England players can hold their heads high, but they deserve a better manager

This group of players under a tactically progressive manager would be world beaters

Mason Mount took his runners up medal right off his neck the minute it was placed on him, showing that he will NEVER be happy coming second. This is the mentality of a true winner, and the mentality you need to be a top sports person.

All I have seen in the media and across socials since England lost to Italy in the final of the Euros is how well they did to get that far.

Yes, I agree, they DID very well to get that far. But why is nobody questioning Gareth Southgate’s negative approach the the game once again? Why is nobody questioning why he chose a 19-year who had never taken a penalty in a competitive match before to step up and take the final decisive penalty? Why is nobody questioning why when he went 1-0 up he attempted to defend and contain to play out for a 1-0 win for 85 minutes of the match?

Instead, I’ve seen a genuine report suggesting that he might still get a knighthood, for reaching the final! Is this where we are at with sport in this country? Knighting someone for losing in a final!? That’s just mad.

Listen, England getting to the final of a major competition for the first time in 55 years only the second time in their history, is really quite something, I am not denying that, but the way I look at it is that if we had a manager who was a tactical expert, a progressive manager who lines up in an attacking formation, with this England squad of very talented players, we could and should be absolute world beaters.

The players can hold their heads high, they did very well, they actually showed strong mentalities. But we were pretty lucky to make the final lets be honest, we hardly lit up the competition with amazing football did we? Yes I know tournament football is about winning games, but why can’t we do both? Why can’t we win games AND be entertaining?

Southgate is a great guy, and a great man-manager, I’ve always said this. But I don’t and never will rate him as a football manager in a tactical sense.

We scored early last night, and tried to shut up shop, THAT was a massive error. Italy are a good side, but the difference between them and us was they were playing with intensity and using a high press, why couldn’t England do that? They gave is NO time on the ball, yet we gave them the freedom of Wembley.

We should have gone hunting for the ball high up the pitch, and trying to control the game like the Italians did. But we sat way too deep, stood off Italy, and allowed them to come at us and control the match.

England had 34% of possession; for a team with the quality they possess this is a disgrace. If we were San Marino I’d expect that, but the quality of players at Southgate’s disposal is criminal, and it’s even more criminal that he barely even used half of them. All that attacking talent sat on the bench because our manager is too negative and too defensive, why not just pick 25 defenders Gareth?

Two shots on target all game from us and one of them was the early goal. We should have taken the game to Italy after scoring the first goal and finished the game off. But that is not our style of football, and that is on Gareth.

But he will stay and lead us into the World Cup, the FA confirmed that even before the Euros. So he could have lost 6-0 to Scotland and still kept his job, that ain’t right.

The FA love him, the media love him, the ‘people’ love him. And like I say, he’s a great guy. But me looking at it purely from a footballing sense, he is never going to be any more than just an average defensive manager, and that is not what this England team need to get the best out of them.

I would still hold this opinion on Southgate being an average manager if we won the competition by the way, even though that would have been a world class achievement for him.

Anyways, Euros over, rant over, back to the mighty Chels who DO have a progressive and entertaining manager in charge, luckily!

Simon Phillips