Who Will Be the Next Manager for England’s National Team? - The Candidates

In order of betting favourites to become the new manager for England are:

1. Eddie Howe

2. Graham Potter

3. Lee Carsley

4. Mauricio Pochettino

5. Jurgen Klopp

We're going to be looking at the three front runners for this job. Now, before examining the potential new coaches. It's best to have a look at how England have been playing under Southgate.

This was a common line-up for the majority of Euros 2024, only missing Guehi because of suspension. An out of position Tripper playing left back, with Foden on his weaker side down the left. It doesn't take a hardcore City fan to know that Phil Foden is unable to produce his usual quality when down the left.

Southgate didn't agree with this, so he played him the entire tournament instead of giving Gordon or Palmer a chance. Outside of his stubborn team selection, he opted to have England play a style based on defensive solidarity, ball retention, and going for quality over quantity with goal attempts. The first issue is your players aren't following those tactics. Pickford launched the ball and lost possession the entire tournament. This team has plenty of players that know how to build from the back, except Pickford, the number one keeper last year for launched goal kicks. Consistently through Euros 2024 you can see Stones calling for the ball, and Pickford ignoring him. So, it can't all be Southgate's fault, but why is someone who's ruining the entire strategy of ball retention not being benched?

Playing with a deep defensive line and selecting a litany of possession-preference players for his team shows his plan is to dominate possession and meticulously place the ball into the opposition net, and then sit back for a 1-0 win. However, they struggle to do so because their pressing is poor. Kane himself said "we are not sure how to get the pressure on". This forces them to drop back and invite the opposition to attack. Because of their solid defence they're able to consistently win the ball back, but Foden, Bellingham, Kane, and Saka, all want it played to their feet. None of these players prefer to make runs in behind, counter attacking is off the table, and they usually resort to launching it into Kane hoping he'll win the duel. Speaking of Kane, he has limited synergy with Saka and Foden. He typically likes to drop back and find a pass for wingers to get onto, but again, all these players want the ball played to feet. At Spurs alongside Son Heung-Min, he had the option to threaten those types of passes when he wasn't able to score himself. With England, he can't do that.

Looking at Southgate England, it's hard to deduct what he truly wanted from his team when his line-ups were counter intuitive. The most interesting moments of their matches was when someone went off-script and looked like a real player once again. Mainoo dribbling the ball up the field, Toney coming on for a 1 minute cameo to end up having a great showing, and Palmer having shots from wherever he feels like.

Eddie Howe

Much like Southgate, the previous Newcastle boss Steve Bruce loved defending as a deep 5-3-2. Howe immediately switched them to a 4-5-1 with an emphasis on high pressing. This leads to quick attacks where players will make runs in behind to take advantage of the opposition not being defensively setup. Unlike Southgate, Howe isn't focused on ball retention. Tripper didn't offer much this tournament, but for Newcastle is a key player. His overlaps and set pieces were instrumental for Newcastle, being joint 3rd for assists and number 1 on chances created by a RB. England under Howe could see an unlocked Trippier and Gordon, high tempo football, and a team not scared to shoot.

Graham Potter

This is a manager that used a fluid formation at Brighton, opting to play a 4-4-2 out of possession, and 5-3-2 in it. They attack in blocks with five in the front and five in the back. Potter loves to create a square in midfield with the fullbacks overloading the wings. There are similarities with Southgate in his focus on ball retention and formation, though his Brighton side would press more effectively and Potter likes fluidity. Another differentiating factor is Potter's penchant for adapting to an opponent. Some were left frustrated, namely Ivan Toney, by Southgate's reluctance to make changes. Potter carved out a name for himself at Östersunds, highlighting his attention to detail which allowed him to tactically outmanoeuvre the opposition. However, whilst he did prove himself to be a fantastic manager of underdog teams, he didn't get the results he wanted at Chelsea. England would be only the second time he's managed a team that is expected to win.

Lee Carsley

Ex-Everton player Carsley is one of the least known managers in the race but follows a similar path as Southgate. England U21s last year beat Spain in the final of the Euros. The result by itself may look impressive but they didn't just win, they won in style. His team some times lines-up as a 4-4-2, though, you would never guess that by watching them play. The wingers drift centrally, the strikers drift wide and drop back, and the full backs push up high and sometimes make inverted runs. Whilst this may sound like chaos, it works. This is a change that de la Fuente made against England in the second half, causing Saka and Walker issues as they were being caught out by the movement of the Spanish players.

Southgate has his problems as manager, yet he managed to get to two finals, so it could be worse. Each of the potential replacements may have their upsides but what are the chances they can go even further and win England a major trophy. These three managers have their own style and strengths, the next time we see them at the World Cup it could be a completely different team, for better or for worse.