Even if Southgate doesn't want to continue, the FA should offer him a consultancy role working on player and coach development.
Five things about Gareth Southgate’s management that salute his quiet leadership qualities.
1.Berlin or Bust. When England went out of Qatar at the quarter-final stage, the pressure was on Southgate to reach the final of the 2024 European Championship on July 14. The quality of players he had at his disposal demanded that, a point made publicly by ex-internationals and privately by certain club managers. And Southgate’s done it. He’s got to Berlin. It’s been a classic Autobahn journey, always the risk of being overtaken by others and the danger of being run off the road if you don’t concentrate at critical junctions, but Southgate’s made it. His determination is formidable. He’s tougher than advertised. Intense scrutiny of his in-game management was understandable but it’s undeniably improved, as seen in his changes in advance for the penalties against the Swiss and inspired subs against the Dutch, and all that really matters is the destination as much as the bumps on the journey. He’s in Berlin.
2. Seeing a problem and fixing it. 1) Penalties. The process of addressing England’s chronic flaw from 12 yards was already underway when Southgate became manager in 2016 but he has fine-tuned the recovery programme. It’s a scientific process, like putting the best available takers at pens 1 and 4 (Palmer and Toney v Swiss) and all the data on the opponents. It’s also an emotional process, and Southgate is exceptional at the human side of management. England’s process encourages the buddy system so each penalty-taker, and the keeper, has a dedicated ally for the shootout (a calming presence and being met on walk back to centre-circle etc). And 2) long-term planning. Southgate is fortunate to have a remarkable reservoir of talent to call upon yet he is partly responsible for that. His appointment in 2011 as FA’s head of elite development helped the campaign for more technical football with more appropriate smaller-sided games at younger level. Southgate had seen the deficiencies, mentioned it during his ITV punditry days, and acted on it when given power by the FA with Sir Trevor Brooking. It was the velvet-touch revolution. This often gets missed in reflections on Southgate’s impact but is an essential part of his legacy.