Gareth Southgate’s future after the elimination at the World Cup in Qatar is something the English coach is considering. The English lost to France in the quarterfinals on Saturday .
Southgate saw Olivier Giroud score the winning goal for France and Harry Kane miss a penalty shortly before the end. For the national coach of England, his second World Cup with The Three Lions ended one round earlier than in Russia (2018). There the English finished fourth after the lost battle for third place against Belgium.
“At the end of the day it’s about how many goals you score,” Southgate told ITV. “We gave everything. These kinds of competitions are decided on details. I do not comment on the referee and focus on my own players. We played a top game,” said the choice lord, who does not blame Kane for his missed penalty kick. “We win and lose together. Kane has always been so important to us, we wouldn’t be here without him.”
After the defeat, Southgate was asked if he wanted to continue as England coach, a role he has held since September 2016. The former England international has not yet made the decision and wants to talk to the English federation first. “We have spoken to each other after every tournament so far and assessed the situation. That takes time. After that, everyone can make the right decision,” Southgate said.
If it is up to analyst Gary Neville, his former colleague international will stay on. “I would like to see Gareth stay on for another two years or maybe move into a more senior role in the FA,” Neville said. “England has won youth tournaments in the past ten years, the women won the European Championship title, the men reached the European Championship final, so we are in really good shape as a football country. Especially when you look at how we used to perform at final tournaments.”
