Following Southgate’s resignation, former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph that he is very envious of Southgate being able to leave on his own terms. He stated that his own sacking after the 2006 World Cup had nothing to do with results but was due to off-field factors.
In Eriksson’s view, Southgate’s successor will face even greater pressure, given that during his tenure, the England team reached two European Championship finals, one World Cup semi-final, and one World Cup quarter-final. Furthermore, Eriksson believes that the FA should not focus on nationality when selecting a new manager, suggesting that both Klopp and Guardiola would be suitable candidates.
As England’s first foreign manager in history, Eriksson revealed that he faced various doubts when he took over, but after the 5-1 victory over Germany, everyone forgot that he was Swedish.
Eriksson is particularly envious that Southgate could leave the England team on his own terms by choosing to resign, whereas after the 2006 World Cup, Eriksson was sacked by the FA, and this had nothing to do with football. “In the football world, you’re eventually going to get sacked, but Southgate could do it on his own terms. When I was sacked in 2006, it had nothing to do with football. The ‘fake sheikh’ incident led to my departure, although that was likely just an excuse they used.”
Eriksson concluded, “Eighteen years have passed, and the FA and English fans are still hoping their team can end the trophy drought. The 2026 World Cup is their next opportunity, especially as players like Bellingham and Palmer will be even better by then, so they need to choose the right coach and shouldn’t worry about the new manager’s nationality.”