Should England keep faith in Gareth Southgate ahead of the 2022 World Cup?
England were embroiled in the Sam Allardyce controversy when Gareth Southgate was tasked with taking charge of the Three Lions national team.
The slightly inexperienced new boss had a mammoth task on his hands. Considered one of the hardest international jobs in football, mostly due to the expectations revolving around it, Southgate set about making his mark on the team.
The former Middlesbrough defender blooded the national side with youngsters. The transition allowed the Three Lions to move on from aging players, who were not only poor performers for the country but also had ego problems playing with one another (partially due to their club rivalry).
The new set of youngsters, despite playing for rival clubs, were molded into passionate national team players who understood the value of giving their all to the national team. This was Southgate's biggest victory - he did what very few England managers could do - to bring the team together.
England's 2018 World Cup journey
The talent pool was never short of standout players and the situation flourished under Southgate. Despite England beginning to resemble the look of a hard-working team, they were still far off from the top at the time of the 2018 World Cup.
They lost to Belgium in the group stage but managed to beat Panama and Tunisia to qualify for the round of 16, where they faced Colombia. In what was a turning point for the English team (who had become infamous for losing penalty shootouts), Southgate's Three Lions beat the South American team in the shootout.
Their next opponent Sweden were swept away 2-0 in the quarter-finals, pitting England against the underdogs Croatia in the semis. Hopes had rekindled back in their home about the coming together of a new era, with Southgate in charge.
Unfortunately, Luka Modric's Croatia showed great experience in beating the English team 2-1, which brought down the curtains on their World Cup journey.
England's performance at Euro 2020
England built on their World Cup performance by breezing through the qualifiers for the Euros. They built on expectations and the youngsters from 2018 had now become seasoned pros for the national team. Alongside new youngsters like Mason Mount and Phil Foden, amongst others, the Three Lions made a tremendous run at Euro 2020 (took place in 2021 due to Covid-19).
They beat teams like Croatia and Germany to reach the final before losing the final against Italy at Wembley on a penalty shootout. It was a mixed run of emotions for the fans, who were happy with the improvement in England's ability to make deep runs into tournaments but were left hurt by the loss in the final.
Turning of the tide
As people grew more accustomed to England's success in international tournaments, their expectations began to rise. Questions were raised about the brand of football played by a team who possessed a plethora of attacking superstars in their ranks.
It raised a matter of concern for Southgate, who had built this team on defensive fortitude. He now had to not only deal with results but also provide an attacking brand of football to appease the fans.
Southgate, who had been pivotal in bringing the team together with exceptional man-management, appeared to fall short on the tactical front when it came to playing attacking football.
The situation complicated itself further as Southgate, who had once opened the doors for youngsters, now had to choose between continuing that policy or showing loyalty to the same group of players he had previously succeeded with.
The dilemma did not bode well for the young English manager, as the team turned in a flurry of bad performances in the Nations League. They finished bottom of their group, behind Italy, Germany and Hungary. A more damaging statement was put out after England recorded three draws and three defeats in six games in their group.
What should England do going with the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the horizon?
England have exactly zero matches left between now and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is set to begin in November. The last international break prior to the quadrennial event saw the Three Lions lose and draw one game each under Southgate.
Their uninspiring style of play, lack of results, and tendency to select players devoid of merit have raised questions over Southgate's capacity as England boss. A section of the fans are clear in their demands to remove the former Aston Villa man from the England job.
It cannot be ignored that Southgate, who had begun the job with a breath of fresh air, might just have lost his initial values to the pressure of the job. The manager who was once hailed for bringing in players on merit, has now opted to stick with under performers like Harry Maguire, Mason Mount and Jordan Pickford to some extent. The idea is even more baffling to watch when their ideal replacements Ben White, James Maddison, and Aaron Ramsdale (respectively) have performed brilliantly at the club level.
With results going against him, Southgate's back is up against the wall. He will now have nothing but hope that the FA look back fondly over his past achievements and keep him at the job.
Another aspect of keeping Southgate in the job would be the fact that the World Cup is upon us. With less than two months left and no games to play in between, the new manager will be set an improbable task of making the team click in Qatar.
Despite the lack of form, this is Southgate's team - one he has molded for the past six years to arrive here. England's time to replace him came and went (end of last year or earlier this summer). They should ideally hope to back him now with the World Cup on the horizon.
A decision over his future should be taken after the Qatar World Cup.