Yes, he is too defensive. Too often the team drifts into sitting back and deep after going ahead, unecessarily inviting pressure. I wouldn’t say England are no good, but IMO they are not fulfilling their potential in the slightest and the tactical nous looks bereft. Against a better side last night they’d have lost 2-1. I have no confidence in them dealing with the tournaments best. Really screwed if they go behind too. Just my opinion
Average of 2 goals a game, nearly half of which are in knock-out ties. 10 clean sheets in tournament matches.
England have never been any good apart from one summer in the late 1960s. England have no God-given right to do well in tournaments. England’s fans and press hounded a reasonably successful manager in Erikssen because of his apparent “defensiveness” because England did win well enough. England were absolutely terrible between Erikssen and Southgate.
England’s players are consistently over-rated, just because the Premier League is incredibly wealthy, and are consistently shown up by other country’s players in major tournaments.
Southgate has been by some distance the most successful England manager for my 40+ years on the planet but he’ll be vilified by the fans & press because England fans simply don’t know how to be happy.
