World Cup 2022: Gareth Southgate should remain England boss because he has unfinished business - Alan Shearer

I person nary uncertainty astatine each that Gareth Southgate should enactment connected arsenic England manager to instrumentality america to the 2024 European Championship.

Not lone astir however we person played astatine this tourney but besides the advancement we person made during his six years successful charge.

We were a shambles erstwhile Southgate took implicit successful 2016 and it had felt similar we were going nowhere. We had been a laughing banal nether Roy Hodgson astatine the Euros earlier that twelvemonth and past had to contend with the embarrassment of Sam Allardyce's exit erstwhile it had felt similar things could not get immoderate worse.

Compare that to wherever we are now, aft the astonishing experiences we person had astatine 3 large tournaments with Southgate, and it is astir apt wherefore losing to France hurts truthful much.

We thought we could triumph this World Cup due to the fact that of what we've done nether him successful the past, and besides what we had shown astatine this tournament. We were superior contenders for galore reasons and Southgate was down each of them.

After reaching the semi-finals successful Russia 4 years agone and the last of Euro 2020, going retired successful the quarter-finals mightiness look similar a backward measurement but we are decidedly heading successful the close absorption with him astatine the helm.

We are a amended squad present than we were successful either of those 2 tournaments, adjacent though we haven't gone arsenic acold this clip - and determination is acold much to travel from these players.

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'Players look to similar and respect Southgate'

It volition beryllium down to Southgate unsocial whether helium stays oregon not. No-one astatine the Football Association volition archer him that helium has to go, which I deliberation is lone right.

No different England manager has taken a squad to much than 3 large finals since Sir Alf Ramsey [four betwixt 1966 and 1972], and Gareth understandably wants immoderate clip to bespeak connected his aboriginal earlier reasoning astir different campaign.

But I truly anticipation helium decides to transportation connected to the adjacent tourney arsenic well, and hopefully helium feels helium has unfinished concern with this breathtaking young England team.

They each look to similar him and respect him, and they look to bask playing for him arsenic good due to the fact that of the situation helium has created successful his squads.

He has got the champion retired of them successful Qatar, but they volition consciousness similar they could person gone further and I deliberation it helps that their accidental to enactment that close - astatine the adjacent Euros successful Germany - is lone 18 months away.

We commencement the travel to those finals with our archetypal qualifier against Italy successful March, successful a repetition of past year's final. We should enactment up with the halfway of players who person played truthful good here, and Gareth is inactive their leader.

He has been criticised earlier present for immoderate of his tactical decisions successful large games, but I don't deliberation helium could oregon should person done thing otherwise successful our decision to France.

My lone disappointment is their winning extremity came from a cross, thing I mentioned successful my past file arsenic being a large portion of their game.

I thought France's attack mightiness suit our centre-halves and full-backs, who woody with those benignant of deliveries each week, but yet that is however the crippled has been decided, with a wily aged fox similar Olivier Giroud uncovering a gait of abstraction successful the box.

'When you springiness everything, you tin clasp your caput up high'

On the positive side, we went toed to toed with the holders and favourites to triumph this World Cup, played good and created tons of chances. It conscionable wasn't meant to be.

We lost, but we gave everything and erstwhile that happens you tin clasp your caput up high.

I got a akin feeling aft my England squad mislaid to Germany successful Euro 96 and past Argentina astatine the World Cup successful France 2 years later. We besides worked truthful hard and played successful pulsating matches which were aggravated contests that were decided by the finest of margins.

After some defeats I came distant reasoning 'we could person won that' and feeling each the wounded that goes with specified a constrictive decision - adjacent though, erstwhile I thought astir our performance, I was arrogant and determination were reasons to beryllium positive.

So I cognize however overmuch this decision volition beryllium hurting the England players close now, particularly Harry Kane aft his precocious punishment miss.

I consciousness for Harry, but that is the beingness of a apical striker. You ever person to enactment yourself guardant for specified a immense moment. You can't people with each accidental you have, but immoderate chances are bigger and mean much than others, truthful that 1 volition wounded similar hell.

It volition astir apt haunt him for the remainder of his life, but determination is thing helium tin bash astir that.

The biggest punishment I ever missed was for Newcastle against Sunderland successful 2000 - and I inactive deliberation astir it now.

This World Cup was determination for the taking

We are near with what-ifs, alternatively than reasoning astir England winning this World Cup, but I bash judge we had a genuine accidental erstwhile I look astatine the teams near successful the tournament, due to the fact that it truly was determination for the taking.

Croatia person lone won 1 crippled successful unfastened play truthful acold and bash not person overmuch happening up front. Argentina are not a large squad either, though they bash person Lionel Messi which is wherefore they person ever person a chance.

Morocco, whom England would person faced successful the semi-finals, are good organised and unsafe connected the counter-attack but I would person backed america to bushed them.

Instead, we are going home, but I americium definite the younger members of our squad tin usage this acquisition to assistance them the adjacent clip we scope this stage.

So galore of them had memorable moments to instrumentality distant from this tournament, but it was Jude Bellingham who stood retired for maine arsenic our outstanding player.

Bellingham is lone 19 but, close from the start, his performances were truthful mature and helium showed helium is not acrophobic of anyone oregon anything.

He is 1 of the reasons the aboriginal is truthful breathtaking for England. This World Cup goes down arsenic a missed opportunity, but we volition spell into the adjacent Euros arsenic 1 of the favourites, I americium definite of that.

Alan Shearer was speaking to Chris Bevan successful Doha, Qatar.

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