England manager Gareth Southgate is under the spotlight as the countdown to the 2024 European Champions begins, with the Three Lions’ golden generation bidding to conquer the tournament for the first time.
Due to his conservative tactics and selection rigidness, the 53-year-old has been a polarising figure despite leading his country to the Euro 2024 grand final, where they lost to Italy on penalties.
But Betway’s latest outright markets firmly back England for success in the upcoming tournament, anything other than a first-ever European Championship title could prove the end of the road for Southgate in the national team.
Heavily linked with taking over the managerial reins at Manchester United, he could return to club management immediately after the tournament.
As per Utddistrict’s exclusive report, not everybody within the Red Devils hierarchy is eager to see the former Middlesbrough manager replace Erik ten Hag after the Euros.
However, making a standout achievement in Germany could solidify Southgate’s position on United’s shortlist as the Dutchman’s potential successor.
Clueless Attacking Approach
Preparations for the tournament did not start as planned, with England losing to Brazil 1-0 before Jude Bellingham’s last-gasp equalizer salvaged a 2-2 draw against Belgium during March’s international break.
Southgate’s tactical experiments failed epically, especially in the game against Brazil, raising questions over his competence to lead the Three Lions to continental glory this summer.
England lined up in a 4-2-3-1 in both matches but could only score once from open play, which is borderline embarrassing for a side boasting such an intimidating attacking potential.
Harry Kane’s absence due to injury wasn’t an excuse, considering Southgate had two in-form Premier League stars, Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins, at his disposal.
Speaking to the press in the build-up to Aston Villa’s Europa Conference League quarter-final tie against Lille, Unai Emery insisted Watkins’ desire to feature at the Euros keeps pushing to new heights, per Express & Star.
All three England strikers have been in scintillating form for their clubs, including Toney, who returned from an eight-month suspension for breaching betting rules in January.
But having three lethal goal-getters doesn’t necessarily guarantee an abundance of goals.
Southgate Compensates for His Poor Defensive Choices
Southgate’s unwillingness to drop Harry Maguire has been among the major talking points in the past 12 months.
Perhaps aware of the Man United defender’s shortcomings, the England boss keeps sacrificing his midfield set-up to accommodate his place in the starting XI.
There’s no valid reason to justify this absurd tactical choice when he has John Stones, Jarrad Branthwaite, Ezri Konsa, and Fikayo Tomori, among others, capable of filling Maguire’s shoes.
With Stones likely a regular starter in Germany, finding a more dependable partner for the Manchester City stalwart would relieve the pressure on Southgate’s trademark double-pivot.
Bench Gallagher & Forget Henderson
Arsenal talisman Declan Rice has nailed a starting berth at the heart of England’s midfield as his own.
But afraid of potential mistakes at the back, Southgate has often opted to pair the ex-West Ham United ace with another defensive midfielder.
Conor Gallagher, Kalvin Phillips, and Jordan Henderson have been the most frequent choices, even though the latter two have disappeared from the club scene for over a year.
In a rare strike of common sense, Southgate omitted Phillips in March, handing Man United teenage sensation Kobbie Mainoo his maiden international call-up.
While imposing such a significant burden on an 18-year-old could be counterproductive, Mainoo still seems like a better option than the trio mentioned above.
Though many consider Mainoo a gamble worth taking, Southgate will unlikely give the youngster the benefit of the doubt, as he’ll likely opt for a more senior option.
James Maddison would be a perfect choice following his impressive start to life at Tottenham Hotspur.
His inclusion would perhaps leave England a bit more exposed at the back, but his creativity from deep in the midfield could change the face of this England side.
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold would be another decent solution, but his long-term absence prompts doubt about his ability to perform at the highest level.
As for Southgate’s attacking set-up, there’s no reason to change anything. Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, and Bellingham operate behind Kane, forming one of the fiercest frontlines in international football.
How Should England Line Up at Euro 2024?
(4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Jarrad Branthwaite, Luke Shaw; Declan Rice, James Maddison; Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka; Harry Kane.
