“This was an absolute shocker at Wembley, which poured ridicule on ideas that England are ready to win their first major trophy in 58 years,” Dave Kidd of The Sun said. “The Three Lions were booed off the pitch,” Kidd said. “This was an absolute shocker.”
As was the case with the encounter that toasted Roy Hodgson at the 2016 European Championship, England was not only defeated by Iceland, but they were also fortunate enough to avoid being humiliated.
As desperate, disorganized, and toothless lunges forward meant leaving yawning holes at the back, it was disturbingly akin to watching their club team for United fans. This was a scary experience.
When Gareth Southgate’s England team suffered a humiliating loss to Iceland at Wembley Stadium by a score of 1-0, it was a perfect illustration of why he should not be the next manager of Manchester United. This was the case yesterday evening.
The name of Southgate as a possible replacement for Erik ten Hag is well and fully in the running as we wait for Ineos to make a decision over whether or not to get rid of him.
According to the reports that are coming in, he is the preference of the incoming director of football, Dan Ashworth, and he is also a friend of Sir Dave Brailsford. Furthermore, there has been conjecture that the delay in removing Ten Hag could be linked to waiting for Southgate to complete Euro 2024 before he can be chosen.
Although he may be well-liked by Ineos, how well-liked is he among United supporters? Absolutely not at all. There was scarcely a single argument that could be found in the article or in the 173 comments that were made in support of the former Crystal Palace player taking over as manager at Old Trafford. This was a clear picture of the opinion of fans, which was published in The Mail in March.
The uninspired selections that Southgate has made for his England sides are at least one of the reasons why fans are concerned. Despite the fact that the majority of people would agree that this is a golden generation for England, the roster picks made by the manager have always been controversial. The manager has frequently chosen “steady Eddies” like Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, and Eric Dier, but there have been very few players with flair.
The players Reece James, James Ward-Prowse, James Maddison, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish, and Marcus Rashford were among those who were included in the alternative team that GiveMeSport assembled for the European Championships. Southgate had left out these players. If England needs a little bit of magic to turn a game around, will witnessing Jarrod Bowen, Adam Wharton, and Anthony Gordon warming up at the same time be alarming for England’s opponents? Of course, any move has the potential to be justified. Is it possible that Rashford, Sancho, and Grealish may emerge victorious?
Another significant reason why Southgate would not be a popular pick at United is that he plays a football style that is unremarkable, defensive, and judgmental for England. When you have fantastic wingers like Saka, Rashford, Grealish, and Sancho on your team, you have an irresistible attacking force that should be the envy of the rest of Europe. Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Harry Kane are all members of this lineup. With players like Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo, and Ivan Toney, as well as John Stones and Kyle Walker, who together make up half of Manchester City’s treble-winning defense, England ought to be the top pick to win the European Championships. Assume that Terry Venables, Bobby Robson, or perhaps Sven-Goran Eriksen were in charge of managing that particular team. Despite this, Southgate is able to transform gold into a product that is, to put it gently, of lower value.
According to the opinions of certain supporters, Southgate is also known to show a great deal of favoritism when selecting his side. There is a wonderful example of a match that would not have gone to penalties if Southgate had taken a more optimistic attitude. Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final, and it appears that they were never forgiven for their actions. Other celebrities, on the other hand, have been forgiven for a multitude of errors and poor behaviors. In the previous season, Ten Hag himself discovered that this kind of perceived unfairness may cause enormous problems at the club level.
After only a few years as a club manager at Middlesbrough, where he oversaw the club’s relegation and averaged 1.21 points per game, it would be absurd to put Southgate in charge of the most important position in sport. As opposed to international management, club management is an entirely different animal. To answer your question, yes, Southgate has gained experience in managing England, which has allowed him to manage with huge personalities who have significant egos. On the other hand, doing that for a football tournament is one thing, but doing it for a domestic season week in and week out is something entirely different.
If Ineos is seriously considering making Gareth Southgate the next manager of Manchester United, even if he were to defy expectations and lead England to unexpected glory in Germany this summer, United fans had reason to be concerned. Southgate’s lack of popularity, lack of experience, lack of attacking football, dubious team selections, lack of success, and lack of charisma are all factors that should be taken into consideration. Very anxious about it.
Leave a Reply