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Gareth Southgate’s England Journey As The Three Lions Reach Another Final
England manager, Gareth Southgate recently hit 101 games in charge of the Three Lions following their 2-1 win against the Netherlands to reach the final of EURO 2024.
The manager has faced numerous successes and some setbacks during his almost eight-year tenure, and now he has the opportunity to conclude it by winning his country’s first major championship in over five decades.
With a wonderful journey approaching the ultimate peak, Sportxparte has decided to look back at the defining moments from Southgate’s 101 games as England boss and the long journey to another shot at glory.
From history-making moments to fan base-splitting decisions, here is Southgate’s story at the helm of the Three Lions.
A controversial appointment
Southgate’s tenure as England manager began unexpectedly, replacing Sam Allardyce who departed by mutual agreement after a contentious undercover operation conducted by British journalists.
Sam Allardyce as England Coach
The ex-West Ham boss was infamously caught on camera explaining how to get around third-party ownership rules and making fun of former manager Roy Hodgson.
The swift decision to remove him resulted in the appointment of Southgate, who was then part of the youth coaching set-up, on an interim basis, as the FA commenced their search for a permanent manager.
Despite his temporary role, a good run of results, including a 3-0 win against Scotland and a 2-2 draw with Spain, would see him become boss full-time.
Upon taking the job, Southgate said: “I am extremely proud to be appointed England manager. However, I’m also conscious that getting the job is one thing, and now I want to do the job successfully.
“I’m determined to give everything I have to give the country a team that they’re proud of and one that they’re going to enjoy watching play and develop. For me, the hard work starts now.”
Nearly eight years later, the ex-Crystal Palace and Aston Villa defender is on the brink of achieving greatness, having successfully built a team that has garnered the pride of the nation.
Penalty shootout history
After a steady qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup that saw England top their group without losing a game, the Three Lions headed to Russia for Southgate’s first major tournament in charge.
His first major tournament began positively during the group stages, leading up to a second-place finish behind Belgium, one of the tournament favorites at the time. This positioned them for a round-of-16 showdown with Colombia.
A tight affair ended 1-1 after extra-time which meant England faced another penalty shootout at a major tournament, bringing back a few too many bad memories for supporters.
What happened next would be written into the history books for years to come.
Until that moment, the Three Lions had faced defeat in their previous five shootouts, and hardly anyone anticipated a different outcome this time, reflecting the typical experience of being an England supporter at that time.
Even during the spot-kicks, there was a feeling of doom as Colombia had the chance to win it after Jordan Henderson missed his penalty.
England advanced to the next round after defeating Colombia on penalties in the 2018 World Cup in Qatar
But a new level of resilience has been shown across Southgate’s time as manager, and it first reared its head against the South Americans back in 2018.
Luck was on their side when Mateus Uribe’s shot rebounded off the crossbar, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford fully turned the tide with an excellent stop against Carlos Bacca.
Pickford, among several players making their tournament debut, with the manager, would go on to become a key figure for England over the following six years
Eric Dier then converted the winning penalty, sending the nation wild and marking a turning point in the fans’ belief surrounding their country proving to be the start of a particularly strong liking towards Southgate.
Uniting a nation at Euro 2020
England’s good form under Southgate would continue with only five defeats in three years following the 2018 World Cup, leading to supporters getting very excited ahead of a delayed Euro 2020 tournament.
Despite excelling on the field, the country had been facing division for most of the year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and needed a significant boost as summer approached in 2021.
England delivered exactly that with impressive performances, defeating Germany and Denmark in the knockout stages, offering fans a vital release from the pent-up frustration that had been accumulating for a period.
The Germany result, in particular, marked an iconic point in Southgate’s tenure. Winning such a big match on home soil sent the nation into celebration.
Raheem Sterling scored against Germany in EURO 2020
Getting the final wrong
Italy won EURO 2020 against England at Wembley Stadium
While his tenure had been largely positive up to this point, fans would be let down by England particularly Southgate for the first time when they reached the final of Euro 2020.
Despite taking an early lead at Wembley against Italy, the Three Lions would go on to lose on penalties.
Luke Shaw scored the first goal against Italy in EURO 2020 Final
At first glance, it may not seem directly related to the manager. However, Southgate’s cautious approach ended up being detrimental as England allowed Italy to regain momentum when they should have rode the momentum towards another goal.
The substitutes during the match didn’t help either, with Declan Rice coming off and the Three Lions losing the balance of the midfield.
Southgate’s decision to bring on Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho solely for the penalty shootout would later prove to be a move that backfired in ways beyond anyone’s expectations.
England lost to Italy on penalties in Euro 2020
The defeat to Italy was the first sign that some supporters’ belief in Southgate might be wavering and, in truth, it’s something he has struggled to shake off ever since.
A horrible Nations League campaign
Serious questions about the manager started after a dismal UEFA Nations League campaign in the summer of 2022, leading to several fans calling for a change of coach ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
England endured a disappointing run in the group stage, failing to secure a win in any of their six matches, including two losses to Hungary and another defeat against the defending European champions, Italy.
The terrible run of form left a sour taste for many supporters and would result in huge criticism Southgate had faced up to that point.
As uncertainty started before the World Cup, the manager faced doubt and the need for significant performance in Qatar to win back the support of the fans.
Let down at the World Cup
Despite a solid showing in the group stages and a great victory against Senegal in the round of 16, England fell short once again under Southgate in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
The Three Lions faced favorites France in the quarter-finals and were defeated 2-1 after record goalscorer Kane missed a late penalty in the match.
Harry Kane skied his second penalty against France
Adding to the bitter nature of the defeat was the fact that England’s captain had successfully converted a penalty earlier in the match, only to falter in the same scenario when his team was in desperate need of a lifeline.
Although the outcome was disheartening, it was not as straightforward to attribute blame to the manager this time, as he was let down on the pitch by his players rather than by a tactical error as in previous instances.
Despite the defeat resulting in another major tournament without silverware, Southgate, after elevating his nation to heights not witnessed in the last two decades, was granted another opportunity at glory by being allowed to complete his contract until after the 2024 European Championships.
Making fans believe again at EURO 2024
Two weeks ago, pretty much every fan was just about done with England’s slow, ponderous style of play that yielded minimal results throughout the Euro 2024 group stages.
Despite barely making it into the round of 16, the Three Lions were mere seconds away from being knocked out by Slovakia.
Then everything changed with a moment of magic from Jude Bellingham.
The midfielder executed a remarkable bicycle kick to level the score in the final of injury time, and then substitute Ivan Toney assisted Kane for the winning goal in extra time, reigniting the spark that Southgate had ignited when he first led England to the 2018 World Cup and the 2020 Euros.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane Against Slovakia
In the quarter-finals against Switzerland, there was a notable performance improvement, as Southgate made strategic changes to the formation and even substituted key players like Kane and Phil Foden, a move that many supporters would not have anticipated before the tournament began.
Saka curled in a late equalizer and the match ended 1-1, with England facing a penalty shootout once again.
Bukayo Saka draw level against Switzerland at UEFA EURO 2024 Quarter Final Dusseldorf Arena
Pickford made another crucial save in the shootout, and all five outfield players, including substitutes Toney, Cole Palmer, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, successfully converted their penalty kicks. Saka, who had missed Euro 2020, redeemed himself in a heartwarming moment that further captivated fans.
England defeated Switzerland on penalties in EURO 2024
The hope was building once more as another determined performance set up a date with the Dutch in the final four.
As the semi-final approached its last 15 minutes with the score tied at 1-1, it seemed like a familiar narrative.
However, Southgate once again displayed his boldness by making a clever double substitution.
Palmer and Ollie Watkins would replace Foden and Kane a brave change taking off arguably the two best players in the squad.
Following their most impressive performance of the tournament to date, created another memorable moment when Palmer played a perfect pass to Watkins, who scored a stunning last-minute winner into the bottom corner.
Cole Palmer assisted Ollie Watkins for England’s wininng goal against the Netherlands
Southgate and his players delivered once again, sending the country wild and bringing even the strongest doubters back onside for another attempt at glory in the Euro 2024 final.
After the semi-final, the manager admitted; “we all want to be loved, right?
“When all you read is criticism, it’s hard. So to be able to celebrate a second final is very, very special.
“To be able to give them (supporters) a night like tonight is very special.”
While his tenure hasn’t been perfect, Southgate has elevated England to heights not witnessed in decades, instilling belief in fans once again.
No matter the criticism faced or the questions raised, England is once again in a major final and one game away from football immortality.
