Simon Jordan is concerned that should England lose to Argentina this evening, it would ruin his theory around Gareth Southgate.
The eSPORTY pundit believes that England could never quite get over the line under Southgate, but that a better tactical manager would be able to.
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Thomas Tuchel is seen as that better tactical manager, the one who Jordan believes can give England the edge in 50/50 games.
Jordan’s argument is that in matches against sides that had equal quality to England, they didn’t turn up.
This is reflected in the four major tournaments that Southgate managed.
In the 2018 World Cup, the Three Lions came up against Croatia and lost 2-1 in extra time.
In the delayed 2020 European Championship final at Wembley, England lost on penalties to Italy, though, they did beat Germany on the way to the showpiece.
At the 2022 World Cup, France stopped England at the quarter-final stage, and at Euro 2024, Spain were far too good in the final.
So, ahead of England’s semi-final against Argentina, live on eSPORTY, Jordan is nervous, but not for the match.
Speaking on White and Jordan, he said: “I am optimistic. The only thing I am nervous about is having my entire theory debunked because the entire crux of my argument comes down to this evening.
“Everything I have ever said about the ideals behind Gareth Southgate’s achievements, but with the necessity to get someone in with a winning mentality and can make big decisions in big games.
“It will be underpinned or undermined by this very game.
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“This is a 50/50 game, which we’ve not won.
“We haven’t won games where the balance of probabilities is either equal or in favour of the opposition.
“We haven’t won any of those, which has been the whole crux of my argument.
“So, my argument is going to either be validated or entirely debunked, and I am sure you would be very discreet about all of the things I’ve said over the years.”
Confidence
England have already negotiated one match of great significance against Mexico at a hostile Azteca.
The Three Lions were down to ten men but saw off the Mexicans at their iconic home ground.
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However, player for player, it’s hard to argue that Mexico are on the same level as England.
But this contest against Argentina is a legitimate 50/50 clash as Lionel Messi takes on the Three Lions for the first time.
And should England win, they will take on Spain in the final, and Jordan will be in Spain to watch.
“Why shouldn’t I be? We are in a World Cup semi-final, and we’ve got good players,” Jordan added.
“We might not be a great team, but we’ve got good players. They aren’t a great team either.
“It’s a 50/50 game. England are more than capable of winning it.
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“It feels like it’s written because I am heading to Spain, so I will be surrounded by Spaniards, and I am going to be there when England are playing in the World Cup final.
“That is the superstitious side of me that thinks it’s written.
“Watching the game on Saturday was a chore because it was awful to watch. It was a crap game, and I am hoping that we have a good game this evening that gets people on the edge of their seats.”
The Southgate theory
Jordan was pretty clear throughout the entirety of Southgate’s time as England manager that he wasn’t quite good enough.
One of his main arguments was that Southgate would never ever manage a top Premier League team.
Since leaving the England job, Southgate has been linked with a move to Manchester United, but Jordan’s belief is that it would never happen.
Going back to 2022 before the World Cup, he was speaking with Danny Murphy and Jim White and summarised where Southgate was as a manager.
Jordan said: โIf you are really being honest about it, heโs done a decent job with England because heโs had more luck than anyone.
โYou are probably going to say luck is a commodity. Luck is great, but if itโs your only commodity then it is going to run out in the end.
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โI think heโs been very diplomatic in that, but when I look at his body of work on the pitch and thereโs no argument that getting to the semi-final and final of a tournament needs to be applauded.
โBut when you say โgive me that X-factor that shows you can win these tournamentsโ, he hasnโt got it.
โHe doesnโt have an alternative or have the ability to make decisions in a game to change things.”
๐๐๐๐/๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
