Courage under fire: why Southgate must stay

Gareth Southgate needs to stay as England manager, win or lose in the final, for he is the England manager we need. He is the most successful manager since Sir Alf, of course, but his success is rooted in the fact he represents a different side of the English character. Not the war dog that is demanded by certain sections of the press and fans – that fanciful bulldog fighting spirit, using (lion)heart over head in a gung-ho spirit of attack, attack, attack – but, if we stick with beloved war cliches, courage under fire.

It takes a special kind of bravery to deal with the pressures on him – plus the outright abuse directed his way – and persist in the task at hand. To continue in your beliefs, and crucially, continue to believe in your team, even when it seems you are going to lose everything.

Many an England fan has despaired at seeing him name pretty much the same team in every game this tournament, seemingly in defiance of all sense as England froze and stumbled their way through the group. But there was actually a doggedness about this, believing that refining the system from game to game, would cause things to eventually click – which is did, in that wonderful first half against the Netherlands – and a brilliant man-management approach. This is a team that backs the manager. Because he backs them. He has some of the best players in the world at his disposal, many of whom he has worked with for years, and he is not just about to drop them just because a bunch of pundits say he should. He’s on their side, even when they are misfiring. This is how you manage a team.

He’s made mistakes. Mainoo should have been in the starting 11 from the first game. That much was evident in the pre-tournament friendlies. But he’s very much a fixture now. Southgate could have brought on substitutes earlier, but the late-appearing Ivan Toney, and most memorably, Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer, have won games for him.

No, he hasn’t gone full-on total football, but when have England ever done that? From 1966 to 199o to 1996 to 2002 to 2020, at our best, it’s always been about pragmatism as well as flair. Close shaves and digging out wins, a few precious moments of magic, and ultimately agonising defeat. Southgate is a continuation of this, the only difference being that we keep getting closer to a trophy, and against Spain, we have the chance again.

Could we actually win against the brilliance of Spain?

It feels like a stretch, which is exactly why I, for one, believe they will do it. For really, the reason why we ‘like’ supporting England is that we are underdogs – we won a world cup all those years ago, but we know that we’re not some all-conquering football nation like a Brazil, a France, a Spain. We should lose. We fans expect it. Which is why when we win, it is ridiculously thrilling.

And this is why I think we will do it. Because the team’s underdog status suits us down to the ground, and the players will know that too. It’s the expectation that we would win the entire thing that weighed them down. It wasn’t very English. It is now. We can defy the world, beat the odds and escape to victory.

Southgate, sweet, lovely, caring, measured, smart, is also an underdog, which makes him the perfect manager for England and the perfect manager for this final. This easy target for the bully boys but one has shown enormous heart to guide us to the brink of history, and it would take a dour old soul indeed not to want England to succeed not just for us, or the team, but for him. Whatever happens, he must stay on. Anyone else just wouldn’t feel right…