Football’s greatest managers rarely coach international teams, according to Jamie Carragher, who believes Gareth Southgate remains the right man for the England job despite Sunday’s crushing Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Mikel Oyarzabal’s last-gasp strike gave Spain a deserved victory at the Olympiastadion as Southgate’s side became the first nation to lose back-to-back European Championship finals.
But the result, while disappointing, does not mean Southgate’s tenure has been a failure, says Carragher, with the England boss out of contract in December and many speculating Euro 2024 will be his final major tournament in charge.
‘Spain deserved champions’
I’m not as frustrated as I was three years ago when England lost to Italy [at Euro 2020]. The best team of this tournament won it, and Spain were far better than England. You have to accept that. Spain were the best team by a long way.
I wish people would analyse the game, rather than just saying things. If you look at the winning goal for Spain, it comes because half the England team has pushed high and is pressing, the other half are much deeper, and that was a problem throughout. We weren’t compact enough.
Spain’s Alvaro Morata holds the trophy aloft
When you look at the second goal Spain score, we’d have been better all sitting behind the ball because the space in the middle of the park is unbelievable. Sometimes we analyse results, not the game, and if you look at that Spain goal, the space is unbelievable.
Southgate is not telling some players to press, and others to sit back. There’s 50 or 60 yards between front and back, we never quite got the organisation right, with or without the ball.
‘England’s best players didn’t show up’
Jude Bellingham did not quite hit the heights he reached for Real Madrid last season
I don’t really know Gareth, but he’s managed four tournaments and this is the first one I’ve been underwhelmed. He gets criticism for being too cautious, or defensive, but in previous tournaments we’ve played well, scored goals, and come really close. This time we haven’t performed.
We’ve got some of the best attacking players in Europe, and only Bukayo Saka can come out of this tournament feeling as if he’s played well. Jude Bellingham had two brilliant moments, but was nowhere near his best.
Him and Harry Kane weren’t themselves, same with Phil Foden. When your best players aren’t at their best, we’ve done pretty well to get to a final.
‘Kane struggles to reach club levels for England’
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Jamie believes Kane was lacking quality at Euro 2024 and reveals what he would of done if he was in Southgate’s position
It’s very difficult not to play Kane when he’s one of the best strikers in world football, he’s just scored 50 goals for Bayern Munich.
But Kane has never been the best player for England in a tournament, he’s got so much ability, but he’s never been a great athlete or mover across the ground.
Kane never looked fully fit all tournament
I think he finds it tough off the back of a long season. And we had too many players trying to do the same thing.
The make-up of the team was a problem, in the group stages as well. I would have changed it after two games.
The idea you come into this tournament and not play Kane, though, is a nonsense. All day long he starts the final.
Criticism of Southgate ‘over the top’
Southgate’s England deal runs until December 2024
I’d like Gareth Southgate to stay, but I’d understand if he walks away. You think of the criticism he gets, it’s way over the top. Who would want to take the England job? Considering you have to go and win the World Cup or next Euros to be deemed a success.
We aren’t a nation that wins trophies, we aren’t Brazil. We’re not a team with a history – yes, we want to change that. But I can’t see many managers licking their lips and saying ‘oh I’d like to take this on’.
The top managers in the game are managing in the Champions League, that’s where they want to be. International football is about the players, you can’t go and buy players for your country, you have to work with what you’ve got. Maybe a different manager could get more out of this group but you would have to win a tournament – something we’ve done once in about 100 years.
The best managers don’t manage at international level. The Spain manager is a perfect example, most people would never have heard of him before this tournament. The problem Southgate has got, is people see him as an FA guy with no background of being successful or winning things.
The England job is not the ultimate. The top jobs are in the Premier League – that’s where the money is. Southgate knows international football, he’s brilliant with the media, he knows the players – I’m not quite sure who this manager is that everyone is crying out for.
Southgate has created ‘club culture’
Southgate comforts Bukayo Saka at the end of the final
When you get to a final it can’t be deemed as a failure. We didn’t perform, we didn’t play.
But Southgate has created a club mentality – it wasn’t like that when I was playing. That’s what has got England to a final, a togetherness and willingness to stick together to get over the line.
It hasn’t been vintage England – they’ve got to a final not playing well, that’s actually a credit to the environment he’s created.