Richards Keys rubs salt in Gareth Southgate's wounds with brutal rant on England exit
Gareth Southgate has opted to walk away from the England job after eight years but Richard Keys believes he stayed too long and delivered a damning assessment
Richard Keys believes Gareth Southgate should've left after the last World Cup as he accused him of "wasting" two opportunities at winning the Euros.
The England boss has decided to call time on his eight-year stint following Sunday's defeat in the final of Euro 2024. It was another near miss for the Three Lions who, despite a resurgence under Southgate, are still to deliver the major tournament they so crave.
Southgate's record reads semi-final, final, quarter-final and final across his four tournaments. Keys though thinks that the former Middlesbrough player should've walked after the reverse to France in Qatar just under two years ago.
Southgate opted to stay, a decision firmly back by the FA, and was within 90 minutes of delivering Euros glory, only for Spain to break English hearts. The Three Lions have landed on another generation of quality players - who Keys believes have been wasted as he called for Jurgen Klopp to be pursued.
He said on social media: "Southgate should’ve gone after the World Cup. He wasted two gilt-edged shots at Euros. Wembley was set up to win. Now we need someone to put fire into the bellies of these ‘nice’ players. Not a clone. Get Klopp. He’s the best out there."
Klopp has recently left Liverpool and has underlined his want to spend some time away from the game. He's given no guarantee he'll return to management but is likely to receive a raft of offers. Only twice have England appointed a non-English manager.
Southgate, for all his brilliance, has been accused of lacking the ability to impact games. His man management has been praised and he's changed the perception and the culture of the national team for the better.
However critics claim the ex-England boss hasn't been pro-active enough during the big games, especially when his team have led. In two defining games - the 2018 semi-final with Croatia and the 2021 final against Italy - the Three Lions went 1-0 up but struggled to press home their advantage with Keys labelling Southgate as 'Safegate'.
He recently wrote in his blog : "In general, I thought Safegate was slow to make changes and although Palmer and Watkins won the Netherlands game, who wouldn’t have brought them on? Most coaches would’ve done, but perhaps a lot sooner. Safegate was always re-acting not acting."
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
