In the immediate aftermath of England’s quarter-final defeat by France, Gareth Southgate was unsure if he would watch the final week of the World Cup. The pain was still too raw and the England manager felt the need to put some emotional distance between himself and Qatar while he decided his future.
In the end, Southgate did watch both midweek semi-finals, albeit with mixed feelings and the sense of opportunity missed, particularly France’s win over Morocco.
Presumably, though, even Southgate was captivated by last night’s breathless showdown between Argentina and France, not least because his own future had been settled.
Before the match, the 52-year-old decided to remain as England boss until at least the end of his contract after the next European Championship in 2024 — delighting the FA and his players, both of whom had urged him to stay.
Southgate was encouraged by the positive reaction to England’s performances in Qatar and did not have the same regrets as after the 2018 World Cup or last summer’s Euros, when he felt he could have made different decisions.
After three tournaments of progress and near-misses, Southgate will now be expected to prove he is a winner in Germany in 18 months’ time.
It would be foolish to say that nothing short of returning with the trophy would be acceptable, given the quality of the competition and the fine margins at this level, but England must go toe-to-toe with Europe’s best, and inexperience will not be an excuse for falling short.
For Southgate, watching at home in North Yorkshire, last night’s scintillating final should have been a stark reminder of the standards he and his players must reach.
Didier Deschamps, the France coach, demonstrated the ruthlessness required at this level with a double substitution before half-time which, ultimately, helped his side take the game down to the wire.
For Southgate, the scintillating final should have been a stark reminder of the standards he and his players must reach
With France trailing 2-0, Deschamps hooked two veterans of his side’s 2018 triumph, Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele, for Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram, both inexperienced internationals and boasting one France goal between them — Kolo Muani’s against Morocco four days earlier.
The move was cold-blooded and high-risk, and was followed in the second half by the withdrawal of Antoine Griezmann for Kingsley Coman. Kylian Mbappe scored the hat-trick, but Kolo Muani, Thuram and Coman were all influential.
If there are remaining criticisms of Southgate, it is his own ability to impact the course of games which are going against his side and make canny, cut-throat substitutions.
In the quarter-final, for example, Southgate was preparing to introduce Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount when Giroud headed home France’s second goal. The England manager stuck with the double change as planned, even if there was a sense the situation had drastically changed and something different was now needed.
He also waited until the eighth minute of stoppage-time to bring on Jack Grealish, leaving him barely any time to make a meaningful impression.
Deschamps, surely, would not have been so rigid or cautious in Southgate’s shoes, judging by his decision to throw caution to the wind last night, and the England manager will need to show he has learned from another near-miss in summer 2024.
The final nearly offered an example of the consequences of getting it wrong, too, with Lionel Scaloni’s decision to bring off Angel Di Maria after 64 minutes, with his side cruising towards a 2-0 win, nearly proving one of the worst substitutions in World Cup history.
Southgate has changed the culture of the England team and dramatically raised expectations, to the point where the country will not only hope for success but expect it at the next Euros. That is to Southgate’s enormous credit but, having got England to within tantalising sight of the line, he must now prove he is capable of dragging them over it.
