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The current generation of England stars has done what the Golden Generation before them failed to achieve. They have gone the distance in international tournaments, rekindling the fire in Three Lions fans. Harry Kane and Raheen Sterling have been the poster child of this revolution.
They will be remembered for their heroics in Russia 2018 and Euro 2020s. All the while, Gareth Southgate has engineered their success. He reinvigorated the squad with young stars and gave opportunities to those who languished in the foreground.
Thursday: Ivan Toney isn't selected in England's World Cup squad.
Saturday: Ivan Toney scores his 20th goal of the year… against Man City.
His celebration 👀 pic.twitter.com/iYKo7gRPvR
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) November 12, 2022
The 26-man squad had been made up of Premier League stars. And Southgate should be credited for taking successful punts on Championship players. In nine days’ time, he will be in the dugout for another international tournament. His squad selection has come under criticism, and so have been his tactical choices during the recently concluded UEFA Nations League group stages.
Leave on your own terms
While writing for the Telegraph, Jamie Carragher believes it is time the England manager considers his future. The footballer-turned-pundit does not hold his former international teammate in contempt for the national team’s recent failings.
Carragher rubbished their winless six-match run as dress rehearsals for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. England’s performances in the quadrennial international tournament will decide Southgate’s legacy.
Moreover, while his fellow critics have slammed Southgate for their has-been status, the Liverpool native holds him in high regard. He believes thanks to his success with the Three Lions, he is in the envious position of deciding his own fate.
This luxury has not been afforded to managers before him. While Carragher hopes for an excellent tournament for England in Qatar, he believes it gives Southgate the opportunity to leave on his own terms rather than be embroiled in the inevitable negativity that will surround him in his job.
Gareth Southgate has done a great job as England manager. But this should be his last tournament as manager. #WorldCup2022
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) November 11, 2022
Friendlies and qualifiers don’t matter
“After his excellence in the job to this point, the least he deserves is to leave on his own terms when he feels the time is right. He is intelligent enough to have sensed a mood shift over the last few months, even if some of the negativity surrounding him during the build-up to the tournament is a joke.”
“All those Nations League games are no more than dress rehearsals. To some extent, even casting judgement on an international manager during the qualification process is unreliable,” the 44-year-old commented on the fickle nature of international football.”
“World Cups and European championships are the be-all and end-all, where the reputation of every player or coach enhances or diminishes.”
“If qualification games and friendlies were a measure of success, Sven Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson would be considered among the greatest England coaches. Does anyone look back at their reigns and celebrate all the unbeaten streaks in the two years preceding every major event?”
At odds of 8/1 (9.00), England are one of the favourites to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They kickstart the competition on November 21 against Iran and play the USA four days later. Their last match will be played at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on November 29.
In the space of these nine days, the Three Lions will seal their fate. They have a lot to play for and if Southgate takes Carragher’s advice, they will have another impetus on their hands to give the grandest send-off to their manager.
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