Slater: England draw with Denmark another sign that Gareth Southgate’s time is over

After England’s lacklustre Euros draw with Denmark, ROBBIE SLATER writes that it’s the last chance for Gareth Southgate’s tactics and tenure.

England’s continual international failure is weighing on coach Gareth Southgate. Picture: Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Alarm bells are ringing all over England right now that Gareth Southgate is going to throw another tournament away with his tactics.

There is absolutely zero questions mark about it – if he doesn’t win this tournament, Southgate is out.

It’s not even good enough making the final and losing again. This is it. All or nothing.

This is a team with Jude Bellingham – the Spanish player of the year, Phil Foden – the English player of the year and Harry Kane a leading goalscorer all over Europe.

Then you’ve got Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Kyle Walker and John Stones – every one of those players has made the EPL team of the year.

The big question mark over Southgate is has he got the tactical nous to win a tournament? To take a team of world class players to go and win a tournament as this generation of players really should do.

His constant use of the low block, which was in full evidence in the 1-1 draw with Denmark as England scored early through Kane and then proceeded to drop off and play a low block, is just extraordinary.

He has all these world class players, who all play at the very best clubs that employ a high press, and Southgate does the exact opposite.

It is just extraordinary that after eight years he has not worked this out and he just refuses to change.

As a manager you make your own decisions and you don’t listen to everyone on the outside, but it is overwhelming how every pundit in England and around the world says he must pay a high press with the players he has got but he refuses to do it.

Slater believes only a tournament win can save Gareth Southgate’s job. Picture: Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Another question that has to be asked is why he refused to take a left-footed fullback to this tournament because they now lack balance on the right hand side.

He’s got Luke Shaw but he is not really fit and in an attacking sense you’d think someone like Ben Chilwell would’ve been a better option.

He also left a player like Jack Grealish at home, who is the type of player that can change a game, so his squad selection comes into question when as tournament favourites they play like they did against Denmark.

They did not struggle, but they never looked like winning the game against Denmark and if anything you could argue that Denmark was more likely to score a second.

The question marks have been there for a long time over Southgate.

They lost the Euros on penalties to Italy four years ago when really Italy were not a great side.

I say that because the proof is the Italian team that won the Euros then failed to qualify for the next World Cup.

So this is the last chance for Southgate to win a trophy for England. He won’t get to the 2026 World Cup if he doesn’t win the Euros.

He might point to the fact that teams who win tournaments usually start slowly, but really England’s performances so far have alarm bells ringing.

And England will need to play much better once they reach the knockout stage.

Originally published as Slater: England draw with Denmark another sign that Gareth Southgate’s time is over