In Focus: Southgate's England at a crossroads following World Cup exit

England were dealt World Cup heartbreak once again as they crashed out to France in the quarter-final stage at Qatar.

Olivier Giroud’s 78th-minute header sent the Three Lions packing, with Harry Kane agonisingly missing a late penalty in a spirited display against the world champions.

It means their wait to lift the famous trophy will extend to at least 60 years once the 2026 World Cup comes around.

There are now questions over manager Gareth Southgate’s future, with the boss said to be mulling over his next step after leading England in three major tournaments.

We look at what is on the horizon for England and their man in charge.

Credit in the bank

Having crashed out one stage earlier than they did at Russia in 2018, it would be easy to mark England's performance in Qatar as a failure.

But it is important to consider their vast improvement under Southgate, who is now their most successful manager since 1966 World Cup-winning boss Alf Ramsey.

Prior to taking over the helm, England had not reached further than the quarter-finals of a tournament since 1996.

That includes not even qualifying for Euro 2008, an altogether disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign, a dismal group-stage exit at Brazil in 2014 and a humiliating last-16 elimination to minnows Iceland at Euro 2016.

It made their run to the semi-final in 2018, despite a limited squad, a remarkable achievement by Southgate. So too in 2021, when they were a penalty shoot-out away from lifting the European Championship.

And given things could have been a lot different against the world champions had Kane dispatched that golden chance late on, there are plenty of reasons for England and their boss to leave Qatar with heads held high.

Culture shift

Gone are the days of England players seemingly struggling to deal with the pressure of playing for their country at a major tournament, with that shift coinciding with Southgate's appointment in 2016.

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green, who represented the Three Lions at the 2010 World Cup, recently spoke about how the weight of the shirt no longer feels as heavy for current players as it did for previous cohorts.

The 42-year-old exclusively told LiveScore: "He's found a way to make that shirt lighter for a lot of players. He’s found various ways and what he has got is the knowledge of being an England player not that long ago.

"Whether this is his last tournament, whether he’s got one more in him or however long he’s got, he’s brought it on in terms of that side of the game and set new standards in that regard."

Falling short

That said, there are still question marks over the former Middlesbrough manager’s capabilities in the big moments.

England went 1-0 up against both Croatia in 2018 and versus Italy in 2021, but ultimately fell short as many criticised Southgate’s conservative approach when leading.

Similar rumblings have come the way of Southgate in the aftermath of the France defeat, with some wondering why he waited until after Giroud's decisive header to make his first substitutions.

Former Three Lions captain Rio Ferdinand said: "Our [England's] substitutions is where I think Gareth Southgate let us down.

"I think he's been pitch-perfect, touch-perfect in almost every decision he's made up to this point, but you get into a game like yesterday where this is really where it matters now, and I think Gareth Southgate came up short in the tactical element in terms of substitutions.

"Gareth, in the moment, wasn't proactive with his substitutions, he was reactive.

"It hit 1-1 and we're sitting there going, 'Take the bull by the horns, make a substitution, get us on the front foot'. You've got [Marcus] Rashford, you've got [Jack] Grealish who can go on, get us on the front foot and change this game.

"You're sitting there going, 'It's too late, man'. You've got to do this when we've got the chance of still winning this game and taking the game from them."

Unfinished business

Three impressive wins from four games made England one of the tournament’s best performers prior to the last eight — and there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about this young, talented squad.

The likes of Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham — all aged under 23 — were key players for England in Qatar and will be reaching the peak of their careers once Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup arrive.

Given Southgate’s pivotal role in nurturing young gems as both manager of the Under-21s previously and now the senior team, there is every chance he wants — and indeed deserves — the chance to see the job through.

The candidates to replace Southgate

While that may still happen, that has not stopped the rumour mill sparking into action in predicting his potential successor.

The likes of Eddie Howe and Graham Potter are earmarked as the leading English candidates, while the prospect of current No2 Steve Holland taking over has also been reported.

There are also indications of former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino and Champions League-winning ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel fancying a crack at the job.

But while exciting candidates on paper, there is no guarantee their performances in club football translate to success at international level.

Whatever does happen next, that either of those elite managers would even consider taking the post is a marker of how far Southgate has taken the side during his tenure.