Southgate's England Team Managerial Tenure - Part 1

An unusual angle to take, discussing a long term managerial role for a full national side. However, it has been an increasingly divisive tenure as many feel he should have gone before now. To reach a conclusion, the facts need to be looked at. I'll save my conclusion on the situation for Part 2.

Below each year is put in a block of results. The term home in 'Home/Win' isn't for all matches in that column. If the game is part of a tournament, then they are at neutral venues. In such cases, the winning side is listed there anyway as I don't have a 'Neutral' column. 

It started in 2016 with four matches, three being World Cup qualifiers and one friendly match. Two wins and two draws against one top nation, two medium and one lower ranked nation. Too early to read much into that.

For 2017, there were ten England games played. Six World Cup qualifiers and one friendly match. Five wins, three draws and two losses. Germany has been an average side for some time now so a let off for Gareth Southgate. The same for Brazil too perhaps. France was the best team faced here. Three lower nation matches, three medium games and four against higher countries.  

For 2018, there were sixteen England games played. Six World Cup matches, eight friendly ones and two Nations League games. Ten wins, three draws and three losses. This was a good period for Southgate. The standard of the opponents was good too but Panama was clearly outclassed.  

For the England v Colombia game, it was 1-1 aet but England went on to win 4-3 on penalties. 

In 2019, only ten international matches. Eight games were Euro qualifiers, Nations League finals contests. Seven victories, one draw and two losses sounds good. The overall quality of the opposition was not high though so while showed they could score against lesser opponents, it is hard to judge their progress. 

For the England v Switzerland game, it was 0-0 aet but England went on to win 6-5 on penalties. 

Only eight matches in 2020, six of which were for the Nations League and two friendly games. Five victories, one draw and two losses. Against reasonably decent opponents, not bad.

In 2021 no fewer than nineteen games were played. World Cup qualifiers amounted to ten of those, the 2020 Euro Finals (delayed to 2021) added seven and a couple of friendlies were thrown in for good measure. Fifteen wins and four draws was a good haul but there were plenty of lesser teams played with high quality, in form opposition missing. 

For the England v Italy game, it was 1-1 aet but Italy went on to win 3-2 on penalties. 

For 2022, thirteen games, two friendlies, six for the Nations League and five at the World Cup for that year. Just five wins, four draws and four losses. Considering the teams they played, a poor year in Gareth Southgate's managerial tenure. 

2023 had just ten internationals, two friendly ones and the rest Euro 2024 qualifiers. Eight wins with one draw and one loss. Looked good but most games against lower ranked nations. 

2024 has involved four friendly matches played and seven in the Euro 2024 tournament. Four wins, four draws and three losses. Not a good start but finished much stronger. A strong finish to the Euro 24 campaign showed the skill in the squad and the kind run they had helpful too. 

Pat two: Simply click here.

Egypt: Clubs Ranked - 1961 to 2023

Egypt is a strong football nation in Africa and that includes at club level. That's helped by having the talent mostly focused within a few clubs. The chart to the right shows success achieved domestically (Egy) and then with success in Africa being added (Tot). Al Ahli and Zamelek lead the way, both from the Cairo area.

So how do the points work? In the Premier League (Division 1) the top four are rewarded with 6, 3, 2 and 1. The Egypt Cup 4 and 2 points for the finalists only. In the African Champions League (from 1965), it's 8, 4 and 2 points. The CAF Cup (same as the Europa League; since 1992 ) 6,3,2,1. The Cup Winner's Cup (1975 to 2003) 4 and 2. 

The Premier League is dominated by the three clubs to the left. Since 2014 Al Ahly has won the title seven times and Zamalek the other three. The 2013 season wasn't completed due to a coup d'état.

Since 2013 only the top two listed have won the title. Zamalek seven times and Al Alhy four. The cup wasn't held in 2012 due to a deadly riot at a match.  

Egyptian success in the three African tournaments has increased over this period. It started to get serious in the 1980's and Al Ahly in particular has dominated this decade so far. 

All put together, the clubs are below. The grand total is shown for each club, divided into regions with a ranking number (Rk) which gives their place compared to all the other clubs. In some years there have been no tournaments held due to war, riots and political unrest but thankfully most seasons have been completed.

Cairo is a sprawling metropolis that has many clubs within its urban reach. 78.0% of all success is from that area. The East which basically runs down the Suez Canal and it claimed 12.3%. Alexandria (4.7%) Central (4.5%) and South (0.5%) make up the rest.  

CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament: 1991 - 2023

The soccer America's Cup tournament goes back to 1991 when eight nations lined up hoping to take home the inaugural trophy. The USA succeeded on that occasion, one of seven successes it has enjoyed. Thirty one different countries have taken part, some invited from outside. The 'local' nations are darker purple, the invitees lighter.  

Of the seventeen tournaments held, two countries (the USA and Mexico) have won it sixteen times! They have also lost a final seven times between them. Six nations have been finalists at least once without achieving the ultimate success. Hopefully, another country can hold the trophy aloft next time in 2025. 

As for the 2023 edition, the group standings and knock out rounds are shown below. For the 2025 edition, simply click here.