You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time, said John Lydgate. Nobody who has been an England manager has been left in any doubt about the wisdom of the 15th Century monk and poet.
There is nothing like a defeat for the Three Lions when it comes to nationwide rancour, and Gareth Southgate’s worth has been questioned in the 48 hours since England’s exit from the 2022 World Cup to France.
But Southgate has not only been the most successful England manager in over half a century, he has made some huge decisions along the way to a final, semi-final and quarter-final in major tournaments.
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Here are just a few of the big calls Gareth has got right…
Retiring Rooney
Wayne Rooney was untouchable. With 119 caps to his name and a record 53 goals for his country, the England captain had been an automatic choice for six straight managers. But less than a year into his tenure, Southgate dropped Rooney from his squad for the games against Scotland and France.
“We have a lot of players playing exceptionally well in the area of the pitch that Wayne plays in… I can’t dress it up any other way. Other players are in really good form and deserve to keep their place.”
With that, Rooney was gone. Barring a farewell appearance over a year later, following a successful run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, he was never seen again. It was a strong and timely decision which would help lay the platform for a more youthful Three Lions side to go deep in Russia.
Had a Dele full
It wasn’t Jose Mourinho and an Amazon camera crew who first sussed out that Dele Alli’s career might not follow a constantly upward trajectory. By the time the Portuguese manager arrived at Tottenham Hotspur, Alli had already been dropped from the England squad by Southgate.
Once identified by the public as one of the driving forces behind the “new England”, the midfielder’s form had slumped massively in the early part of 2019-20 and Southgate was absolutely ruthless. Dele hasn’t played for his country since, and can now be seen on grainy streams from the Turkish Super Lig representing Besiktas.
Promoting Pickford
When long-term goalkeepers step aside, it is so often the next in line who gets a run in the national team rather than the shot-stopper most worthy of the nod. Chris Woods, rather than David Seaman, got the call-up after Peter Shilton’s retirement. When Seaman made one mistake too many it was David James who was given a two-year spell as number one rather than putting faith in Paul Robinson.
Even at the 2010 World Cup, Joe Hart was arguably the country’s most in-form goalkeeper yet both Rob Green and James got game time and the Manchester City star was left watching on. So when Hart was struggling on loan at West Ham United, it seemed pretty inevitable that Jack Butland – a squad member of five years standing – would become Southgate’s preferred choice over 23-year-old Jordan Pickford.
Instead, the manager bucked the old trend by making a choice for the future and putting his faith in the Everton youngster. Eight months on he was making a crucial save in England’s first World Cup shootout win and the rest is history.
Ch..Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes
Some see tinkering as a weakness, but Southgate’s ability to constantly freshen up his side has been an unmitigated triumph. Having gone with a back three in the 2018 World Cup, he changed things up for the group stage at Euro 2020 by going with a 4-3-3.
But when Germany came into view in the round of 16, Southgate reverted to a trio in defence and it worked. He admitted afterwards that he’d put his reputation on the line in doing so, claiming: “You know that if you change the shape, you pick certain personnel instead of others… if it goes wrong, you’re dead.”
After beating Ukraine and Denmark with a back four he again switched to a three in the final against Italy, then in Qatar he chose a quartet throughout. Not for Southgate the “my way or the highway” approach. He’s always been a man who has been open to adaptability and it has been a key feature of his England team finding ways to beat different types of opposition.
What’s bad for the club might be good for the country
After Manchester United were battered by Brentford in August, it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s resulting absence from the first team which courted many of the headlines. But Erik ten Hag also dropped Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw following that match, casting the involvement of the defensive pair at the 2022 World Cup into serious doubt.
It took Shaw six weeks to find his way back into the starting lineup, while Maguire has played four league matches in the four months since that afternoon in west London. But that hasn’t stopped Southgate from putting his trust in the pair, with their performances at the World Cup justifying their manager’s faith.
There haven’t been many England bosses who have bucked the club trend by picking out-of-favour players in the national side.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
