There is only one certainty ahead of England’s date with destiny. Whatever the outcome of Saturday night’s World Cup quarter-final, the “buck will stop” with Gareth Southgate.
Southgate readily accepts he will either be public enemy No.1 or a national hero after England’s meeting with France at Al Bayt Stadium. Ultimately, it could decide his long-term future. That is the life of any England manager but the margins do seem particularly thin when it comes to Southgate, who has done so much to make the country fall back in love with the national team.
England reached the World Cup semi-finals four years ago and the Euros final last year. And it has raised expectation levels even against the reigning world champions.
Three Lions boss Southgate said: “I’m always going to be judged on the next game. If we don’t win, I know where the buck will stop. But that’s fine, I’m the manager and I have to take responsibility. I remember in my first tournament in 1996, we were travelling to play Spain and I was talking to Stuart Pearce.
“He was saying, ‘This is always a strange one because you don’t know if you are coming back to the hotel to pack your bags or if you are coming back for another fortnight’. That is knockout football. Like I said, I am looking forward to the challenge. I have got confidence in the players - I think we are in a good place.
I think we have got to step up mentally. That is the biggest aspect for me that we are trying to hit this week. When they have those moments which they are bound to have - and we are going to have similar moments - that we are steadfast in what we are doing.”
Will England reach another semi-final on Saturday night? Have your say in the comments!
England were an unexpected package four-and-a-half years ago in Russia when no one expected them to reach the last four. They reached the Euros final last year but ultimately lost on penalties. France went through a similar process in 2016 as they lost their 'home' Euros but won the World Cup two years later, having learned from the experiences.
Southgate believes England will be stronger for their near-misses. “Well, I’d be an idiot if I hadn’t learnt over five years managing some of the biggest games in world football, managing some of the most high-profile players in Europe,” he said.
“Going through the experience of having one of the most high-profile jobs in the country, you learn quite a lot. You constantly improve as a coach. Another four, five years down the line, I’ll be a better coach than I am now. Another hundred games, or whatever.
“I think that is the challenge for every manager, every coach, you’ve got to constantly improve, you’ve got to find the new things that are happening that can improve the team. How does the team evolve over a period of time?
“The job is not just to have a philosophy, the job is to win football matches. And you can have a philosophy but if you’re going home at the start of the tournament, then the philosophy doesn’t wash, really.
“With the national team, you’ve got to keep winning. Of course, we want to win and score goals as we have this time, but the key is always getting the best out of the players you’ve got.”
Southgate has done a remarkable job as England boss. He has also guided this team to new heights and expectations. Southgate’s final message in the dressing room before they face France will be about being “brave” enough to take the final step.
“We will remind them of the hurdles they have overcome as a group to get to this point,” said Southgate. “Remind them of the qualities they have shown over a period of time and certainly the recent evidence for them in the games they have played.
“We have got individual players with big-match experience and to be honest I have no fear about the young ones because I think they are just gonna go and play. In big games, in the end, big players step up and they can be decisive.
“We have been in this tournament and there will be moments where France have bits of play and we have to accept that we are not gonna stop them creating a chance and we are not gonna stop them having a spell in the game. But we want to continue to be brave when those things happen.”
