Gareth Southgate steps down as England manager: ‘It’s time for a change’

For the most part, Southgate was loved by his players. And while some fans might not be able to see past the immediate disappointment of the Spain loss and the fact that for all the heroics in the knockout stage, England didn’t actually play very well at these Euros, they might be careful what they wish for.

If the next manager matches his habit of persistently winning knockout round games, they will have done an outstanding job. Of the early names to be thrown around, the most likely seem to be Eddie Howe, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino, though as ever with these things a couple of outliers like Jurgen Klopp will be teased.

Southgate did things a certain way, revolving always around the belief that nothing happens by accident. His approach is unapologetically forensic, and from the start he was big on culture and man-management. He didn’t pander to public popularism, accurately reasoning that it was better to be a boring survivor in a tournament than an electrifying early departee.

Unthinkably for England, his teams won three out of its four penalty shootouts, with a detailed process as part of it. Jordan Pickford’s now-famous water bottle was just the tip of the preparatory iceberg.

“Completely gutted,” Pickford wrote on social media, in response to the news. “This will hurt for a while. Appreciate everyone who supported us during the tournament and I’d like to thank all my teammates and staff for their work throughout. I also want to say a special thank you to the boss for always believing in me during his time with us and I would like to wish him all the best in his next steps. Thank you Gareth.”

The reaction was perhaps summed up best by a player that did not make the squad for Euro 2024, Harry Maguire, a Southgate staple for much of his tenure.

“You made us all believe again — memories that will last forever,” Maguire wrote. “Thank you boss.”

Southgate was unfailingly loyal to his players, never throwing them under the bus. Perhaps loyal to a fault, some would say, by sticking by Harry Kane throughout Kane’s struggles in Germany.

While England’s success feels like it is edging closer, a new era must begin now, with talents like Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden at the forefront of it.

One thing we have learned from this is that there is only one achievement that will ever satisfy England when it comes to its soccer team, and it might be an impossibly high one.

Southgate came to the very verge of it, he even had to walk past the trophy on the dais twice. He could’ve touched it if he’d wanted to, if the pain wasn’t so bad.

Instead, he walks on. Head held high, certainly, but also another casualty of England’s excruciating journey, as its endless wait goes on.

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