Can Gareth Southgate revive England? Five things the caretaker boss must do
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ByEurosport
Updated 28/09/2016 at 13:43 GMT
English football has rarely been at a lower ebb following the removal of Sam Allardyce as England manager.
England U21 manager Gareth Southgate - now also in charge of the senior squad
Image credit: PA Photos
The defeat by Iceland at Euro 2016 capped a dismal performance at the tournament - and with the almost-as-bad 2014 World Cup still a relatively fresh wound, confidence in the national team was at its lowest for a generation at the end of June.
Sam Allardyce has managed to send it plunging even lower.
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Rooney - England-Iceland - Euro 2016
Image credit: Eurosport
The man who is charged with filling in for him - at least until the end of this year - is Gareth Southgate, the former Aston Villa and England defender, and former Middlesbrough player and manager, who is currently the man in charge of the national under-21 side.
That team has thrived under his stewardship, winning the presitgious Toulon tournament this summer, and his name was mentioned as a serious candidate before Allardyce was appointing. In that light it's no surprise that he has been entrusted with looking after the team for the next four matches
But is he on a hiding to nothing? This is a man who admitted to Four Four Two magazine just at the start of this month that he feels he doesn't yet have the experience to take on the England job.
It's been thrust upon him now, however. But what must he to? We take a look at the key tasks that await.
The task that awaits
Southgate has been brought in for four matches - rather than one or two - for very good reason: England have a string of matches in the next six weeks, and then don't play again until the end of March:
- England v Malta - Sat 8 Oct, 5pm (2018 World Cup qualifier)
- Slovenia v England - Tue 11 Oct, 7.45pm (2018 World Cup qualifier)
- England v Scotland - Fri 11 Nov, 7.45pm (2018 World Cup qualifier)
- England v Spain - Tue 15 Nov, 8pm (Friendly)
1. Priority number one: Restore order
Allardyce's departure in such sorry circumstances following the Daily Telegraph's undercover investigation leaves the Three Lions and Football Association in desperate need of a steady hand and calming words. Players will be confused and concerned over what has gone on so soon after Allardyce breezed into St George's Park in July.
Southgate needs to allay fears and take firm control of the squad to ensure events do not continue to spiral out of control. He is a personable and approachable man and likes to keep in touch with his Under-21 players so many of the senior squad should expect to get a calming call.
2. Make a decision: Does he want the job full time?
"I was very clear in my mind that there are other things I want to do first," he told Four Four Two three weeks ago.
"I can see the logic in terms of the odds but it wasn't a route I felt I was ready to take. I'm pretty clear on what I'm comfortable with but also I know to take that role wasn't something I think I've got the experience for.
"I'm fiercely ambitious, there's no question about that, so I wouldn't want it to be seen that I'm not. I'm also clear on where I am and I know how far I've come since I left Middlesbrough.
"I think with England there are one or two other things that I would want to have had experience of before I took that role."
It is unlikely his mind has changed in the last three weeks. But will he in the next six weeks?
A big win in a high-profile match such as the one against Scotland at Wembley (during which Wembley will, unusually, be bursting at the seams) could prove intoxicating. The FA, smarting and desperate, might want a man who already knows his way around St George's Park, and a man who is categorically not the sort of man to make an idiot of himself as Allardyce has.
In short, there is a very good chance that he will be offered the job, if those four games go well. He needs to start thinking already about whether he'll take it.
3. Tackle the big issue: Wayne Rooney
Sam Allardyce kept the Manchester United man as his captain and started him in the 1-0 win in Slovakia but Rooney's club form has failed to improve and he was benched for Saturday's 4-1 win over Leicester. Marcus Rashford scored his fourth goal of the season in that game, while forgotten man Jermain Defoe is the top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League with four strikes.
Rooney may be England captain but he is no longer an automatic selection for United and while Harry Kane's ankle injury may ensure he remains in Southgate's first squad, the caretaker manager has to make a big call immediately.
Will England's record goalscorer start? Will he even come off the bench? Will he even retain the captaincy? And how will the world react to whichever decision Southgate makes in the event it backfires?
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Wayne Rooney looks on during England's game against Slovakia
Image credit: Reuters
4. The Marcus Rashford question
Germany has a firm policy: no under-21 players in the team, even if their form is crying out for them to be selected. They're pretty strict about it, too, often lumbering themselves with a weaker-than-necessary squad - the thinking being that in the long term, they'll be rewarded for protecting and nurturing their brightest talent.
The fact that Jogi Low has the World Cup on his mantelpiece suggests that the policy is a good one.
In that light, what should Southgate do with Marcus Rashford? The Manchester United striker scored a hat-trick on his Under-21 debut in their 6-1 win over Norway earlier this month and Southgate joked afterwards that he did not expect to have the 18-year-old in his set-up for long.
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England's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring their fifth goal from the penalty spot to complete his hat trick
Image credit: Reuters
Southgate has always been against rushing Rashford but admitted his form gave Roy Hodgson little option but to take him to Euro 2016 in the summer. Should the United forward, who has three senior caps and one goal, get the nod next month - and his form this season suggests he should - then he will have a fine mentor in Southgate.
5. Pump up the energy levels and motivate the players
The FA shared a video a couple of years ago of Southgate addressing his troops after a big victory over Croatia.
Frankly, it was toe-curlingly bad:
Now, there are a couple of things to say about this. First, this clip is from a couple of years ago, and he might now be a lot better.
Second, it's conceivable that he was put off by the intrusive presence of a camera in the dressing room. But if that is the case, then taking the senior job is definitely not going to be his cup of tea.
It's no secret that England's army of £100,000-a-week stars struggle for motivation at times - particularly when it comes to things like geeing themselves up for qualifiers against the likes of Lithuania.
If Southgate can't rally his troops more effectively than this, it's deeply, deeply worrying - because even at tournaments players still need help getting into the right frame of mind.
One senior England player put it brilliantly after Sven-Goran Erikkson's limp half-time talk during the 2002 World Cup quarter-final against Brazil: "We were expecting Winston Churchill and instead got Iain Duncan Smith."
The good news? That comment was made by none other than Southgate himself. So he doubtless understands the issue, and that it's something he needs to address.
Apart from anything else, injecting a bit of vim into his public speaking will make sure that he can get a better fee for keynote speeches in the future - you know, in case it all goes horribly wrong...
Additional reporting and analysis via PA Sport
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