England manager Gareth Southgate has tendered his resignation from his position a few days after the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 final loss to Spain.
Recall that the Three Lions lost 2-1 in Berlin on Sunday, their second consecutive Euros final defeat, having been beaten on penalties by Italy at Wembley three years ago.
And in a statement on the England national team’s official website, Southgate wrote:
“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all,” Southgate said in a statement.
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“But it’s time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager.”
“I have had the privilege of leading a large group of players in 102 games. Every one of them has been proud to wear the three lions on their shirts, and they have been a credit to their country in so many ways,” he added.
“The squad we took to Germany is full of exciting young talent and they can win the trophy we all dream of. I am so proud of them, and I hope we get behind the players and the team at St. George’s Park and the FA who strive every day to improve English football, and understand the power football has to drive positive change.
“My special thanks go to the backroom staff who have provided the players and me with unstinting support over the last eight years. Their hard work and commitment inspired me every day, and I am so grateful to them – the brilliant ‘team behind the team’.
Southgate took over in 2016 and brought more success to the national than they’d had since they won the World Cup in 1966.
After reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2016, the Three Lions then went one step further at Euro 2020, losing the final to Italy on penalties.
That was followed by a quarter-final exit at the 2022 World Cup before Southgate led his side to the Euro 2024 final this month.
3 Comments
You have done well..nice decision to quit when the ovation is loudest . I wish you well in your future endeavours.
Alex,
There is no ovation. Just like Peseiro and Rohr to Nigeria fans, a large body of England fans dislike Southgate because of his pragmatic and boring brand of football despite back-to-jack finals in the Euros.
To be honest, I really don’t know where I stand. I enjoy open and vibrant football and yearn for the Super Eagles to manufacture this flavour often. But Southgate and Peseiro and Rohr do not believe in the ability to combine flair football and the players at their disposal to produce success, hence they play it safe, qualify and go far in tournaments with fans calling for their heads for coming second, third or reaching the quarter final.
To be clear, safe and pragmatic football will never win tournaments, only brave and open football woven into the highest level of concentration and attention to detail offensive and defensive in equal measure. Skewing too far to the defensive elements will rub you of opportunities to score the goals that will help lift the trophy – unless you are able to succefully drag it out to penalties.
@deo,good point..England are know to play with caution.
They’ve played that way for decades.
Just like you rightly wrote,safe and pragmatic football won’t win you a trophy..