The measure of how Gareth Southgate has performed in the job he has held for almost eight years is that nothing less than an appearance in the Euro 2024 final will be deemed good enough in the minds of most England fans. The reason Southgate is loved by the Football Association is that he has brought stability to the national team. Over the course of the coming weeks, we will know if stability has become staleness.
Southgate has gone into this tournament on autopilot. He knows exactly what to expect, exactly what he is going to be asked, exactly what distractions to avoid, exactly what notes to sound. If he has been told to take off the handbrake once, he has been told a thousand times.
He is suitably energised, suitably excited for the task ahead, suitably motivated. But even before a ball has been kicked in Germany, it is hard to escape the feeling that Southgate, at the age of 53, is a manager ready for a new challenge. Whatever way you look at it, four tournaments is a long stint for an international manager.
The FA would, without doubt, like him to stay on beyond the end of his current contract, which expires in December. But does Southgate really want to be pigeon-holed as an FA man for the rest of his career? I doubt it. My hunch is that Southgate will step aside after Euro 2024, regardless of England’s performance out here.
On Wednesday, Mark Bullingham, the FA chief executive essentially said that a succession plan was in the bottom drawer. It would be negligent no.