England has come a long way since Gareth SouthgateIn David’s first game as England manager, in a distant dream, when Joe Hart was in goal, Gary Cahill was in defense and Theo Walcott was on the wing.
It wasn’t quick and it wasn’t linear, but England are now a much better team than the one that Roy Hodgson saw fall off a cliff at Euro 2016. Following England still ends in crushing disappointment, obviously. But now this disappointment is accompanied by feelings of hope, pride and enthusiasm about next time, rather than a bout of soul-crushing existential dread.
This is progress. England often faced top-flight nations in knockout matches with a defensive game plan and expected one of their stars to do something special. Now they face the best, the players pass the ball to each other safely, in tight spaces, and try to impose their way. This is also progress.
However, this could be the end of the game – Southgate needs to win Euro 2024 or your journey is surely over. Can he leverage what he learned from previous tournaments to finally win one? Ahead of what could be his last breath, we chart the evolution of Southgate’s England, from humble qualification in 2016, through four seasons to, perhaps, their final destination. in Germany this summer.
Era I: The beginning
England 2-0 Malta, World Cup qualifiers | Wembley Stadium, 8 October 2016
4-2-3-1: Hart; Walker, Cahill, Stones, Bertrand; Rooney, Henderson, Dele; Walcott, Lingard, Sturridge.
England Under-21 coach Southgate is parachuted into taking charge of the senior team after Sam Allardyce is caught on camera saying little, in retrospect, while drinking a jug of wine.
The team is a mix of players Southgate will rely on – Kyle Walker, John Stones, Jordan Henderson – and players he will soon make tough decisions to leave behind, such as Joe Hart and captain Wayne Rooney, who is in midfield. .
England win the qualifying game after goals from Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli, and Southgate leads the team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup unbeaten, earning the permanent job along the way.
He plays at centre-back during the qualifiers, but in the final game and in all four warm-up friendlies before the World Cup, Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland decide to test the three centre-backs with full-backs who will become essential to their success. .
England 1-2 Croatia (ap), World Cup semi-final | Luzhniki Stadium, July 11, 2018
3-5-2: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Dele, Henderson, Lingard, Young; Sterling, Kane.
Southgate commits to his full-back system at the World Cup in Russia, placing Walker on the right of defense alongside Stones and Maguire. Walker’s position is initially questioned by fans and media, but the trio will prove to be the foundation of England’s defensive solidity for years to come, ahead of Jordan Pickford as the new No.1.
Using Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli as number 8 strikers gives England plenty of energy in midfield, with Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane up front in a fruitful partnership. Kane wins the Golden Boot as England reach their first World Cup semi-final since Italia ’90, but runs out of steam against Croatia in extra time and ends the game chasing the shadows of Luke Modric, Ivan Rakitic and the rest.
The foundations have been laid. But after failing to compete with the Croatians, Southgate decides to build a more offensive and advanced England team for Euro 2020.
Era II: The peak
Spain 2-3 England, Nations League | Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, October 15, 2018
4-3-3: Pickford; Trippier, Gomez, Maguire, Chilwell; Dier, Winks, Barkley; Sterling, Kane, Rashford.
After the World Cup, Southgate uses the inaugural Nations League to test a back four in an effort to give England another system in their arsenal.
Victory came to fruition beautifully in Seville as England defeated Spain 3-2, their first victory on Spanish soil in over 30 years, with a midfield that can euphamistically be described as “experimental”. Two goals from Raheem Sterling and one from Marcus Rashford had England 3-0 up at half-time.
England 2-0 Germany, Euro round of 16 | Wembley Stadium, June 29, 2021
3-4-3: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Phillips, Rice, Shaw; Saka, Kane, Sterling.
On the other side of the pandemic, Southgate takes a young, vibrant squad to the Euros with Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish among a host of tournament debutants.
England progress unconvincingly through the group stage, using a back four, before Southgate uses his newfound tactical flexibility, deploying full-backs against Germany in the round of 16. It worked beautifully as England claimed a 2-0 victory, probably still the biggest victory of Southgate’s reign. It is the first knockout victory over the Germans in 55 years.
But the same strategy doesn’t work in the final. After an early goal from Luke Shaw, Italy took control, tied and the game was lost on penalties. England’s half-century wait for a major trophy continues.
Amid penalties and a drug-fueled crowd storming Wembley, and after the subsequent racist abuse of English players, it is understandably forgotten that Southgate made a strong call to use the three defenders who beat Germany rather than the four defenders they beat. Ukraine. and Denmark in the last rounds. Did his innate pragmatism hold England back?
Era III: The valley
England 0-4 Hungary, League of Nations | Wembley Stadium, June 14, 2022
4-3-3: Ramsdale; Walker, Pedras, Guehi, James; Gallagher, Phillips, Bellingham; Bowen, Kane, Saka.
Six months before the World Cup, Southgate plays with an attacking but inexperienced 4-3-3 team and is defeated by Hungary at Wembley, suffering his worst home defeat since the 1920s.
Questions are being asked about whether Southgate is the right coach to lead the team into the winter tournament in Qatar. It is the fourth consecutive game without a win and he is forced to defend his record.
“The Nations League campaigns put negativity and pressure on us,” he says, referring to the way the new competition replaced friendlies. “It’s my job to protect the players, the results are my responsibility. We’ve had some unbelievable nights with England over the last four or five years, but this is the other side and that’s the reality of football.”
England 1-2 France, World Cup quarterfinals | Al Bayt Stadium, December 10, 2022
4-3-3: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Henderson, Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Kane, Foden.
Despite the mixed results, Southgate is fully committed to a 4-3-3 formation that sees England ahead, trying to dominate the opponent.
Unlike the Euros, it follows the plan even against a giant like France in the quarter-finals, and to a certain extent it works: England go head to head, creating several clear chances and dominating in moments. They are aggrieved by a possible foul on Saka in the build-up to Aurelien Tchouameni’s opening goal and Kane’s missed penalty late in the tournament as they exit the tournament.
A strange dichotomy fills the result. On the one hand, a defeat in the quarter-finals is England’s worst result in a tournament under Southgate; on the other, he has successfully evolved the team into something genuinely competitive with the best nations, without needing to be cautious or cautious. England shows progress, but the results are king and they spend another year without a trophy.
How England evolved under Southgate
Era IV: The Last Dance?
England 3-1 Italy, Euro qualification | Wembley Stadium, October 17, 2023
4-2-3-1: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Trippier; Phillips, Rice; Foden, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.
A remarkable moment: it is the first time since beating Spain five years earlier that England have defeated a major nation playing from the back, even if it was a wayward Italian team that failed to qualify for the previous World Cup. Kane scores twice either side of a superb Rashford finish as England secure their place at Euro 2024 convincingly.
Southgate opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation at the end of qualifying, a tweak to the 4-3-3 he had been using. At the center of a revamped midfield is Jude Bellingham in the number 10 role and, ahead of the Euros, Southgate makes it clear that he sees Bellingham as exactly that, facing Kane in a dangerous pairing. To be clear, Bellingham receives the number 10 jersey for the tournament in Germany.
England x Serbia, Euro group stage | AufSchalke Arena, June 16, 2024
(Possible) 4-2-3-1: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Foden; Kane.
In what Southgate admits is likely to be his last tournament if England fail to beat him, he takes a high-quality first XI to Euro 2024, albeit with an inexperienced supporting cast after letting go of Rashford, Henderson, Grealish and other established names . The manager appears fully invested in his 4-2-3-1 and England’s final shake-up is set.
From Dele and Lingard to Foden and Bellingham, England’s evolution from a hard-working, hard-working team to a controlling, fluid coaching team is complete. After eight years of progress and restored hope, of setbacks and near moments, they just need something tangible to show for it.
