IT’S TOO EASY
Southgate believes getting to finals is not a proper test for Three Lions
GARETH SOUTHGATE says that qualifying for the Euro 2020 finals is too easy ahead of tonight’s clash with Kosovo at St Mary’s. The England manager nervously added the rider that he sees the international newcomers as the toughest test the Three Lions will face in Group A.
But he remains adamant that, with 24 teams qualifying for the finals next summer, qualification has become overblown and stagnant. He said: “It’s always dangerous to comment when we have a game where there is
a potential to drop points but across Europe in general, there isn’t enough jeopardy in the qualification process to make groups as exciting as they could be.
“I’m looking at the games and there’s maybe a couple each night that you really might want to tune in to.
“I just think we have to be careful that we don’t devalue it.
“There are so many new countries to involve in the process, but we’ve got to do the right thing for the supporters as well.
“The beauty of the
UEFA Nations League was that the lower teams had really competitive games where they had the chance to develop. Maybe you could have a shorter qualifying programme.
“We have got two and a half years before the next one, so I am sure there’s a way of doing something.”
With FIFA looking to increase the World Cup finals to 48 teams, Southgate fears the problem could get worse. He says it was only when competitions were smaller that qualification had more meaning.
“When I was playing you had to win your group and European Championships were only 16 teams so that makes a difference in itself,” he said.
“The first World Cup qualifying I was involved in, Italy were in our group and you had to finish top.”