Southgate: England’s public enemy deserves World Cup chance

The calculation for the Football Association is whether to bank on Gareth Southgate getting it right on the night for the third successive major tournament – or decide that he has taken England as far as he can.

The latter judgement would be harsh, even on the back of four uninspiring Nations League fixtures – even if they did conclude with a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Hungary on Tuesday night - but that was the assessment of a febrile crowd at Molineux.

“Get him out!” raged one supporter as he stormed away from the stadium long before the 90th minute.

Those who stayed the course also made their feelings abundantly clear.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” they cried. “You’re getting sacked in the morning.”

Meanwhile, England’s players were roundly jeered throughout and greeted to a chorus of “Shame on you!” as they left the pitch.

It was hostile, toxic and ugly.

And it felt like more than a reaction to an isolated performance – no matter how abject or embarrassing.

It was personal.

Southgate – the man who led the nation to a World Cup semi-final and then the final of the European Championship is suddenly public enemy No.1.

Harry Maguire – the cult figure of both of those tournaments – is now a figure of hate.

How did the nation fall out of love with the national team so quickly?

It is less than a year since that Euros final against Italy – only five months until the World Cup – and Southgate faces an almighty battle to win back the affection of supporters.

So what has gone wrong – and is there reason to believe he can get the Three Lions back on track in time for Qatar?

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Southgate's argument is that with so little time until the World Cup, he had to use the Nations League as an opportunity to experiment.

England at their strongest, he claims, remain a contest for anyone.

The obvious question is what is England’s strongest team now – and has it sufficiently developed since 2018 and 2021 when the same failings ultimately cost them against Croatia and Italy, respectively?

Up front, Southgate remains heavily reliant on Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling to provide goals.

Phil Foden is yet to establish himself as the creative force of team, was anticipated coming out euros.

A midfield of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips lacks the control or the guile of the strongest nations – and despite having the rare talents of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James at right back, neither has nailed down the position.

Maguire and John Stones remain unchallenged in the centre of defence, regardless of their club form, and who plays at left back? For the most part under Southgate, a converted right-back.

The England boss could be accused of failing to transition his team by finding definitive roles for Jude Bellingham, Foden and James by now.

Conversely, he has not been helped by Jadon Sancho’s struggles at Manchester United in his first season at Old Trafford – nor Marcus Rashford’s ongoing failure to rekindle his finest form.

But, surely, Fikayo Tomori could have been used more in a season when Maguire’s performances have slumped so alarmingly and Stones has been out of action for long periods?

The expectation is that Southgate will continue to rely on the core of players from the last two tournaments. And while those performances justify his faith to an extent, he also leaves himself open to accusations that England are stagnating.

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A familiar refrain is that he is wasting a golden generation. Why is Jack Grealish not a fixture?

But Southgate’s methods have wildly exceeded expectations in the past two tournaments and qualification to the World Cup was secured comfortably.

The irony is that the pressure we’ve had and reputational comments have come in two Nations League campaigns,” he said on Tuesday. “In neither have we been able to pick our strongest teams.

“In the matches where every other manager is judged, we’ve had the best performances for 50 years.”

Southgate took full responsibility for England’s heaviest home defeat since 1928 on Tuesday. He had little option – and supporters were hardly looking for anyone else to blame, even if the players felt their ire too

A constant criticism of his reign has been his perceived tactical negativity – as well as his failure to win the 'big' games.

That ignores victory against Germany at the Euros and wins in the quarter-final of the World Cup and semi-final of the Euros, no matter the opponent.

But defeats to Croatia and Italy, from winning positions, have stuck in the minds of his fiercest critics and been used as a narrative to dismiss his remarkable achievements. They point to his tactical flaws, as well as England’s long-standing struggles against teams that can dominate possession.

They have nothing to do with back-to-back defeats to Hungary, yet the anger on Tuesday felt more about those missed opportunities than potential relegation in the Nations League.

It is impossible to know now if this is a trend that will continue to Qatar – or a combination of tired legs and experimental line-ups.

There is the possibility that Southgate’s message is no longer cutting through after six years – or that this is evidence of his failure to evolve England’s style, which is why he has struggled to establish the country’s emerging talents.

But he has earned the right to answer those questions himself at the World Cup – even if that was not the feeling in the room at Molineux.

Southgate is becoming a victim of his success. Aside from his performances at major tournaments, his greatest achievement as England manager has been to reconnect the national team with the fans.

Now he is feeling the full force of a supporter-base that cares once more.