wattWhen we last heard from Gareth Southgate, his tone was filled with contempt, a characteristic stoicism, but also a weariness. He was jeered by England fans after Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia, with a few throwing plastic cups at him.
Tensions have risen. From Iceland’s disastrous defeat at Wembley Stadium in what was supposed to be the grand finale of the European Cup in 2024, to the disastrous defeat by Serbia in the first round of the group stage, and then the disastrous performance in the draw with Denmark. There was growing dissatisfaction, lots of booing, and then the manager said the environment around the team was different to other places and why he felt it was “probably because of me”.
Body language experts are out in force, although you don’t need a psychology degree to look at someone who’s suffering and maybe ask some existential questions.
Southgate wants to protect the players and act as a shield for them in the face of all criticism and we’re not just talking about that in the media. It’s in every pub in the country and every pub here, even from non-England fans; especially from non-England fans. “Ah, you’re British. Why is your team so bad?
In the countdown to Sunday’s last-16 tie against Slovakia, it’s easy to worry about Southgate’s mentality and the knock-on effects it may have on his players. Where has the happiness gone?
It felt important that Southgate radiated plenty of positivity, even a bit of fun, in his pre-match message, while reassuring a restless nation. When he does, it’s as if he’s drawn a thick line under Slovenia’s trauma. He had called for a “reset” after Denmark, but that didn’t happen. Maybe this time it will be done.
“There’s really been a lot of excitement and good feeling throughout the team over the past few days,” he said. “This also coincides with being able to have a day off at the training ground. [on Wednesday] And relax a little. A bit of golf. Something like this. It’s not always science.
“Now that our world is surrounded by science and data, sports are about joy and enjoyment. Sometimes during the game [the football] That’s all you need to think about, you need something else to talk about, enjoy and focus on. I feel like we’ve had a great couple of days in that sense. A great balance between thorough preparation and downtime.
With that, Southgate started talking about staff cricket. Humble brag alert: He and his partner, outfitter Pat Frost, are in the finals; opponent to be determined. Southgate mentioned a happy birthday performance for Jude Bellingham (21) and Eberechi Eze (26) before training on Thursday morning. Wednesday’s bike ride was filled with laughs, even if Anthony Gordon wasn’t exactly one after being eliminated. The cricket knockout tournament is going well.
“I’m enjoying being here,” Southgate said. “I want to stay here for two more weeks. I have nothing to rush back. I’m in the padel final. There’s a lot to look forward to.
Southgate says it doesn’t occur to him that every game from now on could be his last for England. Slovakia will be his 99th time as head coach. At least, he was determined to make it into this century. As he reflects on his wealth of experience, particularly in knockout football, he has something to fall back on. He won six of nine major tournament knockouts. This is equivalent to the total number of trophies won by England from the time they won the World Cup in 1966 to 2016, when he took over.
Newsletter Promotion Post
“The bottom line is we know what we’ve been doing for a long time is working,” he said. “When you’re a young coach you don’t always get the evidence from the results and you’re not sure what the players are thinking. As you gain experience you know the quality of the player base you’re working with. Where; you know when they’re with you, you know what they need to do to win football games.
“There’s no doubt about it: you can’t feel this feeling fast enough. But that’s how I feel now. Eight years of experience has taught me how to deal with it all and keep the staff and the players on track. For me now it’s Things may have been different a few years ago.
Only Slovakia. Every England fan has thought this. They shouldn’t do this. Southgate described Slovakia as having some of their best performances at this World Cup, along with Georgia and Austria, knowing they would press high in a 4-3-3 formation and get the full-backs up early, And uses the ball well and looks to build attacks from the back. Southgate made an important nod to Napoli playmaker Stanislav Lobotka who was sitting in front of the defence.
“I think that’s what we’ve been dealing with in all competitions,” Southgate said when the concept of England rights was raised. “When people say an easy draw… I don’t think Germany in the last 16 of the last European Championship was a particularly easy draw because we had never beaten them in the tournament. [knockout tie] Since 1966.
On this topic, Southgate has one-on-one conversations with players every day. It was just drip-feed messaging, he didn’t give a rousing speech before the game. “I tend not to speak immediately before games,” Southgate said. “One of the players will do it. When you start playing, less is more.
“Players are usually ready and you want them to be in the right area with their experience and have the right mentality. They know what we need, they know what these games mean and they know we have to play well.
