England’s national team says goodbye to the summer break with a hearty slap. What about the future of manager Gareth Southgate?
After England’s worst home defeat in more than 90 years, coach Gareth Southgate has been the center of criticism.
In contrast to many fans and some experts, captain Harry Kane didn’t want to know anything about Southgate’s dismissal after Tuesday night’s 4-0 loss to Hungary. “I shouldn’t even answer that question, to be honest‘ said Kane on British television. ‘This is our first major defeat in a long time. (…) That was of course an evening to forget, but we have to put up with it and move on‘ said the Tottenham Hotspur attacker.
Many of the crowd in Wolverhampton expressed their frustration with boos and whistles and chants at Southgate, suggesting he had no idea what he was doing. The first experts also questioned the future of the coach, who had led England to the final against Italy at the European Championships in their own country last summer and before that to the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup.
Southgate ‘under pressure’
Ex-national player Gary Lineker limited himself on Twitter to wishing for a playing style like that of Liverpool FC. After just one goal in the four Nations League games without a win over the past two weeks, ex-Liverpool professional Stephen Warnock told BBC radio: “I’m not sure he’s the right man. There are other candidates better suited – and I’m sure Gareth Southgate is under pressure tonight.”
The heaviest home defeat since a 5-1 loss to Scotland in 1928 caused great uncertainty in England. “We haven’t lost many football games and when you lose that badly, especially at home, it’s very painful in Englandsaid Southgate.Of course, an evening like this is difficult and it’s important that I take that off her shoulders, because that was absolutely up to me.”
Hungary at the top of the group
Not the team, he himself decided on the numerous changes and the tactical orientation of the team. “The responsibility for this lies with me. It was difficult to send out the strongest team in every game, so we used it to prepare for Qatar“, he said: “I have sympathy because I chose teams specifically for the two games against Hungary where I tried to balance the team and give young players an opportunity. I didn’t get that balance to deliver at a level that was necessary to win those games.”
Southgate’s team remains bottom of the table, which would ultimately mean relegation to the B division. The surprisingly strong Hungarians, on the other hand, lead the group ahead of Germany and Italy after four matchdays.