lost cat. Possession statistics after 20 minutes: Spain 71%, Pickford 29%. And though chances are few, in hindsight there are glimpses of what comes later" [The Guardian]
Sluggish Harry Kane helps cement England’s place as football’s eternal nearly men . Richard Jolly writes: "Patently not fit, still yet to score in a final, Kane chugged around, his lack of pace a lovely tribute to East Germany’s infamous flagship car, the Trabant. And Walker had a dismal second half; dragged across too centrally when Lamine Yamal fed the ball across, granting Williams too much room to score, found wanting again when Olmo shot wide a couple of minutes later." [The Independent]
England left nursing regrets after falling agonisingly short once more . Barney Ronay wrote: "Early on, as Spain dominated the ball, it was hard to know if England were playing well or badly. There was no data. They were basically watching someone else take part in a sporting event. The age of Gareth Southgate, eight years in the making, might just be teetering very close to the edge now." [The Guardian]
England fall short again in what feels like the final act for Gareth Southgate . Malik Ouzia writes: "Among all the scenarios mulled over in Berlin’s beer halls and bars last night, the most feared, on the summer’s evidence, was that England might simply be blown away, never throw a punch. In the end, that would have been kinder." [Evening Standard]
Too much Kane and not enough Palmer – Southgate’s selection calls dissected .Mike McGrath writes: "Palmer always made an impact when he came on and there is a strong argument that he deserved more than his 145 minutes across five games. Southgate never introduced him earlier than the 66th minute." [The Telegraph]
