England’s head coach Gareth Southgate has been asked to step down as manager after losing to Spain in the European Championship (Euro) 2024 final which was played at Olympiastadion Berlin on Sunday.
Mikel Oyarzabal’s late strike guided Spain to their first Euro title since 2012 as England suffered their back-to-back final defeats after losing to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
England have now failed to win four tournaments under Southgate’s leadership as they lost the semi-final to Croatia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the Euro 2020 final to Italy, the quarter-final to France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and now the Euro 2024 final.
Former England striker Gary Lineker has now asked Southgate to step down as a new coach is required to lead the Three Lions.
“I think he’s been the right person to bring the nation together in terms of the football team,” he said while speaking on The Rest is Football podcast after the final.
“And, now, maybe it’s time for someone else with a more modern, attacking style of football. Because I think the game’s gone away from being successful if you’re really defensive.”
He was then asked by co-hosts on who would he target as his replacement to which the Englishman replied, “Wouldn’t you go all out for Jurgen Klopp?”
Klopp stepped down as Liverpool’s manager this summer and is yet to take a new job. He was linked heavily with FC Barcelona job but Hansi Flick was appointed the Blaugrana’s new coach.
“Klopp’s kind of been out of a job. He’ll have had a bit of a rest,” Lineker implied Klopp would be ready to take a new job after a break.
England had hoped to finally claim a first men´s international title since their fabled victory at the 1966 World Cup, but fell just short in their first ever final on foreign soil.
"To lose the final is incredibly tough," Southgate said after the match. "Congratulations to Spain, they were the best team in the tournament and the best team tonight."
