Former England international Gary Lineker has said it is time for Gareth Southgate to hand in his papers, claiming the tactician’s defensive playing style is holding the team back. His comments came after the Three Lions suffered a 2-1 defeat to Spain in the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024) final.
England Were Surprisingly Defensive Against Spain
England have never played an ultra-attacking game under Southgate but they usually know how to strike when the iron is hot. In the 2024 EURO final, however, they completely missed their window and allowed Spain to regain control.
La Roja put their noses in front in the 47th minute, courtesy of a fine goal from Nico Williams. England did not react well to the goal and could have gone two or three goals down had Spain forward not botched their finishes.
Southgate finally conjured a positive response after the hour mark, bringing on Ollie Watkins for Harry Kane (61′) and Cole Palmer for Kobbie Mainoo (70′). Three minutes after coming on, Palmer applied a sumptuous finish to level the score at 1-1. It looked like the perfect opportunity for England to press on and get the winning goal, but they chose to retreat instead, giving Spain the chance to get back into the game.
Spain ultimately snatched the winning goal in the 86th minute, with Mikel Oyarzabal applying a cool finish from close range to seal a 2-1 win.
Gary Lineker Wants Gareth Southgate To Resign, Names Ideal Successor
After England’s defeat in Berlin, Lineker thanked Southgate for bringing the nation together but claimed his defensive approach would not take the team to trophies.
On The Rest is Football podcast, he said:
“I think he’s been the right person to bring the nation together in terms of the football team.
“And, now, maybe it’s time for someone else with a more modern, attacking style of football. Because I think the game’s gone away from being successful if you’re really defensive.”
Lineker then expressed his desire to see Jurgen Klopp take the reins from Southgate. When co-hosts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards asked him to name his preferred successor, Lineker added:
“Wouldn’t you go all out for Jurgen Klopp?”
Klopp is currently without a job after leaving his post as Liverpool’s manager at the end of the 2023-24 season. He has vowed to take at least a one-year sabbatical from soccer, meaning England will have to wait for quite a while if they are to go after the German tactician.
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