In difficulties across the Channel, Gary Southgate does not set goals for the next World Cup, except to bring pride back to the English.
The deal is simple for Gary Southgate: “the goal is to make the country proud.Discreet in the media, the English coach, in place since 2016 and increasingly criticized for his choices and his unattractive game, confided in L’Equipe.
After two international competitions concluded by a Top 4, Gary Southgate does not set a goal for this World Cup in Qatar (November 20 – December 18). Above all, the England coach wants to make the fans proud. “Obviously, this requires victories. My players know what they are capable of, they played a semi-final (in 2018), a final (during the last Euro), so they would be disappointed to do less well in Qatar.»
A competition which differs from those usual due to its autumn calendar, which is not to please the counterpart of Didier Deschamps, who also suffers a lot of injuries and malformations among his executives. “Many other selections are in the same situation of uncertainty, such as France or Germany. Finally, I think it will be a very open tournament» selon Gary Southgate.
Finally, the Three Lions manager, who has been widely criticized lately, talks about the difficulty of being a coach, in England or anywhere in the world. “Our job is to put the best players in the country on the field and develop them in a system that gives them the best chance of winning, which sometimes means developing a style of play that does not meet the expectations of the public.»