GOING SOUTH
Honeymoon is over for under-fire Southgate as angry fans and must-win matches add to pressure and show him why he is the latest man in the IMPOSSIBLE JOB
GARETH SOUTHGATE knows for the first time what it really feels like to be England manager.
The fans booing during the Three Lions’ win in Malta, the pressure cranked up before a must-win qualifier with Slovakia, and his players being questioned.
The honeymoon is well and truly over. Little wonder he did not feel like celebrating his 47th birthday yesterday. Someone wished Southgate happy birthday as he left the room after his press conference. “It doesn’t feel much like it,” he smiled ruefully.
The England boss is feeling the heat for the first time since being put in charge. A year ago today, Sam Allardyce won his only game as manager with a 95th-minute winner in Slovakia, thanked a lucky coin he had in his pocket – and was run out of town three weeks later after a newspaper sting. Being Three Lions manager is a thankless task.
Southgate, who has won four of his nine games in charge, knew it was never going to be easy but probably did not expect such a tough examination after a 4-0 win away from home. That is the pressure and weight of expectation from the Impossible Job.
The former Middlesbrough boss is ever the diplomat. Cool and eloquent on the outside but far from happy after the Malta game. He put a brave face on it in the press conference but, behind the scenes, pulled no punches with the players and told them the first half was nowhere near good enough.
He is still auditioning for a new captain, has settled on a 4-2-3-1 formation, yet lacks the quality to fill the positions (particularly in midfield) and is still a long way from deciding on his first-choice XI.
England will surely book their place for Russia next summer but then the job gets tougher as expectation levels rise and Southgate is desperate to play those down. This is a long way from England’s so-called Golden Generation and even they disappointed on the big stage.
“You’re always being judged, aren’t you?” said Southgate. “Whether that’s the first game, how you’re going to respond and deal with it, walking in through the door... the first qualifier... you’re judged in every game.
“You’re on trial and on show in every match, and you have to perform and produce and win matches. I didn’t expect an easier ride. It’s no different to playing Scotland and Spain when I was in temporary charge.
“The analysis (at club level) is nowhere near as intense. When you play with England, every pass you make... written guys, television, supporters... all analysing one game to the Nth degree. That never happens at any club performance.
“We might only see goals for some games, so three go in at the end and it’s ‘job done’. But that never happens with England. We’re the only show in town for the week, and everything is gone into in such detail. So if I look at England 4 Holland 1, I bet it’s not quite as good as we thought at the time.”
What we would not give for the summer of 1996 and beating the Dutch at Wembley. Now you can bet we will be sitting on the edge of our seats nervously looking as England try to see off Slovakia. That is where the Three Lions are now. A long way behind. But Southgate (right) is the first to admit that, having watched Spain thrash Italy on Saturday.
He added: “How could we possibly compare ourselves to a team who have Champions League winners throughout on a consistent basis, have a World Cup and European Championship under their belt. We’re a work in progress. We have some players who have won trophies, but a lot who have won none. We have nowhere near the number of caps.
“But we have some exciting young players who can be really good going forward, but will have to go through some of the hardships those Spaniards went through to get where they are.
“Real Madrid and Barca are in the last four of the Champions League every year. None of our clubs have appeared in the last four of the Champions League for a long, long time, Chelsea aside. So the big international experience is coming from club football as well.
“I don’t know how quickly we can develop that. Maybe very quickly. The players are willing to learn and take on board ideas.
“But I go back to what I said a few months ago: if we’re looking for some kind of messiah to change things, I don’t think that’s realistic. We have good young players, more coming through the system, improvement happening all the time... that’s more of a reality.”
Southgate was at least given a treat back at the hotel. A salted caramel birthday cake. His favourite flavour apparently. He will just have to hope Slovakia do not rub salt in the wounds.