A photomontage has been around social networks since the start of this Euro 2021. Gareth Southgate, the England coach, impeccable in his blue shirt and his vest, puts a comforting arm around the shoulders of a player visibly crushed with grief after a defeat . This player is the same Gareth Southgate, twenty-five years younger, just after his missed penalty in 1996 in the semifinals of the European Championship. His shot too soft and too centered, stopped by the German goalkeeper, has haunted him for a quarter of a century. The coach of the Three Lions carries on the shoulders this trauma: the responsibility for the elimination of England, while the trophy finally seemed accessible.
This last march against Italy, Sunday July 11, has a taste of redemption. Gareth Southgate qualified his team for an international competition final, the first since winning the World Cup in 1966. He is now the hero of a nation desperately awaiting another coronation. He is there to console and turn the page on so many disappointments.
The man is restrained, cerebral, measuring his words. But on Wednesday, after England’s victory over Denmark in the semi-final, self-control finally gave way. In front of the jubilant Wembley audience, he screamed his joy, clenching his fists in victory, his arms shaking with emotion. The scene only lasted a few seconds. Self-control returned immediately and the man returned to his team and congratulate his players. But these few moments of pure happiness say all the more because they are rare.
Lightning rod deflecting pressure
In September 2016, Gareth Southgate arrived at his post almost by accident. The English team then went through a deep crisis. For the past fifteen years, each tournament has ended in tears, with particularly poor results. That year, the European Championship was a disaster, with the humiliating elimination against Iceland, five days after the referendum in favor of Brexit. The then coach, Roy Hodgson, was sacked, replaced by Sam Allardyce, who would hold… only one game. A video of him explaining how to get around the rules governing player transfers leaked to the press. The storm in a glass of water typical of the hysteria surrounding the Three Lions forces him to resign.
The Football Association is lost. Gareth Southgate was then the coach of the England Under-21 team. For lack of anything better, the position is offered to him on an interim basis, for four games. The former player then does exactly the right thing. He deflates the huge bubble that surrounds English football. He says England’s chances are low, reminds the squad must be rebuilt. Above all, do not give way to the disproportionate hope of this crazy football nation.
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