- England manager Gareth Southgate must be more decisive in his actions
- The Three Lions will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024
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Gareth, do something!!
It is rare, as a football reporter, to feel any emotion when covering a match. I always use the word ‘numb’, to describe the numbness of the joy and stress of being a football fan.
You love what you do, but you’re not as interested in the results as the grown man in makeup a few rows down.
But on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen it was different. It wasn’t exactly patriotism, or feeling giddy amid the turmoil of knockout football at a major tournament.
No, it was irritation. A real tremor, completely involuntary and caused by pure frustration.
Gareth Southgate must be more decisive as England take on Switzerland in the quarter-finals
A moment of genius from Jude Bellingham set up a dramatic extra-time confrontation
Gareth, do something!!
England were beaten 1-0 by Slovakia, and rightly so. Slovakia are ranked 45th in the world.
There were 45 minutes left to play and Southgate had decided not to make any substitutions at half-time. Then there were 40 minutes left to play, then 35, 30, 25. Still no substitutions.
The substitutes warmed up, but not nearly as hard as the grandstand players, who were seething with irritation. It was the injustice of it all.
Where were the players who cheered up this sleepy bunch, who were sleeping their way to defeat?
Answer: They were sitting on the couch with neck pain, each with their heads turned toward the rabbit in the spotlight.
Gareth, do something!!
With 24 minutes to go and Kieran Trippier having taken a knock on his knee, Southgate looked to be forced to make a substitution. Cole Palmer came on. There was a slight improvement, but more was needed.
Late introductions in England’s late win against Slovakia changed the fate of the match
It needed the kitchen sink. It felt more like Southgate was throwing in the tea towel. It was almost 20 minutes before his next substitution.
Was that the faith he held, as many have suggested? If so, it was blind faith. By the 94th minute, England had registered zero shots on target.
Gareth, do something!!
Finally, in the 95th minute, the change that changed the game. Ivan Toney, as irritated as the rest of us, was brought on.
I wrote afterwards that Southgate deserved credit for that. What nonsense. Given what Toney did in 30 seconds, what could he – and others, such as the astonishingly unused Anthony Gordon – have achieved in 30 minutes?
Because the idea that Southgate is seen as the ultimate gambler, because he continues to believe and gets his reward, is just as absurd as the claim that his substitution for Toney was inspired.
Bellingham celebrates with England captain and eventual match winner Harry Kane
Striker Ivan Toney impressed, but only after spending part of the match on the bench
England was lucky. The irritation that makes your body tremble was that England didn’t have to be lucky.
It’s disrespectful to the quality of their work to rely on such moments of genius as Jude Bellingham’s.
So this weekend it is time for Southgate to manage. So that Southgate can have an influence on the fate of England. So that Southgate can come out of this frozen, confused state of paralysis that he is locked into here in Germany.
It’s time for Gareth to do something.