From 's***' to Euro 2024 finalists, Gareth Southgate deflects criticism to lead the Three Lions towards glory (2024)

There has been no holding back in the criticism of Gareth Southgate and England at Euro 2024.

"We have to reflect the mood of the nation," former England striker Gary Lineker said on his podcast, The Rest is Football, after England limped to a dire 1-1 draw with Denmark in the group stage.

"I can't imagine anybody, who is English, that would have enjoyed England's performance because it was lethargic, it was dour, you can think of all sorts of words and expletives if you like," he added.

"It was sh*t."

One wonders what the mood of the nation is now.

England is in its second consecutive European Championship final, following a dramatic 2-1, come-from-behind victory against the Netherlands.

The victory was Southgate's toughest test in his 101 games as England coach — and arguably his most impressive.

Southgate, despite saying he was "oblivious" to the criticism and that he didn't need to "listen to externals", admitted it was tough to take after England beat Switzerland on penalties in the quarterfinals.

"I can't deny then when things get as personal as it has, that does hurt. I don't think it's normal to have beer thrown at you," he said.

"But we're in a third semifinal in four tournaments, and I think we continue to give people fantastic memories.

"So, we'll keep grinding, we'll keep fighting, and we'll keep enjoying this journey."

That could be the crux of it.

Under Southgate England has reached two European Championship finals and a World Cup semifinal, his only "failure" being the quarterfinal defeat to eventual 2022 finalists France in Qatar.

No other England coach has even come close to such a sustained record of achievement.

Even Sir Alf Ramsay, whose performances in his final two tournaments as coach of England in 1972 and 1974 were characterised by "cautious, joyless football," according to journalism great Hugh McIlvanney and showed timidity in embracing the then-new phenomenon of tactical substitutes.

Sound familiar?

Southgate was seemingly following England's deified World Cup-winning coach down that path towards irrelevance, until this glorious night in Dortmund.

Not only did Southgate "release the handbrake" as so many England fans had demanded — lining up with three at the back to allow nominal wing-back Buyaka Saka the chance to explore the right flank with impunity — but his side also displayed the characteristics that he would be most proud of, sheer bloody-mindedness and grit to see the game out.

Much as they did on home soil in 2021, England has played perfect tournament football — winning is the only thing that matters, and nobody gets extra points for style in football.

Yet in Dortmund, faced with a wall of Dutch supporters, England did turn up the style to something approaching that of want-to-be champions.

England started magnificently, pushing the Dutch back and quietening legions of Oranje-clad supporters that flooded Dortmund, colouring the Westfalenstadion's towering südtribüne — made famous by Borussia Dortmund's yellow-wearing support — with their own unique shade.

But England still conceded first.

Given the criticism, given the tepidness of England's misfiring attack at this Euros, the team could have wilted under the sheer weight of the Dutch support, which comfortably occupied three-quarters of the imposingly tight stadium.

Instead, the Three Lions dominated.

Dutch coach Ronald Koeman, stinging from his first-ever defeat against England as a player or coach, said: "They created problems in our midfield in the first half."

Of course, there was more than a degree of fortune about the penalty — Harry Kane philosophically said, "Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't," when asked about it post-match.

And although even the most hardened England supporter would have to admit that, more often than not you don't get those types of penalties, it won't bother them a jolt given how much they dominated afterwards.

Setting up his team for how the Dutch would come out for the second half, with the game poised at 1-1, was arguably Southgate's biggest test.

Koeman is not afraid to tinker with his side — the enforced substitution of striker Memphis Dupay, off with an injury, to be replaced by midfielder Joey Veerman, a case in point.

After the break, Koeman did make another switch, bringing on target man Wout Weghorst to add a new dimension to the Dutch attack — and it worked.

England was on the back foot for the first time in the game, the intensity and brilliance of the first-half performance suddenly weighing them down as the players struggled to break through the lines of Dutch defenders.

So Southgate made a double change.

Off came the irreplaceable Kane, and, despite the anonymity of Jude Bellingham, so did arguably England's best player in the first half, Phil Foden.

Bravery takes many forms.

Southgate, who has spoken before about the demons he had slain from his Euro 96 penalty shootout miss to turn England into an improbable force at spot kicks under his tenure, reached into that well of resilience again.

On came Ollie Watkins — a player who 10 years ago was out on loan at non-league Western-super-Mare, struggling to get back in lower league Exeter City's first team — and Cole Palmer, who left the security of Manchester City's youth set up to forge a new path at Chelsea.

Their combination as the clock ticked over the 90 minutes sent England into ecstasy and on the path to Berlin.

"Sometimes it can work that way," Southgate told ITV, deflecting his role in England's winner.

"The most important thing is all of the squad can come into the game. Their attitudes have been exemplary and I'm so happy for Ollie.

"It was complicated. They kept changing so we had to change."

The ability to change things in-game has not been Southgate's most notable attribute during his tenure — it's the biggest thing England fans hold against him.

But even his staunchest critics — and there have been many — cannot argue that he got it right today.

Chris Sutton, the former England striker, described Southgate's substitutions as "first class" on BBC Radio following the match, while another ex-England international, Matt Upson, said the change "worked perfectly".

"England had to suffer for large parts because of the switch Ronald Koeman made," ex-England striker Alan Shearer added.

"They couldn't find a way. It was crying out for a substitute. That man was Ollie Watkins.

"I was wondering when the changes were going to happen. The changes were right and they were perfect.

"At times, yes Gareth Southgate has been criticised.

"But, in that first half tonight I thought it was magnificent, it was more like what we wanted — he deserves all the credit."

He won't accept it, but there is something he should take credit for if nothing else — England has shown extraordinary resilience in this tournament: scoring in the final seconds to save the game against Slovakia, scoring five-nerveless penalties to overcome Switzerland and then coming from behind against the Netherlands.

After all, if England is to go on and win the tournament — and that's a big if given how well Spain has played — will anyone remember how poorly the team performed in the group stages?

"This is what we came here to do," Southgate told the BBC.

"We have been building for two years.

"We have got to enjoy tonight, but equally it is such a quick turn around and we have a day less than the team who have been the best in the tournament."

Would you bet against them doing it again?