England manager Gareth Southgate has retained his job as England manager despite quarterfinal exit from the 2022 World Cup.
Gareth Southgate led the Three Lions of England to the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This was a step lower than the 2018 feat when the team finished fourth place after reaching the semifinals and losing the third-place match to Belgium.
Recall that Gareth Southgate backed up his semifinal finish in the 2018 World Cup with a successful outing in the Euros 2020. He led The Three Lions to the final of the tournament, where they lost to Italy in penalty shootouts after a 1-1 draw.
Despite his strides with the England national team, Gareth Southgate hit his all-time low in the 2022/24 UEFA Nations League campaign. England was relegated from the top tier of the UEFA Nations League after managing just one goal and finishing bottom of their group.
Gareth Southgate came under heavy backlash after his poor performance in the competition in which the team suffered a home and away defeat to a less-fancied Hungary.
However, he survived the booing and heavy criticisms to retain his job and lead the team to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
England finished as best group winners in the World Cup, garnering 7 points to win the group and set up a round-of-16 clash with African champions Senegal. Southgate secured a convincing 3-0 win over Senegal but lost 2-1 to France in the semifinals.
After the World Cup exit, Gareth Southgate was undecided on his future, and there were calls for him to continue as England’s boss despite the World Cup exit.
The English FA were particularly keen on retaining Gareth Southgate as they had no ready replacement for him if he chose to leave.
The ball was left in the court of the 52-year-old, with the FA giving him the leeway to take a stand whether to continue or bow out. Meanwhile, he has two years remaining in his contract with Three Lions.
According to Daily Mail, after consulting his close allies and relevant groups and individuals, Gareth South has decided to stay in his role as England manager and lead the team to the 2024 Euros.
While the news is coming as a significant boost for the England national team, Gareth Southgate will have an opportunity to build on his gains with the Three Lions squad.
The FA was keen on keeping him after he had transformed the national team from a shapeless squad languished in the peripheries of European football to an elite national team capable of taking on any big rival in Europe and the world.
Unlike the booings and rejection which greeted his relegation from the UEFA Nations League, Gareth Southgate has earned the respect and applause of English fans and pundits despite his exit in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup.
This is said to be the primary reason he has chosen to stay and lead the team to Euros 2024.
After the groundswell of negativity from fans and pundits after his 4-0 defeat to Hungary, Gareth Southgate headed to the 2022 World Cup with the intention to leave after the tournament despite having two years remaining in his contract.
However, it has been confirmed that the sudden surge of optimism and support from fans, pundits, and former players has made him rescind from his planned exit.
Gareth Southgate’s next task now is the Euros 2024 qualifiers. He will lead the team to Naples in March 2023, where he will take on Italy before hosting Ukraine at home in Wembley.
