I'm sorry but that entire statement is wrong and a cheap knock against the most successful England manager in 58 years. The idea he got to the 2018 World Cup Semi Final or Euro 2020 Final soley off the back of moments and individuals is absurd.
2018 had a untested and in areas quite weak squad so Southgate created a system to contain the flaws and maximise our talent with the 3-5-2 variation we used. We had been a nation largely playing 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 from Euro 2000 to Euro 2016 so changing the system was a fresh bold move for one. Pickford, Trippier Maguire, Walker, Stones, Young, Dele Ali, Lingard, Rashford, Vardy and Kane were all playing there first ever world cups and for some there 1st ever tournament. We scored 12 goals and our system got Trippier and Maguire in team of the tournament + Kane got the golden boot and Southgate was the first manager to get something out of Sterling. We also won our FIRST ever penalty shootout in a World Cup on our 4th attempt because he took penalties seriously. We loss to Croatia because they had Modric and Rakitic who were world class midfielders - something at that point England failed to produce.
Euro 2021 saw us switch between 3-4-3 and 4-2-3-1 seeing off the old enemy of Germany and reversing our 2018 defeat to Croatia. Southgate became the first ENG manager to win his opening EURO group game (a feat he would do again in 2024). He used Grealish well by bringing on his energy when the opposition was tired, got Sterling playing the best football of his ENG career to date and brought in the likes of Saka. He had Rice/Phillips playing in there first tournaments and they dominated an English midfield by themselves when in the past 3 CM couldn't do the job, never mind two. He also got the monkey off our back and ENG got to our first major final since 1966 and our first ever Euro final. Italy scored from a scruffy set piece that needed the post to go in and we loss on a penalty shootout - fine margins, nothing else. Also the EURO 2020 Qualifying was simple out of this world - the amount of goals we scored was insane (I was there at Wembley for a few of the crushing wins) and the attacking football was such a joy to watch.
2022 Qatar saw us probably play some of the best football in terms of a balanced approach in quite some time. No slow start and 6 goals in our opening game and ended it by thumping the Welsh 3-0 in a game dominated by us. We pick apart Senegal 3-0 and then out played France and if you play that game 10 times, we win the majority but tournament football is harsh and a missed penalty saw us go out 2-1. It should also be pointed out for the 100th time that there was a clear foul on Saka in the build up to France's 1st goal that VAR today would of chalked off and we were denied a stone wall penalty in the 1st half that again VAR today would of given. You can't coach for moments like that sadly. I have no doubt if we had gotten past France, we would of won the World Cup. Everything he had been building was coming together in Qatar and having comfortable more possession and shots than France shown the system he had slowly perfected was coming together.
Euro 2024 was clearly the end of a long road as many things went against him - Too many players struggling with there fitness and Kane being clearly unfit. The loss of experience like Maguire and the drastic collapse in form of Rashford and Grealish meaning neither warranted a place. Bellingham looking shattered after the first 45 minutes of Serbia and the system of pressing was not being done by the players. Southgate would change that system and it worked in the Quarter Final and we played really well in the Semi Final v Netherlands. In the end Spain were simply too good for us in the final and the only team I felt could beat us out of the 24, did. Yes we needed moments to get to that final but people wanted Bellingham and Kane off the pitch v Slovakia but he kept them on and they both scored and we went through. He took Kane/Foden off in the Quarters knowing we had penalty takers ready and all 5 scored. He took Kane off again and in the semi final both subs combined to score the 89:59 winner to send us to ANOTHER FINAL. We had gone from 0 finals since 1966 to 2 in 3 years.
Southgate biggest problem of his era was being too reactive and not pro-active and he will have to live with that and he did have a slight blind spot for certain players at certain times but most coaches do. He achieved miracles because of his hard work and not despite himself. Euro 2024 does not override the other 3 tournaments where we played good football overall. He created and fostered an atmosphere that allowed all of this to happen - it just didn't happen by fluke with him standing around doing nothing. He changed the entire culture of the national team and has left a foundation many would envy to have.
He allowed us to dream again and check our 1968-2016 record and that's all you need to know about his record and legacy as England manager. He took from us the depths and despair of 1 point from 9 in our 2014 World Cup group stage exit and the bottom of the barrel 2-1 last 16 exit to Iceland in Euro 2016 and gave us a World Cup Semi Final for only the 3rd time in our history and BACK TO BACK European finals, being pipped in both.
Gareth Southgate - I thank thee!
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