With the contract with England ending by the end of December, the manager Gareth Southgate has said that it is impossible to make decisions on his future as manager before the Euro 2024 finals.
Gareth Southgate Indecisive on His Future
After a slow start in the Euro 2024, England was able to put up an impressive show in the tournament setting up to reach the finals. On this occasion, they are set to face Spain in the finals of the major tournament in their second European Championship final in a row.
With Southgate under contract till December, his future after the season has been one of the most discussed topics. While speaking in the media on July 13, he opened up about his experience with the team and said how it would be difficult to walk away from the job he serving for eight years.
“Emotionally, it would be impossible for me to make a logical decision at the moment on any of that because my sole focus for two years has been winning this tournament,” he said.
“The last five or six weeks have been an absolute rollercoaster, so I don’t actually know where I am with anything other than being very focused on preparing the team for this game. I’m determined to keep leading them in the way I have over the last month.
“I took the job to try and help English football improve. I know what it would mean, not only to the general public in England but particularly to people involved in English football, from those who develop young players to those who run clubs; at every level of the game.
“We’ve improved the credibility of English football in how it’s perceived around the world but, ultimately, until you win that trophy then there will always be those questions both abroad and at home about what we’ve done.”
He also spoke about the upcoming high-profile clash when the final begins at 8 PM on Sunday, providing his plans ahead of the match.
“You’re aware of it, of course, but it’s not what you think about going into the game,” he said.
“We’ve got to keep a professional focus, a bit of a detachment from the enormity of the occasion if you like, because it would be easy to be overwhelmed by that.
“But actually, when you break it down into the bits you’re in control of, the bits you have to affect and the bits you have to focus on, it’s a much simpler task.
“We have to make sure we manage emotions well because in big matches, you might not have to perform at a level you’ve never been at before.
“To be able to perform at your best in big matches is often an achievement; a lot of people are inhibited in them. We’ve got to make sure we’re well prepared.
“The team are improving, they are growing in confidence, they’ve definitely grown in resilience and belief from the experiences they’ve been through in this tournament.
“We needed to win the last one and we didn’t. In the end, what I do know is how we’ll be viewed by others will be determined by the result on Sunday.
“I understand the demands of the job and my job has been to guide this group of players, group of staff through a complicated tournament, one in which we’ve held our nerve, held belief and during which we’ve improved and learned as a team.
“Everything else, on a personal level, is irrelevant. We’re in a final and we want to go that step further than we went three years ago.”
Coming to the match, the UEFA Euro 2024 finals will start at 08:00 PM on July 15 at Olympiastadion, Berlin.
