Gareth Southgate’s record over the last four years speaks for itself, claims Harry Maguire
Maguire dismisses Southgate critics
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England centreback Harry Maguire has admitted that doubts concerning Gareth Southgate’s abilities are a moot point and pointed out to the English manager’s record at international tournaments as evidence that supports his claims. Southgate has come under criticism for his proactive tactics.
Gareth Southgate has proven to be the catalyst for positive change for the England national team since taking charge of the club in 2017. The 51-year-old led the Three Lions to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in an unexpectedly positive run in the prestigious tournament. The former Middlesborough manager also led his side to a third-place finish in the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019 to continue their good run in international tournaments.
Southgate also managed to lead a young England team all the way to the finals of the Euro 2020 but suffered the ignominy of conceding the cup to Italy in the finals. Despite producing exceptional results, the English manager has come under fire for not utilizing the wide array of attacking stars he has at his disposal and resorting to conservative tactics.Â
The Three Lions have hit a stump in the UEFA Nations League this summer as they have gone four hours without scoring from open play. England star Harry Maguire has dismissed notions that Southgate is not playing the squad to their full potential.
"His record over the last four years speaks for itself - when you play at the highest level there's pressure and every game that you don't win there will always be criticism. The last few games we haven't scored enough goals but we got to a World Cup semi-final playing this way and we were a penalty shoot-out away from winning a Euros in our home country,” Maguire told BBC Radio Five Live.
“We've shown there's still areas to improve and if we want to lift the World Cup we have to strive to improve and we have to aim for that because we want to set high standards and the next one is to lift the trophy,” he added.
