One can’t help but feel a tad sympathetic towards Spain. Indeed, they’ve executed the finest football, netted the most stunning goals, and defeated all prominent competitors. But the Ring eludes them.
While it’s not confirmed that Gareth Southgate has furtively crafted an enchanted power ring from a chunk of cursed gold, the progress of his squad to the Euro finals would be more logically understood under such an assumption. After all, what other explanation could be there for the numerous gaffes endured without penalty?
From the onset of his 8-year tenure as England’s manager, Southgate has juggled a first-time back four and midfield three, endured failing team structures for four consecutive matches, yet persisted until it was clear a novel tactic was required. These gaffes would typically warrant an elimination. Following the game against Slovenia, England fans were so disgruntled they pelted Southgate with beer. The Slovakia match saw England perilously close to ousting, saved just 30 seconds before their demise.
Would Southgate have been subjected to scornful mockery had the Slovakians intercepted the last long throw instead of accidentally allowing Marc Guehi to guide it to Jude Bellingham? As history’s threshold beckons, Southgate stands as the inadvertent constructor of an unexpected triumph.
The team he leads have displayed solid football for a mere 30 minutes in the 600-minute-long tournament. The inaugural half against the Netherlands showcased England’s potential as Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Kobbie Mainoo seized control until Ronald Koeman braced his midfield and halted their stride.
In comparison to Spain, whose game is marked by cunning, energy, and creativity, England’s performances have typically swung between mediocre and subpar. Nevertheless, England also enjoyed the fortune of a favourable draw, as noted by Southgate, due to their group win, similar to Spain. However, luck seemed to particularly shine on England with how the subsequent matches unfolded differently to Spain, who faced Germany and France after their group win.
England has been graced with numerous instances of outstanding displays of talent at crucial moments, outpacing any other team, including Spain. Southgate has been instrumental in managing these gifted players without inciting substantial chaos or conflict. While this seems quite an elementary expectation, it turned out to be a challenging task for his predecessors. Glenn Hoddle, for example, publicly embarrassed David Beckham in the 1998 World Cup while Sven-Goran Eriksson saw his teams torn apart by club factionalism. The players universally loathed Fabio Capello. Southgate, even though his coaching portfolio was less illustrious when he took over, has outperformed them all.
Southgate has managed to gain the players’ trust, partly due to his display of faith in them. Hence, despite calls by pundits to replace an underperforming Harry Kane with energetic replacements like Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney, it would be unthinkable for Southgate. He values loyalty and deviating from this principle would mean betraying Kane and his own governing approach towards matters. This virtue is demonstrated by the fact that, barring injuries, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson would have likely been regular starters for England in this tournament.
Recent speculation amongst dedicated England supporters suggested that Southgate might step down after the Euros. They’ve observed a subtle change – a worn-out look, a diminishing patience, and a growing tendency to respond defensively to perceived unjust or incitive questions, corresponding quite a contrast compared to his demeanor a few years ago.
Throughout the duration of this tournament, he has expressed frustration over the personal critiques he’s been subject to, frequently emphasizing the significance of seizing happy moments when they occur, implying that most of his time isn’t exactly enjoyable. There has been a prevailing notion for some time that he has had enough of the role with its ongoing annoyances, making him ready to pass the baton to someone else.
However, the tone has shifted noticeably in recent days. The tantalising prospect of clinching England’s first championship in 58 years appears to have invigorated him. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the FA wish for him to continue in his role, and if they achieve victory on Sunday, it’s highly likely he will stay on.
The team’s backbone, comprising Rice, Bellingham, Foden, Saka, and Mainoo, is surprisingly young and should be in a stronger position by the next World Cup. Meanwhile, Harry Kane, John Stones, and Jordan Pickford will all be aged 32. English training academies continue to produce an increasing number of polished young talents.
Securing victory in the Euros would eradicate any capability to label Southgate a failure – unless of course, he chose to resign while on such a high, foregoing the opportunity to win the World Cup and cement his legendary status in English football history.
But first, they must overcome Spain. From a football perspective, Spain may seem superior, but the narrative seems to lean towards an English triumph, even down to the curious fact that they have reached the final having defeated a succession of teams whose names all commence with ‘S’ – Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland. That being said, as Sean Connery’s character in the ‘Indiana Jones’ series aptly points out, “In the Spanish language, España starts with an E…”