When it comes to international football, the stakes are (almost) always high. Managers are often judged by one simple metric: What have they won? But is this fair, considering the limited number of trophies up for grabs and the gaggle of traditional and emerging footballing superpowers vying for them?
Gareth Southgate, the nation’s waistcoat-sporting figurehead, quickly became a beloved figure in English football. Under his tenure, the Three Lions reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and went on to feature in back-to-back Euro finals in 2021 and 2024.
Despite these impressive runs, Southgate's many detractors will point to the lack of silverware adorning the halls of St George’s Park. There has (for good reason) been high expectations for the golden generation 2.0, but is it fair to judge Southgate so harshly for these shortfalls?
There is a simple fact here that many football fans just don’t want to acknowledge. In the international game, opportunities to win major trophies are simply few and far between. With only the World Cup and European Championship for European sides to compete for, managers get, at most, two chances in each four year cycle.
Southgate’s England might not have lifted a trophy, but they’ve consistently performed when it matters, and reached the of tournaments. This is a remarkable achievement considering the Three Lions' history of, shall we say, uninspiring exits.
Across the channel, we have Didier Deschamps, the Frenchman who led Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018 and a very near miss at Euro 2016. Despite a trophy ‘drought’ of beyond six years, his reign over a supremely talented squad has surely been a resounding success.
The FFF have put faith in their man, as the FA did with Southgate before he stepped aside. However, Deschamps has faced his fair share of derision from fans and the press. There have been calls for a manager who plays more, attacks more… wins more.
The crux of the matter is that international football is a winner-takes-all game with only a handful of prizes. The likes of Spain, Germany, Brazil and Argentina are in the mix more often than not, each burdened by the weight of their own footballing heritage and national expectation.
Not every footballing superpower can have a shiny new trophy to show off every other year, and this scarcity raises the question of whether trophies alone should define an international manager's legacy.
Judging managers like Gareth Southgate harshly for not winning in such a competitive environment overlooks the nuances of their achievements. Bringing a team (and a country) together, creating a strong identity and consistently competing at the highest level are marks of success that shouldn’t be ignored just because there’s no parade at the end of it all.
Southgate was unable to get a squad packed with some of the world's top players to gel. They did reach the final of the Euro's but limped through every game underperforming. They needed spectacular second half injury time equaliser in an earlier round to survive. They were monumentally outplayed in the final by Spain who were a fluid team able to defend and attack well.
Southgate has never been able to coordinate effective attacking play. He can organise a defence as an ex defensive international. But my criticisms of him this time are restricted because it looked like many in the England squad had simply played too much football and needed resting at the end of the season. But Southgate kept picking star players where that was obviously the case and particularly Harry Kane. Harry Kane not being fit was an important component of why England couldn't retain possession up front. He was way off it.
So did Southgate cost England the Euro Championship. On balance no.