July 6th 2024.
Gareth Southgate has been at the helm of England's national football team for several years now and has led them to the semi-finals of Euro 2024. However, despite their success, Southgate couldn't help but express his frustration after their recent win over Switzerland. It seemed that their tactical plan had been leaked three days before the game, taking away the element of surprise that Southgate had hoped to use to their advantage.
Nevertheless, the Three Lions managed to secure a spot in the semi-finals after a tense penalty shootout and an impressive display of their battling qualities. Despite facing a tough opponent, England showed their resilience and determination to come from behind and force the game into extra-time. Southgate's decision to switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation proved to be partially successful, with makeshift wing-back Bukayo Saka shining in his role and even scoring a goal and converting his penalty in the shootout.
Despite the victory, Southgate couldn't help but feel annoyed that their tactical plan had been made public, giving the Swiss an advantage. He shared, "We do a lot of things. As I said, we've won three out of four and a lot of our processes have been shared. Our tactical plan for the game was also shared three days before. We live in an amazing world where it's so difficult for us because any element of surprise you might have with the opponent is gone three days before. It's quite incredible, really."
But despite the challenges and obstacles that England has faced, Southgate was proud of his team and their streetwise spot-kick heroes. He also had high praise for Saka, who has exorcised his penalty demons in this game. "There's what we ideally want to be and then there's how we've needed to find ways to win with all the obstacles we've had," Southgate explained.
He also reflected on the growth and development of this young team, stating, "But as I said to the players, with England it was often start 25 minutes really well, ahead in games, and then out in the early knockout rounds. We weren't savvy, we weren't tournament wise. This group is different. They keep possession for longer periods."
Southgate acknowledged that they haven't always gotten it right, but they have shown the resilience and streetwise nature that is often seen in teams that win tournaments. He mentioned countries like Italy, France, and Spain who have had these qualities and expressed his hope that England will continue to be competitive in the coming years.
As they move on to the semi-finals, Southgate is determined to create history for England. "We've never been to a final outside of England, we've never won a Euros, so there are two bits of history we'd love to create," he said. This young team has the potential and talent to achieve great things, and Southgate believes that they are capable of delivering a historic victory.
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