Gareth Southgate told ‘brutal truth’ and named ‘king of missed opportunities’
Gareth Southgate has been branded the "king of missed of opportunities" following England's World Cup exit.
Despite taking the Three Lions to their first European Championship final last year, and to the semi-final of the World Cup for the first time in nearly 30 years in 2018, Southgate's England legacy is one of failure rather than of success – at least according to former Premier League star Robbie Savage.
Writing in a column for The Mirror, Savage admitted Southgate had "developed a wonderful culture" in the squad, but took aim at his inability to beat the big teams when it matters most.
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"Let's not sugar-coat it: England lost to a weakened French team," Savage wrote.
"Southgate is a lovely guy and, at face value, there is no shame in reaching a quarter-final, semi-final and final at your three major tournaments in charge. But the brutal truth is that England should have been involved in this weekend's World Cup final – and they missed the boat."
He added: "If Gareth Southgate leaves the England job now, he will go down in history as the king of missed opportunities."
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Southgate has recorded more wins in knockout rounds than any other England manager, but aside from beating Germany (and a weak Germany side at that) at Euro 2020, his teams have consistently fallen short at the first sign of genuine trouble.
He may have provided England supporters, and players, with memories they never thought they'd be able to make, but defeats to Belgium and Croatia in 2018, Italy in 2021, and now France in 2022 risk defining his tenure, because, as Savage alluded to, momentous victories have simply been few and far between.
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