Definitely, says Teddy Sheringham.
“The criticism has been very harsh on Gareth. He has his way of management and I think he's doing very, very well. It hasn't been free-flowing football but I thought we played very well in the first half against the Netherlands when we needed to get back into the game. Our two most productive players, Bellingham and Foden, caused a lot of problems,” the former Manchester United and Spurs striker says when talking to Tribalfootball on behalf of Online Poker.
Should England bring home the trophy on Sunday night, you might forgive Southgate for flicking a few v-signs in the faces of those who threw cups at him after the Slovenia game, but Sheringham knows him as too decent a man to do that.
“It's just ridiculing Gareth on everything he does. But that's where we're at in the world at the moment. I would say it has changed him. The football is not quite as good as it was under Terry Venables, but he has his way. He's a defensive man by nature. He organises the defensive side first and then tries to be proactive after that,” Sheringham continues on the England side who’s now gone behind in three knockout-games on the bounce and still managed to get through. The cojones on these boys might be as big as Jude Bellingham suggested?
“Yeah, there’s a lot of resilience. The drive and the passion is a big thing. You could see against the Netherlands, even when we went 1-0 down, Trippier just telling everybody to calm down and just keep plugging away. I felt the game changed as soon as the Dutch scored. We came alive and pressed with a little bit more tenacity and looked good. They have a resilience in them and that comes from the manager.”
Watkins as surprised as anyone
Scoring the winner in added time, Ollie Watkins had no qualms afterwards telling how frustrated he’d been with the little game time he’s received during the Euros but Sheringham believes Southgate played just the right hand at the right time.
“You could quite easily have put Ivan Toney on because he's done so well when he's come in. But Southgate’s obviously looked and seen that Olly Watkins runs in behind a little bit more than Kane and Toney and thought, ‘that's what we need’. Even if he hadn't scored, just making that little run in behind the defence stretches opponents sometimes.
“I think he was as surprised as anyone to see the ball fly in at the far corner. It could easily have hit the defender’s leg right in front of him and spun out for a corner but that's the beauty of being the striker; you're the villain and the next minute you are a major hero,” says the man who scored two goals when England beat Netherlands in Euro ’96.
Captain Kane should play
Watkins came on for Harry Kane whose performances has come under scrutiny for not being anywhere near his best. Nevertheless, he’s now joint topscorer in the tournament and Sheringham believes he belongs in the starting line-up for the final.
“He does things that the average person doesn't see. He hasn't been as mobile as normal; he can do that little running behind that Watkins does, but he looks a little heavy-legged. But he's still got his leadership qualities. When he gets the ball 20, 30, or even 40 yards out, you immediately think, ‘go on, have a go”’, because he can unleash shots.”
For the final, Sheringham expects an open game when England will attempt to not let another trophy slip after losing to Italy in 2021.
“Spain like to attack very, very quickly. They've got their two wingers who are very lively. I love Rodri in midfield. They're a machine at the moment, but they're not unbeatable. I think Gareth will let our players know that it's a tough game, but we want to go out there and try and win it and not just stay in the game.
“When you look at Spain’s centre-halves, they're not overly aggressive or dominant and England could exploit that. If we can get the ball into Bellingham and (Phil) Foden with their little runs, Kyle Walker going around the outside as well and should Luke Shaw start the game it will give us another potent force down the left-hand side as well. We've got to go for it and not be scared of what Spain can do to us.”