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‘If I were him I couldn’t deliver this team… he just has to find a way to affect games in big moments’: Rio Ferdinand thinks Gareth Southgate WILL STAY but urges England manager to do more with his substitutes and tactics
Rio Ferdinand believes he ‘couldn’t deliver this England team’ as speculation mounts over Gareth Southgate’s future as manager of the Three Lions.
England sat out the 2022 World Cup on Saturday night following a 2-1 quarter-final loss to France, after which Ferdinand criticized Southgate’s tactics, claiming it wasn’t the right thing to do. sufficiently “proactive” in his substitutions.
He has since doubled down on those claims, but also admitted that while Southgate has yet to show us a moment of tactical brilliance, Ferdinand himself would have a hard time walking away from such a talented and promising group of players.
Rio Ferdinand has claimed Gareth Southgate (pictured) should remain as England boss
“If I were him, I couldn’t deliver this equipment,” he told the BBC. ‘You have to remember when he came to work that England used to wait. Now he has the country expectant.
“He and his staff have created a great environment for young players, this group of players is ready to win things, ready to do something meaningful.”
“I just think he has to find a way to affect the games in the big moments. In the knockout stages against the top teams, they have yet to show us that they can influence play with a moment of tactical brilliance or a substitution.
He was more reactive in those quarterfinals than proactive.
More to follow…