It had been 16 years since England had advanced past the World Cup quarterfinals when Southgate, a former England player, replaced Sam Allardyce as the team’s manager in 2016. Two years later, the Three Lions reached the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 1990, losing to Croatia in extra time and eventually settling for fourth place after a loss to Belgium in the third-place game.
That accomplishment only served to raise expectations for an England team that for years had been regarded as star-studded underachievers on the world stage, a disappointment to a fan base that is nearly impossible to please. Southgate met that challenge with a certain calm pragmatism, and even if his teams didn’t seem all that dominant on the score sheet, the results were undeniable: England reached its first European Championship final in 2021, losing to Italy on penalty kicks, and then repeated the feat this year, albeit with another loss.
Despite the success, Southgate often expressed doubt about continuing as England’s manager, particularly after a 2-1 loss to France in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup. But he signed on through Euro 2024, which saw the Three Lions — the pretournament favorite — win their group despite scoring only two goals; eke out a win over minnow Slovakia in the round of 16 thanks to a tying goal by Jude Bellingham in the 91st minute and then the winner by Harry Kane in extra time; escape Switzerland via penalty kicks; and then defeat the Netherlands in the semifinals on Ollie Watkins’s goal just before the final whistle of regulation. England’s hopes for a first major title since 1966 were dashed in the final when Mikel Oyarzabal scored in the 86th minute to give Spain a 2-1 victory.
Despite the run to another Euro final, Southgate’s conservative tactics were increasingly criticized, especially considering the presence of elite attack players such as Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka.
“We said after the group stages, if you’re going to play the conservative side of things with the amount of talent we have in this squad, you have to win,” Rio Ferdinand, who played with Southgate on the England national team around the turn of the century, said after the loss to Spain. “Otherwise it will come down to it being absolutely dissected and looked at as being a negative approach. That falls on the manager’s toes. He sets this team out in a particular way to play. That’s his style of football and you have to win playing like that because these players are too good.”
Said Alan Shearer, another former teammate: “He will know that they haven’t performed. They didn’t have enough energy or quality on the ball. We would have loved to have seen him play more front-foot football.”
Despite the criticism, Southgate had nothing but kind words for the team’s supporters.
“We have the best fans in the world, and their support has meant the world to me. I’m an England fan and I always will be,” he said. “I look forward to watching and celebrating as the players go on to create more special memories and to connect and inspire the nation as we know they can.
“Thank you, England — for everything.”
