England under Gareth Southgate: rampant individualism and a saviour complex

The expressions of Harry Kane and Gareth Southgate after the 0-0 draw against Slovenia sum up the mood in the England camp.The expressions of Harry Kane and Gareth Southgate after the 0-0 draw against Slovenia sum up the mood in the England camp.

On German television the language may have been a little more temperate, but the message was broadly similar. “No matter who they play against, they are gone,” the former Germany midfielder Christoph Kramer said. Per Mertesacker agreed: “The English have a bit of a problem with their identity at the moment. Southgate is only concentrating on himself and his ideas.

So what do English fans love? Let’s assume that goals and chances are universal stimulants. What specifically gets an English crowd roaring? We love last-ditch sliding tackles that put the ball out for a throw. We love wingers going around the outside and winning corners . We love the feeling of freedom and possibility when a good dribbler breaks into wide open space at throttling pace.

You have talented young players such as Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon sitting on the bench because Southgate can’t bear a whole week of having to explain why he subbed off Bellingham or Kane. Because, ultimately, the defining characteristics of this team – and perhaps the closest thing English football has to a genuinely organic identity – are the same traits that define England as a country: rampant individualism and an incurable saviour complex.

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