Can this be true? British media: Criticism from Ferdinand and Richards was one reason for Southgate’s resignation

On July 16, England’s head coach Southgate announced his resignation. Many British media outlets believe that the reason for Southgate’s resignation is due to the heavy criticism he faced. Despite leading the England team to two European Championship finals and reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, the ultimate defeats sparked much controversy.

Former England international Rio Ferdinand and Micah Richards openly criticized Southgate’s tactical choices, particularly regarding the use of forward Kane and questioning his substitution strategies. However, their views were not shared by everyone. Former Ireland national team manager Martin O’Neill strongly opposed them, believing that Ferdinand and Richards’ criticisms lacked substantial grounds and that such criticism was one of the reasons for Southgate’s resignation.

In a podcast, commentator Clive Tyldesley mentioned that Ferdinand and Richards immediately criticized Southgate after the European Championship final. In response, O’Neill said, “I don’t understand their stance at all. Rio Ferdinand and Micah Richards may have had rich playing careers, but they’ve never managed any team or held the position of head coach.”

O’Neill further defended Southgate, pointing out that the public’s demand for Cole Palmer to start was unreasonable. “Substitution decisions are a complex process, sometimes effective, sometimes less so,” explained O’Neill. “It seems people think that Southgate made substitutions on a whim, just to please the masses. But it’s far from the truth.”

In the final, Southgate persisted in using Kane, Foden, Bellingham, and Saka as his main attackers, with Palmer coming off the bench to equalize, though they ultimately failed to turn the game around. Nonetheless, O’Neill believes that the critics failed to fully appreciate the careful thought behind Southgate’s tactical decisions.