England head coach Gareth Southgate has hinted at staying in his role despite their elimination from the 2022 World Cup. Following England’s World Cup quarterfinal loss to France, Southgate spoke with a number of players who had little or no playing time during the competition to reassure them that they would still be a part of the team’s future plans. Despite the disappointment of being eliminated, the management wanted to individually speak with any players who might have felt they were unnecessary before the team departed Qatar to reassure them about the future.
The manager’s desire to advise some of the squad’s peripheral players on their potential careers in England is noteworthy given how uncertain his own future is. Why, if Southgate was about to step down as manager, would he try to convince players like James Maddison, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Conor Gallagher, and the two unused goalkeepers, Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale, that they still have a role to play for England? Such guarantees couldn’t be made to players who would then be trying to win over a new England manager if he is sincere about leaving.
“You exhaust yourself a lot in these events, and I need some downtime to think. Every tournament we’ve played in, we’ve done that, and it’s the correct thing to do,” England manager Gareth Southgate said. “I don’t want to think I made the wrong decision four or five months from now. It’s too crucial for anyone to do it wrong.”
For more World Cup news, click here
