The English national team wants to be world champions in Kater. For Gareth Southgate it will be particularly important to get the attack around goalscorer Harry Kane in shot.
The cheerful counting of years in England continues. They arrived on the island now at 56 years. It’s been so long since the “Three Lions” last won a major international tournament at the 1966 World Cup – and the only time. In Qatar on Monday (November 21, 2022) England will start their 28th attempt (including the European Championships) against the USA to finally bring the title back home.
Not enough class for so many stars
Gareth Southgate is all about nothing less. The 52-year-old has been national coach since 2016 and he has a squad that commits him to titles. Especially on the offensive, the English are peppered with top people – but that’s exactly what Southgate has failed so far.
The problem: the former Manchester United defender has largely carried his tactical orientation as a player with him into his coaching life. Especially at home, accusations have been mounting for years that the English national team is acting too defensively and that Southgate is not exploiting its enormous potential – especially since it is the attacking players in particular that give the squad world-class quality and not the defenders.
Discrepancy between club and international performances
Harry Kane is in the center and the captain, and he is surrounded by players who have what it takes to decide games, but have so far almost exclusively done so in their clubs and not in the national team. Bukayo Saka excels at Premier League leaders Arsenal, Phil Foden is one of the best players at Manchester City, but like Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling of Chelsea they have not been able to develop under Southgate so far.
The coach is therefore also seen as the main culprit that it has not yet worked out with a title. Last year’s European Championship only ended in the final against Italy – and Southgate again received great criticism for his latest measures. Just before the end of extra time, he had put Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho (not in the squad this time), who had not featured in the entire tournament, on for penalties – and both missed.
Jadon Sancho in the England national team jersey
More experience than another key?
Southgate himself is used to being caught in the crossfire at home. Accordingly, he is relaxed in the next challenge. “You’re always learning, but every tournament has its own demands. We reached the final at the European Championship and that shows what this group can achieve“said the England coach.
Southgate continued: “We already had strong teams in 2018 and 2021, but we had less experience there. In addition, young players have been added, who have created a great competitive situation in many areas. We have a very exciting team with a lot of talent. But the whole group has to come together.“
England has every opportunity – but they must also use them
And that’s especially true for the players in the offensive area. With James Maddison, Southgate has nominated another player who is notorious for his long-range shots. “This is especially important against deep opponents“, he explained, knowing that so many opponents will play against England.
Leicester City’s James Maddison
So Southgate has the tools to play dangerous and successful offensive football in all facets. However, an oversupply also harbors the risk of making wrong decisions. The results suggest that this has happened to Southgate more and more recently, especially recently. England have not won any of their six Nations League games and have gone four times without a goal. If this doesn’t change fundamentally, the great anniversary of the “Three Lions” will continue after the Qatar tournament.