"I'd go one bigger than Klopp" - Micah Richards picks manager he 'would love' as England boss if Gareth Southgate leaves role
Former Manchester City right-back Micah Richards stated he would love to see Pep Guardiola manage England should Gareth Southgate depart following Euro 2024. The Three Lions lost the final 2-1 to Spain on Sunday, July 14.
This was England's second consecutive defeat in the summit clash at the Euros. They had lost 2-3 to Italy on penalties in the final of Euro 2020 after a 1-1 draw in regulation plus extra time.
While the Three Lions managed to make it to the final again this year, they're still on the lookout for their first major international trophy since the 1966 World Cup. Manager Gareth Southgate, who was appointed in 2016, has been heavily criticised for his conservative tactics in the recently concluded tournament.
While speaking on 'The Rest is Football Podcast', Richards stated that he would like to see Pep Guardiola manage England should Southgate announce his departure.
Richards' remark came after Gary Lineker suggested that former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would be a great replacement. Richards said:
"I'd go one bigger [than Klopp] - Pep [Guardiola]."
After Lineker stated that it would be unrealistic to expect Guardiola to take the English national team job, Micah Richards added:
"I don't want Pep to leave City. But if he ever did, I would love to have him [as England manager]."
Alan Shearer, on the flip side, suggested that he would rather have an English manager replace Southgate. However, he stated that he wouldn't want Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe to leave the club as he's been doing a great job with The Magpies.
FA to reportedly try to convince Southgate to continue as England manager until World Cup 2026
A report by The Times suggested that the English FA will try to convince Southgate to continue as manager until World Cup 2026, slated to take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Southgate's contract expires in December this year. With Euro 2024 now out of the picture, the 53-year-old is expected to take a decisive call on his future.
Before the final, he stated that it was "emotionally impossible" to think about his future. Here's what he had said (via The Guardian):
"Nothing’s that difficult but emotionally it would be impossible for me to make a logical decision at the moment on any of that because my sole focus for two years has been winning this (Euro 2024) tournament."
"The last five-six weeks have been an absolute rollercoaster so I don’t actually know where I am with anything other than very focused on preparing the team for this game and determined to keep leading them in the way we have over the last month."
Spain became the first national team to win the European Champoinships four times with their win in Germany. La Roja midfielder Rodri was named as the Player of the Tournament.