It seems to be the last straw for England after going out of their fifth consecutive major tournament in disappointing fashion, this time at the hands of Iceland in Euro 2016.
Often, the blame for an underwhelming tournament falls on the head coach at international level, and this year it was England gaffer Roy Hodgson to pay the price.
His tenure was hugely unsuccessful – ousted by Uruguay and Costa Rica in the group stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, before the embarrassing 2-1 loss against minnows Iceland in 2016.
Unsurprisingly, it’s falling into a formula that the English are rather used to – fire through the group stages, deliver a promising result in a pre-tournament friendly, underperform in the group stage before going out in a blaze in the knock-out stages (2014 excluded).
It wasn’t hard to find comments strewn across social media peppered with pessimism; England fans correctly predicted their team would go out in poor fashion this time around too.
For a country with the best domestic league in the world, that’s simply unacceptable.
Especially when English football has had one of its finest years, with a plethora of English players shining above their foreign counterparts, including Jamie Vardy, Dele Alli, Harry Kane and more. In short, the Three Lions had all the ingredients to succeed and haven’t, meaning all eyes turn to the coach.
Hodgson, hired in 2012 after Fabio Cappello moved on, was an uninspiring choice for the national team. Finishing tenth in the 2011-12 Premier League season, his hiring was a far-cry from their original target Harry Redknapp, who had just guided Tottenham Hotspur to fourth positon above Chelsea and Liverpool, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
Fast-forward four years later and England are right back where they started.
The bottom line is, England need world class coach, hungry for success. That man is Manuel Pellegrini.
Extremely unfortunate to be cut as Manchester City head coach at the end of this season, Pellegrini has a point to prove in England. The Chilean has an English Premier League title under his belt and guided Manchester City to by far their best finish in their short UEFA Champions League history, exiting to eventual champions Real Madrid in the semi-final.
After his three seasons at the club, Pellegrini achieved an incredible winning percentage of 63.89 per cent, a record higher than Sir Alex Ferguson (59.67%), Jose Mourinho’s second Chelsea stint (59%) and even ahead of current Premier League champion manager Claudio Ranieri (58.14%).
His tactical approach to football also suits England. Pellegrini’s game has a big focus on width, prompting overlapping fullbacks to get down the line and find the feet of the talented strikers in the front third. England is blessed with these players – Tottenham’s Danny Rose and Kyle Walker, Liverpool’s Nathaniel Clyne and Chelsea’s Ryan Bertrand are all immensely talented.
Pellegrini’s game also relies on a swift, fit and direct midfield, which players like Alli and Raheem Stirling provide. Their movement complements the Chilean coach’s tactics perfectly.
It also bodes well for the strikers. Pellegrini enjoyed a plethora of talented strikers at City, including Argentine Sergio Aguero, Ivorian Wilfried Bony and young star Kelechi Iheanacho. With Vardy, Kane and Marcus Rashford contesting these positions, Pellegrini would be pleased with what he has on offer.
Goalkeeping is another issue and it is clear Pellegrini gets the best out of England and Manchester goalkeeper Joe Hart. There’s a strong case to suggest Hart’s lacklustre performances cost England both a higher finish in their group and a result against Iceland, so a steady pair of gloves is vital for England.
Hart was superb in the 2015-16 Premier League campaign and with the coach who believed in him in support, there is no doubt the Three Lions shot-stopper would prove his world-class value.
Finally and most importantly, Pellegrini is a gentleman. He brought an aura of class to Manchester City in the Premier League and is well respected by England fans. While this may seem minor, it fuels optimism and this is what drives England far in tournaments.
If the Football Association makes the right decision, we’ll see England in the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Let’s see if they’re ready to make a world-class decision this summer.
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