Southgate sets up a final chance to silence the critics

Coach can end noise over tenure by guiding team to glory in Germany

- Dan Kilpatrick

GARETH SOUTH GATE has been preparing for next summer's European Championship since deciding to stay on as England manager in the fraught days following the World Cup quarter-final defeat by France in December.

But the detailed planning can now begin in earnest, after England secured their place in the finals with a 3-1 win over Italy here last night.

A fourth major tournament is widely expected to be Southgate's last.

Drained, bitter and concerned he was negatively impacting his players, Southgate gave serious consideration to walking away after Qatar.

He cannot go on indefinitely and, at any rate, his contract is up after the Euros. If England are crowned champions in Germany, perhaps the 53-year old could be persuaded to extend his deal and have a crack at conquering the world in 2026.

More likely, though, he will seek a spell of recuperation with his family at his secluded home near Harrogate or perhaps make a quick return to the "absolute rollercoaster" of club management.

Those around Southgate (right, last night) have noticed a change in his mood and rhetoric: he is even more focused on the task at hand, more insular, less willing to appease-all suggesting he is preparing for one final hurrah.

For Southgate, next summer is therefore likely to be his last shot at glory with England and a chance to define his legacy in 'the impossible job'.

Despite everything he has achieved since reluctantly succeeding Sam Allardyce seven years ago this month, Southgate remains an oddly divisive figure in the national consciousness.

For some, the manager who has returned England to an international force has long been holding the team back; an albatross around the necks of a generational squad.