‘I hope he stays’: Rice and Maguire back Gareth Southgate to stay with England | England

[ad_1]

Gareth Southgate has been supported to continue coaching England by Declan Rice and Harry Maguire, as the team tried to look forward after the 2-1 World Cup quarter-final defeat by France.

The feeling in the dressing room was that England were the better team and deserved to go through to the semi-final against Morocco but the crucial moments went against them – Harry Kane clearly missing an 84th-minute penalty to make the score 2-2.

Southgate’s future is unclear after just over six years in the job, despite him being on contract until December 2024. He intends to take stock over the coming days before deciding whether to continue.

Qatar Quick Guide: Beyond Football

This is a World Cup like no other. For the past 12 years, the Guardian has been reporting on the issues surrounding Qatar 2022, from corruption and human rights abuses to the treatment of migrant workers and discriminatory laws. The best of our journalism is collected on the Qatar: Beyond Football homepage for those who want to dig deeper into issues beyond the pitch.

Guardian reporting goes beyond what happens on the pitch. Support our investigative journalism today.

Photography: Caspar Benson

Thank you for your feedback.

“I hope he stays,” said Rice. “Obviously I don’t know. There’s a lot of talk about that. It’s been great for us. There’s a lot of criticism it doesn’t deserve. It’s taken us so far. Farther than people can expect.

He got everything back instantly [against France]. It is not at all. We played the right way. I really hope he stays because the core group we have and what he’s made for us – it’s so special to be a part of. I love playing under him and I love playing for England.”

The Football Association remains firmly behind Southgate. The chief executive, Mark Bullingham, issued a statement on Sunday morning, praising Southgate and his assistant, Steve Holland, for preparing the team “very well throughout the tournament”. It was a young team, Bullingham explained, which indicated that the future was bright.

“We are incredibly proud of Gareth, the players, coaches and support team and appreciate all the hard work they have put in,” Bullingham said.

Maguire prepared for the subject. The centre-back has always felt Southgate’s support, particularly over the past 18 months or so when he has struggled for form.

“Gareth has been great with myself,” said Maguire. “Wonderful with every player. I’m sure if you asked every player… they wouldn’t be able to speak highly enough of him. The man’s management of him. The way this team has been built and developed over a period of time. He handles everything so well.” “Really and tactically he gets all the big decisions right. He’s proven that again in this tournament.”

Rice added, “I think sometimes the negativity around us will go away once we win something again… There will always be this pressure on us. But I feel like it’s starting to swing that way; we get back to the level where people believe in us and the country supports us.”

Maguire described the dressing room scene as desolate after the match, heavy on introspection. “It was very quiet,” he said. “A lot of lads sat there, thinking disappointedly. Gareth said a few words, Steve Holland said a few words and that was it really. Gareth mentioned how proud he was of us.

Subscribe to Football Daily

Start your evening with The Guardian’s look at the world of football

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements, and content funded by third parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website, and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Photo: Mark Atkins/Getty Images

“It’s the biggest disappointment I’ve felt and that’s because we thought we were going to win the championship. It’s the first tournament I’ve come to where it wasn’t good for us to lose in the semi-finals or the final. It’s good in the long run that the mentality changes in the group. This team is really talented and you will be There are other opportunities for them and for us.”

Rice said England had “controlled the game”, confining France to a few clear chances. “In my opinion, the better team lost, and this shows how far we have progressed,” he said.

Maguire said: “We created the most chances, had the most pressure and controlled the ball. It’s about the big moments in the big times. We didn’t take ours, they took theirs. They are world champions for a reason. The reason is because they’re clinical, they’re ruthless, they have experience.”

“I know we lost but this is probably our best performance against a top team. I feel like France will go on to lift the trophy. And if we’re being completely honest we were a lot better than them in many areas. The only thing I would say about this group of lads, which has been Proving it again, is that we belong to this stage now.”

[ad_2]