da casino： The Three Lions boss has intentionally left his future up in the air to help the team but now the uncertainty is working against him

da 888casino： Top-level managers are not usually known for their selflessness, but Gareth Southgate bucks the trend. Throughout his eight-year tenure as England boss he has been more than happy to be the nation's punching bag and turn the attention from the players to himself.

Many people in the same position would have been furious at the sight of their own fans launching cups towards them after a result, but Southgate took the angry reaction to his side's 0-0 draw with Slovenia on the chin. He could easily have puffed his chest out and pointed to his record as being England's best tournament manager since Sir Alf Ramsey, but his calm response summed up his humble nature: "I understand the narrative towards me. That’s better for the team than it being towards them."

Southgate has not just taken verbal bullets for the national team's greater good, he has also taken a financial hit. The manager declined the offer to sign a new contract ahead of Euro 2024 that would take him through to the 2026 World Cup, meaning he will get no financial compensation in the event he and the Football Association decide to part ways in July.

Every other manager in the Euros quarter-finals, with the exception of Switzerland's Murat Yakin, has a contract through to the next World Cup. England's main rivals Spain, France and Germany all know who their manager will be whatever happens by the end of the tournament, but the Three Lions do not. And that is becoming a problem for Southgate.

Getty Logical explanation

As with every decision he makes, Southgate gave a simple and logical explanation when he revealed in March that there would be no new contract incoming before the tournament. As Saturday's opponent Yakin echoed when asked about his own situation, the England boss wanted to prove he was worthy of a new contract with a good showing at the Euros.

Southgate was particularly keen to avoid what happened to predecessor Fabio Capello, who signed a new deal as England manager before the 2010 World Cup, only to watch his team bomb out in the last 16, thrashed 4-1 by Germany. The Italian eventually resigned in February 2012.

Southgate explained: “We’ve consciously shelved any discussions internally about what might be next, because I think if we had sat and signed a new contract and done that before the tournament, everybody would have said: ‘Well, you did this with Capello and you should be proving yourself before you sign.’

“I think that has the potential to negatively affect the reaction to the team. The team need the clearest run they can possibly have at this tournament, so my job is to remove pressure from the team where possible. I don’t want to put anything additional onto the team.”

AdvertisementGetty ImagesFading authority

But as England plod their way through the tournament and Southgate's authority is continually questioned, both inside and outside the squad, he is beginning to look like a man on borrowed time.

England's muddled performances and the backlash they have caused means that Southgate is unlikely to remain in charge beyond the summer, unless his side end up lifting the trophy in Berlin on July 14.

However noble his motives are for doing so, Southgate's reluctance to sign a new contract has led to him being a 'lame duck' manager, with fading authority to make bold decisions with lasting impact. The phrase is commonly used to describe U.S. presidents in their final two years of their second term, when they are not able to run for office again and struggle to implement any meaningful policies as attention instead turns to who is coming in next.

Getty ImagesToney's act of dissent

England, of course, are involved in a hugely significant tournament, and while Southgate's future is yet to become a distraction during the Euros, it has seemed to affect his standing. Take Ivan Toney venting his fury at only being brought on against Slovakia in the 94th minute. The striker's anger was plain to see and Southgate, in his own humble way, managed to make a joke about it.

“There’s no question that I think Ivan Toney was pretty disgusted when I put him on with a minute to go,” he said on. "If you put a sub on at that time, it is a last roll of the dice. Maybe he doesn’t even touch the ball, so I completely understand it."

It is difficult to imagine Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Didier Deschamps or Julian Nagelsmann making light of such a flagrant show of disregard from a player, and not a particularly prominent one at that.

GettyDivision in the camp

The Toney incident painted a picture of a squad that does not entirely respect its coach, and it was far from the first instance. Another sign of discontent was visible early in the tournament after a report in claimed there was tension between family members of the players who were featuring little during the tournament and those who were perceived to be benefiting from Southgate's loyalty to them.

The manager certainly has shown loyalty to a group of senior players, making just three changes to his line-up in the four games despite the drab performances. John Stones, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker, who have been with Southgate since the 2018 World Cup, have started all four games in Germany, while Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon are yet to feature in the starting XI.

Indeed, the fact that England players were so keen for Southgate to remain in charge after the World Cup, when his future was also up in the air, has been interpreted as a sign that they enjoyed his regime precisely because he did not impose his authority too much on certain players.