Southgate in a 'Happier' Place Shut Off from Criticism

Southgate is avoiding media coverage during Euro 2024 to maintain a happier state of mind.

Gareth Southgate, the England manager, has declared he will ignore media coverage during Euro 2024. Despite his team’s winning start, a 1-0 victory over Serbia, Southgate is under intense scrutiny for not fully utilizing England’s attacking talent.

In their opening match, Jude Bellingham shone with the only goal in Gelsenkirchen, while Phil Foden and Harry Kane struggled to make an impact, This lackluster performance drew criticism despite England being one of the pre-tournament favorites.

“My world is a happier place if I shut myself off,” Southgate said at his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Denmark on Thursday. “It’s not good from a global perspective because I haven’t got a clue about politics or world events, but for the next month, that’s going to be a better place for me.”

Under Southgate’s leadership, England has seen a resurgence, reaching a final, semi-final, and quarter-final in his three attempts at major tournaments. However, this success has not insulated him from criticism, especially given the wealth of talent at his disposal.

Southgate admitted there should be more joy in leading his country. “We’ve had some good results over the years, so maybe even we take wins for granted. I should let the boys enjoy it more than they do,” he added. 

“I get about 45 seconds of enjoyment. The whistle blows, I cuddle everybody, walk off the pitch and that’s about it. I hope they have a little bit longer than me! There should be more joy in it, but that’s not my reality if I’m frank. My focus is to get qualified from the group, two tough opponents and two games to achieve that.”

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker also expressed his desire to shut out external noise, except for his mother’s opinion. 

“I don’t read it at all,” Walker said. “If you have outside noise, positively or negatively, it can have an impact, so I’d rather not see it and concentrate on what’s in camp, what the gaffer says, and mainly what my mum says. She always tells me if I’ve had a good game.”

A victory over Denmark in Frankfurt will secure England’s place in the last 16 with a game to spare. Luke Shaw remains the only player unavailable to Southgate as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury. 

The Manchester United left-back has not played for club or country since February, but Southgate is confident Shaw will contribute later in the tournament.

“Luke won’t be involved tomorrow. He is actually on track for where he was originally. He needs a bit more volume work. There are days he needs to do more than the rest of the group and other days he needs to recover,” Southgate concluded.