England National Team – CaughtOffside

Video: Man City’s Pep Guardiola refuses to rule out taking the England job

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 09:00:46 +0000

Ahead of Man City’s pre-season tour, Pep Guardiola was asked about rumours connecting him with the England job.

With Gareth Southgate having resigned after England’s Euro 2024 final loss against Spain, the Football Association have to get the next appointment spot on.

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It’s easy to understand why Guardiola would be the choice of many, and whilst he intimated that he was happy at City and looking forward to the new season, he didn’t specifically rule out taking the England job in the future.

?? "I'm really happy here"

Pep Guardiola insists he is only focused on Manchester City after being linked with the vacant England manager role ?? pic.twitter.com/o24zlUagGS

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 23, 2024

Pictures from Sky Sports News

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“Phenomenal” Eddie Howe’s comments blind side Newcastle board as England rumours continue

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 07:51:21 +0000

It’s only been a short while since Gareth Southgate resigned from the England job, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation that Newcastle United manager, Eddie Howe, would be the perfect replacement.

That neatly bypasses the fact that there’s a due diligence process that needs to be gone through by the Football Association in the first instance, and that the Magpies board would almost certainly turn down any FA request to speak to Howe.

Newcastle hold clear-the-air talks with Eddie Howe

Given how brilliantly Howe’s teams play football, and his tactical understanding of the game, it’s no real surprise that the FA would want to at least test the waters and see where the land lies.

Recent comments attributed to the Newcastle manager have, apparently, pushed the club’s board into clear-the-air talks with Howe, according to The Telegraph (subscription required).

Eddie Howe has been heavily linked with the England job.

There has to be a degree of worry for those talks to have been initiated, and indeed, the outlet detail Newcastle’s CEO, Darren Eales, describing Howe as “phenomenal,” which clearly evidences the esteem which the 46-year-old is held in by the St. James’ Park hierarchy.

It seems that comments Howe has made to the media about being happy if he continues to be supported in doing his work as he has been to this point is what has blindsided the Newcastle board.

Though the manager hasn’t explicitly said he would take the England job, there was enough in his statements to hint at it being a possibility if the direction that Newcastle were taking took some of Howe’s power away.

Paul Mitchell having replaced Dan Ashworth as sporting director should arguably be a seamless transition, however, if the new man wants more say in transfer dealings, thereby weakening Howe’s position, that is just one area of contention that could see the latter walk in due course.

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England encouraged to appoint Pep Guardiola following Gareth Southgate’s exit

Ahad Shaukat — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 11:27:18 +0000

Following the conclusion of Euro 2024, Gareth Southgate quit as the manager of the England team.

Southgate had guided the Three Lions to two finals of the Euros and a World Cup semifinal.

However, he was unfortunate to end England’s trophy drought on all occasions.

With the FA now planning for the future, they have reportedly identified Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Eddie Howe as the managers to replace Southgate.

The name of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has also been linked with the England job as the Spaniard is nearing the end of his contract at the Etihad Stadium.

According to former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas, the Three Lions should be hopeful about appointing the six-time Premier League winning manager.

He told Mirror Football:

“Pep’s the number one candidate in my mind because he’s Catalan. He’s not going to manage Spain, I wouldn’t have thought.

Pep Guardiola is being linked with the England job.

England need a manager like Pep Guardiola

He is an attack minded manager and that is the approach that the Three Lions need in order to fully reach the potential of the talented players available in the squad.

Despite his fine performances, it is widely believed that Southgate had a conservative approach that held the team from playing attacking football.

Guardiola has the experience in the game, he has what it takes to improve the level of young players and with the likes of Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and others at his disposal, he would love the opportunity to manage them and help them reach their true potential.

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England Euro 2024 star faces marital trouble after wife’s absence at tournament and cryptic social media post

Mehdi Gokal — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 20:55:48 +0000

Newcastle and England defender Kieran Trippier is currently facing personal challenges amid reports of marital troubles.

Trippier and his wife, Charlotte, have recently put their £3.8 million home on the market, fueling speculation about the state of their marriage.

Charlotte, an interior designer, chose not to accompany Trippier to Germany for the recently concluded Euro 2024 tournament.

As per The Sun, during the group stages, she posted a cryptic message on social media, stating: “Sooner or later you get over the s*** you swore you’d never get over and it’s the best feeling in the world.”

The couple, who married in Cyprus in June 2016, share two children—a son born in 2016 and a daughter born in 2019.

Despite their family life, recent events have brought their relationship under scrutiny.

In May last year, Trippier was seen celebrating European qualification with his teammates and was filmed lifting a blonde woman during a party.

This incident took place while Charlotte was on holiday in Spain, raising further questions about the stability of their relationship.

Trippier’s marriage not the only thing uncertain as Newcastle contract nears end

On the pitch, Trippier was a key part of England’s team in the Euro 2024 which reached the finals. He started every game except the final, where the team narrowly lost 2-1 to Spain.

His current future at Newcastle remains uncertain, with the player in his final year of his current contract.

There have been no fresh talks regarding a new contract. It remains to be seen whether the club will offer him a new deal, or cash in on him this summer to avoid letting him go on a free next summer.

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Harry Redknapp names two Premier League icons as ideal candidates for England job

Mehdi Gokal — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 17:52:16 +0000

The vacancy for the England manager’s job is attracting significant interest from high-profile names following Gareth Southgate’s resignation after the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.

This marked the second consecutive heartbreak for Southgate, who previously lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

Despite leading England to the finals, Southgate faced criticism for his tactics and inability to maximise the potential of one of the country’s most talented generations.

Harry Redknapp backs Gerrard and Lampard for the England job

Several names have emerged as potential replacements, including Graham Potter, Eddie Howe, and Mauricio Pochettino.

However, former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has suggested two less conventional choices: Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

Writing in his column for The Sun, Redknapp acknowledged that his picks might be unpopular and unlikely to receive serious consideration from the FA.

“I doubt there are many who’d agree with me either when I say the FA should look no further than Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard for the next Three Lions boss,” he wrote. “Either of them could do the job standing on their head, yet probably neither will get so much as a phone call.”

Redknapp defended his choices by highlighting Lampard and Gerrard’s past successes.

Lampard reached an FA Cup final and secured a fourth-place Premier League finish in his first season with Chelsea, while Gerrard led Rangers to their first Scottish league title in a decade, finishing the season unbeaten.

“Forgetting that Frank reached an FA Cup final and finished fourth in his first spell at Chelsea. There’s every chance they’ll gloss over Stevie’s time at Rangers, despite their first title win in a decade — unbeaten as well,” Redknapp argued.

Next manager needs to get the best out of the golden generation

Both Lampard and Gerrard were key members of England’s so-called “golden generation,” which failed to achieve significant success on the international stage.

With the current England squad hailed as another golden generation, the FA faces the critical task of appointing a manager who can harness this talent effectively and lead the team to glory.

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Eddie Howe insists he’ll stay at Newcastle on one condition amid England links

CJ — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 18:48:57 +0000

Eddie Howe has insisted he’ll remain ‘very committed’ to the Newcastle job as long as he feels ‘happy and supported’ by the club.

Howe has been heavily linked with the vacant England post after Gareth Southgate stepped down following Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

Many bookmakers have made Howe the favourite. However, Newcastle CEO Darren Eales reiterated the club’s desire to keep him at St. James’ Park earlier this week.

“We’re obviously committed to him,” Eales said (via BBC Sport). “He had a multi-year extension last summer and we’re on an exciting journey. As far as we’re concerned, Eddie is the man to lead us on that.”

Howe addresses England links

Eddie Howe has been heavily linked with the England job.

Despite Eales’ insistence that Howe is going nowhere, that hasn’t stopped reporters grilling the manager himself on the England links, nor has it done much to shorten his odds of taking the job.

But for Howe himself, he has stated clearly that he is enjoying life on Tyneside and that as long as he continues to be backed by Newcastle United, he’s going nowhere.

“It is an unbelievable football club. I’m very, very proud to be the manager,” Howe told BBC Radio Newcastle from the Magpies’ pre-season training camp in Germany.

“I love the supporters, I love the players, I love the staff. So really, there has been no thought in my mind on anything else and I have been very committed to the job here.

“For me, as long as I am happy and feel supported and feel free to do the work that I love to do at Newcastle, I’ll be very happy – and I am very happy.”

As Eales mentioned, Howe only signed a long-term contract extension last summer after guiding Newcastle to the EFL Cup final and Champions League qualification.

The Magpies regressed somewhat in 2023/24, slipping to seventh in the Premier League table and missing out on European qualification altogether.

However, a spate of injuries throughout the campaign didn’t help and Howe is very much still seen as the man to lead the club forward. The 46-year-old expects to be in the dugout come the opening day of the 2024/25 Premier League season.

“Of course that is my expectation because I am the manager of Newcastle and I am very proud to be,” he responded when asked if he anticipates still being at St. James’ Park for the start of the upcoming campaign.

“But as I said, it is all about the environment I am working in. As long as that is one where I feel I can give my best, then absolutely, we will crack on and I am looking forward to next season.”

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Collymore: England have a massive inferiority complex that’s stopping them winning tournaments

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:39:37 +0000

When England qualified for the final of Euro 2024, given the way in which they’d play to reach the showpiece, there was enough of a reason for supporters to believe that the Three Lions had their name on the cup.

Gareth Southgate’s side were far from their best throughout the tournament, and yet somehow dragged themselves to Berlin where they’d eventually be undone by a brilliant Spain side.

England did have their moments, but Stan Collymore believes their failure to get over the line in major tournaments is down to a massive inferiority complex that they have.

England’s inferiority complex is continuing to hurt them

“It’s always been the same for England for over 50 years. I think that there is this feeling of inferiority at international level because of our record and because of the hype. “It’s coming home, 60 years of hurt….,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“People say that English players play well at their clubs because they’ve got foreigners around. That’s rubbish. Phil Foden’s performances and Jude Bellingham’s performances were because of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, not because they have foreigners around them. Likewise, Harry Kane.

“I can certainly say, thanks to my own brief foray with England, that you feel that you have to play this mythical thing called international football that is more cerebral, that is more intelligent, so you end up doing things you normally wouldn’t, and that’s where the passing along the back comes from.

England have a massive inferiority complex says Stan Collymore

“[…] I think we’ve got to have a look at what are the hallmarks of English football. One is tempo, two is intensity, three is aggression, and four is attacking, and I think we actually need to have those as cornerstones.

“A lot of the guys that play for England now, they have seen the Barcelona of 2011 and the Spanish sides of 2008-2012, and gone “we need to keep possession and slow the tempo,” but that’s the antithesis of what the very best of English football is about.

“If you want proof, every time that we went behind in the Euros, we upped the tempo, upped the aggression and got back in the game.”

Although one never had a feeling that England were a team that sometimes played like a ‘frightened rabbit in the headlights,’ there was very much a feeling, particularly against Spain, that the Three Lions were always going for the safety first option.

That things were a little cagey and no one really wanted to put their head above the parapet and grab the game by the scruff of the neck like the Turkish or Georgian sides were doing in their games, for example.

If England are consistently making it to the business end of tournaments, then the players need to puff out their chests and play brave, front foot, attacking football.

They deserve to be in such esteemed company, so it’s about time that English football and England footballers believed it.

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Exclusive: England should consider a female coach to replace Southgate but Lee Carsley is the FA’s man

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:20:26 +0000

It’s not unfair to suggest that the England national team are in a much better place now than when Gareth Southgate took over, even if the Three Lions failed at the final hurdle again in an international tournament.

There’s a real togetherness about the group which can be seen in the fighting spirit when they’ve gone behind, and after games too. Southgate exudes a genuine warmth which has been reciprocated.

Now that he’s gone, attention will turn to who will be handed the task of bringing success to the England team, ideally as soon as World Cup 2026.

It’s a tall order, but Stan Collymore believes he knows the route that the FA will go down.

Lee Carsley will be the FA’s man for the England job says Collymore

“Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman should definitely be in the conversation to be the new England men’s first-team manager because they’re successful football managers in their own right, they know the FA system and the inner workings of it,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“The reasons that they won’t be are because I think there will be a feeling inside the Football Association that ‘we’ve got the best group of players ever, and we don’t need experiments.’

“How will a group of men react to a woman manager? Would they subconsciously think ‘no she can’t do the job, she’s only managed Chelsea Women’ for example, and that’s the reality.

Sarina Wiegman should be in the conversation to take over the England men’s job from Gareth Southgate according to Stan Collymore

“Only one step above that would be Lee Carsley and I’ve got a sneaky feeling it’s going to be him. Why?

“The FA’s St George’s Park system was designed to produce players and coaches for the elite level, and with Lee Carsley, they’ve done that from scratch. They’ve invested a lot of money in him to get to this point, and his England U21 team is, pound for pound, the best England team that I’ve ever seen.”

There’s also a cogent argument Collymore details elsewhere in his column which suggests that Carsley would be an underwhelming appointment because he isn’t the big name that supporters want.

Of course, there’s no guarantee of success even if the FA were to land a Pep Guardiola, for instance. After all, Fabio Capello came incredibly highly rated, and look how that turned out.

From an England perspective, whoever is eventually given the keys to the door has to hit the ground running and continue the good work that Southgate has started.

If they don’t, the Three Lions could be stuck back in the international wilderness for years.

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Collymore: Kane needed rest and Bellingham was too keen at Euro 2024

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:02:19 +0000

So near and yet so far. The usual story for England at international tournaments.

Whilst the Three Lions have come the closest they ever have to adding to their 1966 World Cup win under Gareth Southgate’s stewardship, the plain fact of the matter is that the national team still haven’t got over the line.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were particularly underwhelming, and when you consider the calibre of player that has pulled on the shirt over the years, that’s nothing less than a disgrace.

But how can it be changed?

Kane and Bellingham were disappointing for England

Stan Collymore believes it’s time that the big names fall in line with the rest of the squad.

“In terms of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham’s individual performances, I’m not so worried about Jude because I think that this was his first tournament on the back of the elation of winning La Liga and the Champions League and being the best player for Real Madrid,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“I think that he came flying out of the blocks in in the first half of the first game at the Euros, but then the drop off in the second half of the first game was was noticeable. He’s got to manage his minutes, his emotional state and his physical state much better.

“Harry had an excuse of already playing year in and year out, whether it be for club or country, in the Premier League, Bundesliga, at World Cups, pre and post-season tournaments, and I think he was genuinely knackered.

“We’ve had this sort of problem before of course, going right the way back to Jimmy Greaves. He got injured before the World Cup in 66, Geoff Hurst comes in and scores a hat-trick in the final, and then stays in the side forever. It happened with Gary Lineker too, and Alan Shearer.

“We had at least 10 strikers waiting to step into Shearer’s shoes at international level, but no one could get a look in even when he went 12 England games without scoring, which would be unthinkable now for any striker.

“From my perspective, I’d like to think that the next coach would look at Harry Kane and say, ‘ok, you’re the number nine, you’ve scored a load of goals over the last decade, but if you’re not doing the business, we’re going to take you off at 60 minutes’ etc.

“Gareth Southgate, to his credit, has smashed the glass ceiling now, and although subbing Kane or leaving him out entirely could have been done sooner, the precedent has been set.

“In future, no matter the name, if you’re playing poorly, the national team coach has to have the bravery to make those big calls for the good of everyone, including themselves.”

It’s hard to disagree with Collymore’s opinion. If it’s all about winning games and winning tournaments for a manager, than outside pressures need to take a back seat.

Managers do have to be brave in making what might ostensibly be considered as bold decisions, whilst players themselves have a duty to hold their hands up if they’re not at it.

Bellingham’s ‘who else’ statement after putting away that last minute overhead kick came back to bite him later in the tournament, because there were a number of players on the bench that could’ve arguably given more to the cause than the 21-year-old.

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Collymore’s column: England – six out of 10 at Euro 2024, a massive inferiority complex and why Emma Hayes should be manager

Stan Collymore — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 09:33:55 +0000

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including why England were only a six out of 10 at Euro 2024, why big name players must be subbed if they’re not playing well, and why Lee Carsley will be the new England coach despite Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman both deserving to be in the conversation.

—

I’d give England a six out of 10… players such as Kane and Bellingham can’t be above being subbed

I’d give the overall England performance at Euro 2024 a six out of 10, because we got to a final which only two teams can ever do, but the performances to get there, and the side of the draw that we had… I think a six out of 10 is fair enough.

In terms of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham’s individual performances, I’m not so worried about Jude because I think that this was his first tournament on the back of the elation of winning La Liga and the Champions League and being the best player for Real Madrid.

I think that he came flying out of the blocks in in the first half of the first game at the Euros, but then the drop off in the second half of the first game was was noticeable. He’s got to manage his minutes, his emotional state and his physical state much better.

Harry Kane was knackered during Euro 2024

Harry had an excuse of already playing year in and year out, whether it be for club or country, in the Premier League, Bundesliga, at World Cups, pre and post-season tournaments, and I think he was genuinely knackered.

We’ve had this sort of problem before of course, going right the way back to Jimmy Greaves. He got injured before the World Cup in 66, Geoff Hurst comes in and scores a hat-trick in the final, and then stays in the side forever. It happened with Gary Lineker too, and Alan Shearer.

We had at least 10 strikers waiting to step into Shearer’s shoes at international level, but no one could get a look in even when he went 12 England games without scoring, which would be unthinkable now for any striker.

From my perspective, I’d like to think that the next coach would look at Harry Kane and say, ‘ok, you’re the number nine, you’ve scored a load of goals over the last decade, but if you’re not doing the business, we’re going to take you off at 60 minutes’ etc.

Gareth Southgate, to his credit, has smashed the glass ceiling now, and although subbing Kane or leaving him out entirely could have been done sooner, the precedent has been set.

In future, no matter the name, if you’re playing poorly, the national team coach has to have the bravery to make those big calls for the good of everyone, including themselves.

England have a massive inferiority complex

English football has a massive inferiority complex.

It’s always been the same for England for over 50 years. I think that there is this feeling of inferiority at international level because of our record and because of the hype. “It’s coming home, 60 years of hurt….”

People say that English players play well at their clubs because they’ve got foreigners around. That’s boll**ks. Phil Foden’s performances and Jude Bellingham’s performances were because of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, not because they have foreigners around them. Likewise, Harry Kane.

I can certainly say, thanks to my own brief foray with England, that you feel that you have to play this mythical thing called international football that is more cerebral, that is more intelligent, so you end up doing things you normally wouldn’t, and that’s where the passing along the back comes from.

Foden was out-shone by Bellingham in England’s win over Serbia

It’s like you watch the Spanish, you watch the Italians, you watch the great Germans and they all pass it along the back, but English football doesn’t realise that there’s method to the madness. Spain will pop it very quickly into midfield and then their players, already waiting on the half-turn, are off on the run.

The general feeling amongst the English is that international football is some higher form of the game, and it’s not. Georgia proved that. Turkey proved that. You can go out and play in a way that is on the fruitful and exciting side, utilising your assets and getting results beyond your your ranking.

So from that perspective, I think we’ve got to have a look at what are the hallmarks of English football. One is tempo, two is intensity, three is aggression, and four is attacking, and I think we actually need to have those as cornerstones.

A lot of the guys that play for England now, they have seen the Barcelona of 2011 and the Spanish sides of 2008-2012, and gone “we need to keep possession and slow the tempo,” but that’s the antithesis of what the very best of English football is about.

If you want proof, every time that we went behind in the Euros, we upped the tempo, upped the aggression and got back in the game.

There’s a lot of talk about winning tournaments with 60-70% possession, but you can win a tournament with 40% possession. You can win a tournament with equal possession.

Ideally, if you’re Pep Guardiola, you win a tournament with 70-80% possession, and with exciting attacking play, but don’t forget that when Pep gets to sign the players that he wants, they are specific players to do specific jobs in specific areas of the pitch. The England national team is a markedly different proposition.

England should consider a woman to replace Southgate but Carsley will be the FA’s man

Emma Hayes

Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman should definitely be in the conversation to be the new England men’s first-team manager because they’re successful football managers in their own right, they know the FA system and the inner workings of it.

The reasons that they won’t be are because I think there will be a feeling inside the Football Association that ‘we’ve got the best group of players ever, and we don’t need experiments.’

How will a group of men react to a woman manager? Would they subconsciously think ‘no she can’t do the job, she’s only managed Chelsea Women’ for example, and that’s the reality.

Only one step above that would be Lee Carsley and I’ve got a sneaky feeling it’s going to be him. Why?

The FA’s St George’s Park system was designed to produce players and coaches for the elite level, and with Lee Carsley, they’ve done that from scratch. They’ve invested a lot of money in him to get to this point, and his England U21 team is, pound for pound, the best England team that I’ve ever seen.

They’re solid at the back, they pop it around everywhere, and play front foot, attacking, inventive and creative football. So, the FA system is shown to be working.

As importantly, it’s the antithesis of spending £17m on somebody (Pep Guardiola?) to come in at the last minute, grab a group of players and try and get them over the line at a major tournament.

The reality for England fans is that they don’t care that St George’s Park creates players and managers but they should, because all of the other European nations had managers that came through their respective systems. It should matter if we want to be a self sustaining football association.

Lee Carsley is a very good coach but the level of risk is that he’s never managed anybody significant and isn’t the big name – Steven Gerrard/Frank Lampard/Pep Guardiola – that people want to see. ’Lee who?’ some might say, as well as reminding everyone that he played for Ireland. Not very God save the King is it.

So, if the FA are going to appoint Lee Carsley, the England PR machine needs to get him out there. They need to put out an urgent, positively worded, press release, and get him on as many TV and radio shows, and in as many newspaper columns as possible in order to give him a fully rounded personality who England fans can get behind.

If England then spank Finland in their first Nations League game and then beat Greece away, all of a sudden we’re rocking and rolling and you create a personality that can start to walk alongside those aforementioned big names.

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