Gareth Southgate has been in charge of England since 2016 and has led them to two of their three major tournament finals in history; the 53-year-old is under contract until December; Southgate ahead of Euro 2024 final: “Emotionally, it would be impossible for me to make a logical decision”
By Rob Dorsett and Dan Long
Gareth Southgate says it would be “impossible” to make a logical decision on his future as England manager before the Euro 2024 final.
The Three Lions face Spain in Berlin on Sunday in their second European Championship final in a row and only the third major tournament final in the country’s history.
Southgate is under contract until December and his future beyond this summer has been the topic of much speculation.
Speaking to a select group of reporters – including Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett – on Friday, he was asked how difficult it would be to walk away from the job he has held for the past eight years.
“Emotionally, it would be impossible for me to make a logical decision at the moment on any of that because my sole focus for two years has been winning this tournament,” he said.
“The last five or six weeks have been an absolute rollercoaster, so I don’t actually know where I am with anything other than being very focused on preparing the team for this game.
“I’m determined to keep leading them in the way I have over the last month.
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“I definitely took the job to try and help English football improve. I know what it would mean, not only to the general public in England, but particularly people involved in English football, from those that develop young players to those that run clubs; every level of the game, really.
“We’ve improved the credibility of English football in how it’s perceived around the world but, ultimately, until you win that trophy then there will always be those questions both abroad and at home about what we’ve done.”
Southgate: I’m not thinking about the pressure
The country will come to a standstill when the final begins at 8pm on Sunday, but the England boss says that is not something he will be focusing on in the lead-up.
“You’re aware of it, of course, but it’s not what you think about going into the game,” he said.
Watch the best bits from Gareth Southgate’s press conference after England defeated Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final
“We’ve got to keep a professional focus, a bit of a detachment from the enormity of the occasion, if you like, because it would be easy to be overwhelmed by that.
“But actually, when you break it down into the bits you’re in control of, the bits you have to affect and the bits you have to focus on, it’s a much simpler task.
“We have to make sure we manage emotions well because in big matches, you might not have to perform at a level you’ve never been at before.
“To be able to perform at your best in big matches is often an achievement; a lot of people are inhibited in them. We’ve got to make sure we’re well prepared.
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“The team are improving, they are growing in confidence, they’ve definitely grown in resilience and belief from the experiences they’ve been through in this tournament.
“We needed to win the last one and we didn’t. In the end, what I do know is how we’ll be viewed by others will be determined by the result on Sunday.
“I understand the demands of the job and my job has been to guide this group of players, group of staff through a complicated tournament, one in which we’ve held our nerve, held belief and during which we’ve improved and learned as a team.
“Everything else, on a personal level, is irrelevant. We’re in a final and we want to go that step further than we went three years ago.”