Southgate shows his ruthless side: Neil Humphreys
England lucky to have toughest manager since Ramsey
Gareth Southgate's perceived weakness has proved to be his greatest strength. He's not an English cliche. He's not a touchline terrier or a puce-faced screamer. He's a serial killer in a designer suit.
The England manager has fooled us all. In the Euro 2020 final, he'll face an Italian nation that often uses the metaphor of the male anatomy to describe an individual's courage.
Who knew that Southgate's were made of steel?
In confounding every English stereotype, he has demonstrated a stunning ruthlessness that has steered the Three Lions to their first major final since 1966.
There are echoes of Sir Alf Ramsey's English reserve, certainly, but it's the unswerving strength of their convictions that sets the two managers apart.
Ramsey reached the 1966 World Cup final without compromising his game plan or succumbing to public clamour to pick Jimmy Greaves.
But Southgate has gone one better. Not only has he refused to bow to popular sentiment and sacrifice his template to accommodate Jack Grealish, he brought the winger on and took him off again against Denmark.
In amateur football, substituting a substitute might not be unusual. In the semi-final of a major tournament, it's unthinkable, unheard of.
Grealish was introduced in the 69th minute to inject pace and energy against the flagging Danes and succeeded. He was sacrificed in the 105th minute to ensure victory, allowing Kieran Trippier to bolster the defence against Denmark's inevitable switch to a 4-2-4.
Southgate was right on both counts and if the decisions seem obvious in hindsight, try to recall a similar situation in a tense England contest in previous tournaments. There are no precedents here.
Traditionally, England's men in the dugout were just as susceptible to freezing as the men on the pitch.
QUESTIONS
Should an ageing Peter Shilton have been taken off before the infamous shoot-out at Italia 1990? Should Paul Ince have taken Southgate's penalty at Euro 1996? Should the half-fit gods of the Golden Generation have been picked with broken metatarsals and weary limbs? Should Harry Kane have taken corners against Iceland?
These unanswerable pub debates exist only because the answers were not provided when they mattered, on the night, in the moment, when split-second decisions are required that will define a legacy.
In refreshing contrast, Southgate has addressed every dilemma with a steely-eyed focus that goes against the grain of English cliche.
Remember when he was hired? Remember the criticisms of both his credentials and character? Frankly, the accusations said more about where English football still was in 2016 than they did about Southgate.
He was supposedly too soft. In the age of player power, he'd almost certainly lose the dressing room.
Of course, much of the criticism came from wheezing pundits clinging to a bygone era of British bulldogs and embarrassing fluff about the Dunkirk spirit.
Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp were the spiritual leaders of such patriotic talk. They were no-nonsense managers, as English as fish and chips, 4-4-2 and God Save the Queen. They were the men to whip these multi-millionaires into shape.
Just imagine an alternate universe where Allardyce kept the England job. It's hard to picture a path to a Wembley final, just loud, blustery press conferences and a road littered with broken dreams and long balls.
Southgate is a sensitive, nuanced manager for sensitive, nuanced times. Against Denmark, he led out a team where seven out of the starting XI had at least one parent or grandparent born overseas.
As a polarised climate spills over into all facets of life, he has dealt with racist booing and politicians condemning anti-racism gestures with real empathy.
Southgate has united the most multiracial England line-up in history and guided them to a first final in 55 years, an extraordinary achievement, whatever happens against Italy.
Having worked with many of the current crop during his spell in charge of the Under-21s, Southgate's players admire him as much as they respect him. The second part is crucial.
When the manager met with Grealish to explain the awkward substitution, the Aston Villa winger shrugged it off. He'd played his part in a much bigger plan, Southgate's plan; one that has many followers, but only one leader.
The England manager really isn't a typical England manager. There are no apoplectic, vein-bulging amateur dramatics for the cameras. He keeps his head where his predecessors once lost theirs.
He demands clear thinking, on both sides of the white line, just like Ramsey. The only difference between the two men now is a trophy.
Do not underestimate Southgate's resolve to do whatever it takes to fix that in the final.
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