What next for England? The major questions facing the next Three Lions manager

It’s the end of an era for England as Gareth Southgate has stepped down as head coach – now the search for the next manager begins. 

Whoever steps into the role will have big shoes to fill. While Southgate‘s tactical approach and style of play were often derided, it produced results.

Two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final are not to be sniffed at. His replacement will be expected to better those achievements. In other words, Bring It Home™.

The future boss will be inheriting one of the best squads in the nation’s history. But there are also huge questions to be answered after that same group players largely unimpressed at Euro 2024, despite coming one win away from lifting the trophy.

Five major questions the next England manager has to answer:

Is Harry Kane still England’s best focal point?

Harry Kane may have ended the Euros as the joint-top goal scorer, but the issues around his performance level were evident for all to see.

The Bayern Munich striker struggled his way through the tournament, probably still nursing the back injury he sustained towards the end of the season. Southgate himself admitted that he wasn’t fit enough and played well below expectations.

There’s every chance that Kane regains fitness, recovers from whatever is ailing him, and continue to rack up the goals for England in the future (although his determination to play every game even when he’s injured suggests that’s an optimistic viewpoint).

The bigger problem lies with his positioning. Kane insisted on dropping deep instead of staying high. On multiple occasions he would find himself unable to get into the box during an attack because of this.

England have so many attacking midfielders capable of playing in possession that they did not need another body in that area of the pitch. They really needed someone to occupy opposition defender and get on the end of chances with regularity.

Although Ollie Watkins only got one shot off when he replaced Kane on the hour mark against Spain, he did at least force the defence backwards. They had felt perfectly entitled to push up while Kane was on the field as it meant England provided very little threat on the counter.

No one is going to argue that the Aston Villa forward is a better player, but would he be a more suitable focal point for this team’s attack? It’s plausible, at the very least.

This is a difficult problem for the next manager to solve, as Kane is a huge personality in the squad. Removing him from the lineup is no trivial matter, as it will bring shed loads of criticism if his replacement fails to deliver.

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How does Alexander-Arnold fit in?

This has been a perpetual question to which Southgate never truly found an answer. Despite being an exceptionally talented footballer, Trent Alexander-Arnold has felt like a square peg in a round hole when it comes to the England team.

The Liverpool star was never the manager’s first choice at right-back, where Kyle Walker was an automatic pick whenever he was available.

Southgate first experimented with playing the 25-year-old in midfield back in 2021, against Andorra in a World Cup qualifier, but he only lasted 45 minutes in the role before being returned to full-back.

Alexander-Arnold got another shot in the middle for the side’s first two group games at Euro 2024, but the balance never felt right. Conor Gallagher started against Slovenia, but it was Kobbie Mainoo that ultimately supplanted him in the starting XI for the rest of the tournament. He didn’t start another game in Germany.

Walker will be 36 years of age by the time the World Cup rolls around, so right-back may very well be the position Alexander-Arnold ends up in for England.

Read – FA comment on search for next England manager

Which midfielder is this team going to be built around?

England are absolutely blessed with attacking midfielders who like to receive the ball to feet in the opposition half. That also presents a headache.

How do you fit Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer into the same team? It’s something that Southgate never quite got a handle on in this tournament.

He persisted with Bellingham even though he didn’t play at his best, Foden continued to play a central role throughout despite not contributing a goal or assist, and Palmer had to make do with being an impact sub (which he did very well).

Far too often Bellingham and Foden played in the same areas of the pitch, congesting the middle and the team got very little reward in attack for it.

Southgate’s plan for the final seemed to have Foden shadow Manchester City teammate Rodri in the first half, while Bellingham pressed from the front, drifting to the left. It worked while Rodri was on the pitch, as England kept a tight ship for the opening 45 minutes, but it left them wanting going forward. They only had one shot on target in the first half.

In hindsight, Palmer should have played a greater role. His introductions against Netherlands in the semi-final and Spain added impetus to the attack and directly resulted in goals in both of those games.

Playing Foden on the left wing could solve one third of the equation, but how do you fit Bellingham and Palmer into the starting lineup? The Chelsea youngster could play on the right and drift in, but that would mean dropping Bukayo Saka and sacrificing genuine width.

This is, admittedly, a champagne problem for the next manager, and perhaps the more pressing matter lies behind them, where Declan Rice is expected to hold the midfield together by himself.

The Arsenal man, likely exhausted after a long campaign, did not play his best stuff as a result. Southgate was castigated for saying England didn’t have a like-for-like replacement for “a Kalvin Phillips”, but he had a point.

Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo does not yet have the defensive discipline to play in a double pivot alongside Rice, although he was productive when he came into the team. Conor Gallagher may grow into the part with time, while Adam Wharton is seen as the heir apparent, but he’s still very young who knows how he will develop as he gets older.

The answer to these conundrums may be the key to getting England over the line at a major tournament.

Read – Five Premier League players whose stock rose at Euro 2024

What about the players left at home?

Speaking of headaches and champagne problems, England’s incredible depth of talent means a host of regular internationals had to watch the Euros from their couch.

Such is the nature of the beast. There is a limited number of places in the squad, you can’t fit everyone in. But selections do have knock-on effects.

There was discord and apprehension in the camp about certain omissions, such as Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Harry Maguire, according to The Athletic. Apparently there was a worry over how their absence would affect the group environment, especially with so many younger players going to Germany.

A new manager means a fresh start for those who didn’t make the cut, there won’t be the same baggage as there would have been had Southgate remained in charge.

Regardless, someone always has to miss out. If Grealish or Marcus Rashford play their way back into contention, it means someone like Anthony Gordon likely gets culled. There will be many other tough decisions to come.

Handling the various egos and personalities when making these decisions, as well as the media scrutiny that comes with them, is going to be a real juggling act for any prospective manager.

Read – Premier League dominates Euro 2024 team of the tournament

Does Ben White make an instant return?

One of the biggest absences not just at Euro 2024 but over the past two years has been Ben White. The Arsenal defender left the squad in the middle of the 2022 World Cup and has not returned since then.

The 26-year-old reportedly had a falling out with Steve Holland during a team meeting with the side’s defenders. Holland is said to have commented that White isn’t sufficiently interested in football, to which the player took exception.

Southgate and Holland’s exit opens the door for White’s return. He would make an obvious replacement for the aging Walker, but is it as simple as that? Does the next manager welcome him back with open arms? Or do they wonder if they really need a player who’s willing to abandon the national team mid-tournament?

It would be a surprise if we didn’t White in an England jersey again before the year is out, but you never know how a coach is going to approach this situation.

Read – Four key moments that decided the Euro 2024 final

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