Gareth Southgate played for Aston Villa for six years and was a member of their last squad that chiselled a year onto their honours board. Still, when his image appeared on the large screen at Villa Park against Manchester United in February, he was booed.
Villa fans are some of the most fickle and inexplicable in the top flight. They felt slighted as Southgate had not utilised Ollie Watkins or Ezri Konsa during England’s previous squad get-together.
Southgate has guided England to a World Cup semi-final, a quarter-final and a European Championship final. A play in Southgate’s honour, Dear England, continues to endure as it returns to the National Theatre. Yet Southgate is not a national treasure.
Were Unai Emery to suddenly up sticks for a more glamorous club, Villa fans would doubtless abhor the prospect of Southgate’s return. So would the supporters of most other Premier League clubs.
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Crystal Palace, another of Southgate’s former sides, are represented by four members in England’s European Championship squad. That number would likely dwindle if Southgate ever returned for a homecoming on Holmesdale Road.
Yet this unfashionable manager without club management experience in almost 15 years continues to be heavily linked with sport’s most scrutinised institution. The possible scenario of United turning to an available Southgate during the October or November international schedule is one of the doomsday variety for their supporters.
Southgate had a close bond with Dan Ashworth during his influential stint at the Football Association and Sir Dave Brailsford is a confirmed admirer. Ashworth would be a best-in-class administrative appointment United eschewed under Ed Woodward but Sir Jim Ratcliffe is yet to convince anyone that someone whose wheelhouse is cycling is the solution to United’s ills.
Even if England recover from a problematic start to the European Championship to attain a first honour since 1966, there would still be uproar from the United following if the Ineos cabal dared to move for Southgate.
That was an uncharacteristic but timely barb from Erik ten Hag at Southgate last week. “England were playing very passive. I actually saw them moving backwards, they kept Serbia coming at them.. It’s the vision of the manager.”
Ten Hag bluntly concluded United had the “best coach” after Ineos searched high and wide for an undeniable upgrade. Southgate would be a downgrade. Never mind that Southgate’s last game in club management was six days before Gabriel Obertan’s United debut, he is showing in Germany why United should not touch him with a bargepole.
An unpopular man is playing the populist. Trent Alexander-Arnold is so revered almost every pundit chummily refers to him as Trent. Only he can’t defend, won’t defend and isn’t a midfielder.
Experimenting with Alexander-Arnold – and Southgate confirmed it was an experiment – at a major tournament was misguided. Was Southgate ever going to use the Liverpool right back there in a knockout tie? No, so why stymie England in their two opening games?
By waiting ten minutes into the second half against Denmark to hook Alexander-Arnold, Southgate hoped to soften the blow. A more decisive and proactive manager less concerned about reputation would have done it at half-time. But Southgate is playing the populist.
Not entrusting Kobbie Mainoo, an actual midfielder, on the back of a defeat to Iceland that a back-up goalkeeper was responsible for lacks courage. Southgate’s comments about Kalvin Phillips, an irrelevance during his two years at Manchester City, dug a deeper hole.
Phillips was a walking disaster on loan at West Ham and the Stretford Enders urged him to “show your t**s” as he warmed up (Phillips creditably saw the funny side). He was effectively usurped at City by two England internationals in John Stones and Rico Lewis. Stones looks tamed with the three lions on his chest and Lewis is not in the squad. Neither is Phillips.
Breel Embolo played 182 minutes all season for Monaco yet Murat Yakin still named him in the Switzerland squad as he is a veteran of four tournaments. If Southgate deemed Phillips, who played every minute at Euro 2020, to be so integral he should have picked him and dismissed the outcry.
The best players do not always make for the best team and Southgate has compromised England’s balance. Phil Foden is inhibited on the left wing, overlooking a fit left-footed left back was remiss and that has been compounded by the ill-advised midfield selection. Declan Rice, cracking against Serbia, cracked against Denmark as he babysat Alexander-Arnold.
These are only two games from Southgate’s 83-game tenure. Irrespective of how or when England leave Germany, his eight-year stint has been a success, such was the pessimistic starting point. Southgate has reconnected the national team with supporters, England’s tournament performances have been their best since ‘66 and they were billed as favourites before they settled into their Blankenhain retreat.
Southgate has cultivated an environment so harmonious injured players still report for duty to enjoy his company and the ambience of St George’s Park. That is a far cry from when Paul Scholes was omitted from a squad through injury only to play for United against Middlesbrough four days later.
That style of management is conducive to international football. Supporters of most Premier League clubs would wince if Southgate was at the top of bookmakers’ chalkboards to become their manager. Southgate is found tactically wanting and has lacked imagination since England switched to a back three in 2017.
The Ineos faction at United is already striving to regain credibility after a laughable end-of-season review that drew conclusions concluded long before the FA Cup final.
In the history of human civilisation, three managers have won the league title with United. Southgate would not be the fourth.
Perhaps it is just as well Old Trafford does not have a large screen.