Jamie Carragher Snubs Gareth Southgate Ahead of England vs Spain Euro 2024 Final
The former England defender has given a blunt verdict on Gareth Southgate’s managerial ability, stating that he needs to win a trophy to be considered one of the best coaches in English football history.
England face Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday, and Carragher believes that a win would be a significant milestone for the Three Lions. However, he also criticized Southgate’s tactics and the way he has been perceived by the media and fans.
"Here is another example of a lack of winning mentality," Carragher wrote in his column for The Telegraph. "The question was asked over the past few days if Gareth Southgate is England’s most successful coach because he has led the country to two finals, including the first on foreign soil. Sorry, but he is not. Southgate needs to match Sir Alf Ramsey and win a trophy to be worthy of that description. Beat Spain and this conversation can be started."
Carragher also highlighted the importance of winning the Euros for England, stating that it would be a significant step forward for the national team.
"England have reached a second successive Euros final under Gareth Southgate. If they win, it will be their first major tournament victory since 1966. That would be a massive moment for English football and would signal a new era of success for the national team."
Despite his criticism of Southgate’s tactics, Carragher believes that the manager deserves more credit than he has received from some quarters.
"A few loud voices on social media or a minority of supporters who consistently fail to recognise the peculiarities of international football – and vast differences with the club game – have been given too much prominence throughout his tenure and maybe increasingly so over the past month. Those people will not believe they were wrong unless Southgate wins a trophy."
The former Liverpool defender also praised Southgate’s ability to manage the England squad and his impact on the national team’s culture.
"I cannot think of one respected pundit or journalist covering England who does not believe Southgate has done a very good job, but there was certainly nothing unfair about the way England’s first four games of this competition were analysed and reported. They were not very good."
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