The British may have been wrong about Southgate.

Following their defeat in the Euro 2024 final, England's era under Gareth Southgate came to an end. Achieving the same level of success as Southgate is no easy feat, let alone winning the World Cup.

Tuchel has made many decisions that are unpopular with the English.

Despite leading the "Three Lions" to two consecutive European Championship finals and consistently progressing deep into major tournaments, Southgate still doesn't receive absolute support from the English public due to his playing style being seen as too safe and lacking emotion. However, the arrival of Thomas Tuchel hasn't brought the positive atmosphere many had hoped for either.

As the 2026 World Cup approaches, England not only embarks on a journey to conquer the gold trophy but also faces a major question: will change truly help them move forward or only lead the team backward?

Southgate has been criticized for being very unfair.

For many years, Southgate has been a controversial figure in England. He has frequently been criticized for his overly cautious approach. Many fans believe that the England team under Southgate lacks flair despite possessing a host of top-class attacking stars.

But if we set aside emotions and look at the results, it's hard to deny that he is one of the most successful coaches in England's history over the past 60 years. England reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. At Euro 2020, the Three Lions advanced to the final. They were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup by France and then went on to reach the final of Euro 2024.

Before Southgate, the England national team had repeatedly possessed generations of talented players but consistently failed in major tournaments. The eras of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard are prime examples.

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Southgate has at least transformed the England team into a stable collective instead of one dependent on individual flair. But that still wasn't enough to keep him in his job.

Tuchel's arrival was expected to bring a more modern and effective style of football. But instead of creating consensus, the German strategist sparked controversy right from his first personnel decisions.

The decision to drop Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Harry Maguire, and Trent Alexander-Arnold has left many in England puzzled. Tuchel might argue that every choice serves tactical purposes, but football has a simple rule: tactics are only effective when they lead to victory.

Thomas Tuchel's performance under Southgate will be the benchmark for his ability as manager.

The 2026 World Cup will be the real benchmark.

Up to this point, Tuchel's record with the England team hasn't been truly convincing. Winning all eight qualifying matches sounds impressive, but the quality of the opponents hasn't been enough to truly test their strength. Latvia, Andorra, Albania, and Serbia clearly couldn't create the same pressure as the big teams at the World Cup.

Conversely, the friendly matches caused more concern for many. England disappointed by losing to Senegal and Japan. A commonality between these two opponents was their energetic, well-organized style of play, and their willingness to engage in physical contact.

That's also why England's Group L at the 2026 World Cup isn't as easy as it seems. Ghana is a physically strong team with a powerful playing style quite similar to Senegal's. Croatia, though no longer at their peak, still possesses experience and composure in major tournaments that should never be underestimated. Panama is considered the underdog, but the World Cup always holds surprises.

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England's chances of progressing through the group stage remain quite high. However, the real challenge will come from the knockout rounds. Southgate has repeatedly led England to the semi-finals or close to winning the title. This inadvertently sets a very high standard for his successor.

The English didn't replace Southgate simply because they wanted a different manager. They replaced him because they wanted to see the next step forward. But if Tuchel can't help the Three Lions surpass what his predecessor achieved, that revolution could easily be seen as a step backward.

And then, English fans might wonder if they're being too harsh on Southgate. Or why abandon national pride to hire a German coach who doesn't deliver results as good as Southgate's?

Source: https://znews.vn/nguoi-anh-co-the-da-sai-ve-southgate-post1653765.html