IN HIS DEFENCE
THE WEEK India|November 20, 2022
Coach Gareth Southgate might not be popular, but he has delivered for England
KARTHIK RAVINDRANATH
IN HIS DEFENCE

Football managers divide opinions. Many see Pep Guardiola as the best manager in the world. Some say he was just blessed with talented players and abundant funds. As opinion gets more space on social media, this is inevitable. But, there are few managers in football today who are as polarising as England's head coach, Gareth Southgate.

The former centre-back took over the national team during one of the most difficult periods in English football's recent history. After embarrassing eliminations at Brazil 2014 and Euro 2016, the English Football Association (FA) appointed Sam Allardyce as head coach to steady the ship. But, he was caught up in a corruption scandal and resigned after 67 days. Desperate, the FA turned to Southgate, then head coach of the under-21 side. He was given temporary charge of the senior team in September 2016.

Just over six years later, he is taking the team to a third major tournament, after leading it to a first World Cup semifinal in 28 years and a first-ever Euro final. He is, statistically, the second-most successful England manager ever. Therefore, it is not immediately clear what is to not like. But, the criticism from a vocal section of the fan base, primarily for being overly cautious, cannot be ignored.

The success of Southgate's defensive football has been downplayed with the claim that the squad he has is the best in 20 years. Therefore, goes the argument, the runs deep into the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 were to be expected and that he should have won those tournaments with the talent available. The argument that this is the best team in two decades can be exposed as inaccurate pretty quickly.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 20, 2022 من THE WEEK India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 20, 2022 من THE WEEK India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE WEEK INDIA مشاهدة الكل
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
THE WEEK India

What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?

IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
THE WEEK India

Trump and the crisis of liberalism

Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Men eye the woman's purse
THE WEEK India

Men eye the woman's purse

A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
When trees hold hands
THE WEEK India

When trees hold hands

A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Ms Gee & Gen Z
THE WEEK India

Ms Gee & Gen Z

The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing

time-read
5 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
THE WEEK India

Vikram Seth-a suitable man

Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Superman bites the dust
THE WEEK India

Superman bites the dust

When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
THE WEEK India

OLD MAN AND THE SEA

Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port

time-read
4 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE WEEK India

Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets

THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 08, 2024
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
THE WEEK India

Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay

AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 08, 2024