Gareth Southgate Is Losing the Good Will Earned in 2018 & Must Restore Faith in His Judgement

Do you ever get that sickening, uncomfortable and all too-familiar feeling of déjà vu? Life is ticking along, business as usual, and all of a sudden you begin reliving an experience you'd rather leave in your past.

Unfortunately, it's the norm as an England supporter. Everything is coming up Milhouse, until it's not.

It's hard to believe that Gareth Southgate has been the England coach for four years now, following the great debacle which surrounded the sacking of the shamed Sam Allardyce. And it has to be said, for a man who initially didn't even want the job, he's done pretty well and undoubtedly earned his fifth term at the helm.

Given a free pass from the off, the underwhelming appointment got his feet under the table and set out his stall - he was placing his faith in the next generation, the one he had helped nurture during his time as Under-21's coach.

Perhaps it was the understated, low-key appointment of a far from high-profile boss, or the generally bleak state of the international picture only a few years ago, but there were little to no expectations held among the viewing public.

Entering the 2018 World Cup, England were the underdogs - and that suited Southgate down to the ground. A man who had built his career on good old fashioned hard work, nailing the basics and being an ever-reliable presence, was now tasked with leading an unfancied, inexperienced group of players into battle.

The coach banished the demons of his own failings on the international stage, helping the Three Lions find courage in penalty shootouts, defy expectations and reach a World Cup semi-final for the first time in almost 30 years.

Southgate had also worked wonders on improving relations between the England players and the media, allowing behind-the-scenes access on social sites such as Twitter and Instagram, and helping supporters really get to know the group of stars wearing the badge with pride.

For once, there was unity. Harmony had been achieved between the usually ruthless media and the fragile Three Lions. It was a feel-good factor that had not been experienced by an entire generation of supporters.

Two years later, and that good will seems to be in short supply. The nice guy, plucky underdog routine is falling rather flat, and the idea of 'giving it a go' is no longer an option. Over the past two seasons, English football has witnessed the emergence of some of the biggest and most exciting talents that we've produced since the infamous Golden Generation, and the ability of the attacking stars appears to be limitless.

And yet, negativity levels are at their highest since Southgate was first handed the job. That's understandable, though. As expectations rise, the knives get sharper.

In fairness to the England boss, the dip in the relationship between players and supporters is largely out of his hands. The dramatic incident which surrounded Harry Maguire over the summer split opinions across the nation, and the public was much more unified in its condemnation of the handful of stars who broke lockdown rules and created their own mini scandals.

These things happen, but they highlight that when the cheer disappears, something more concrete needs to lie beneath it all. And herein lies the problem. While supporters have transitioned from low expectations to demanding immaculate performances, Southgate seems trapped in the reserved, underdog mentality.

His insistence on fielding such a painfully defensive and slow midfield has left supporters looking on in dismay, until they inevitably nod off and succumb to the sweet release of sleep. A midfield cannot and does not require both Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice, especially with a three-man defence behind them.

Phillips, an excellent distributor of the ball, has often looked uneasy when played slightly out of position to accommodate Rice, while his midfield partner has rarely staked a legitimate claim to be one of the first names on the team sheet. As far as midfields go, it lacks pace, imagination and thrusts all the creativity onto the shoulders of his front three.

And that leads us nicely onto the biggest blot on Southgate's copybook. The 50-year-old has been handed an open goal to curry favour with supporters and the media, by putting the nation's new heartthrob, Jack Grealish, onto the pitch for as many minutes as possible. We all get to watch the league's most creative and attacking outlet strut his stuff on the international stage, the coach gets the credit for blooding him in - it's the easiest win of his England career.

Instead, the 25-year-old is bizarrely being pulled in and out of the starting lineup, even if he picked up the player of the match award in his previous outing, as he did against Wales in October. Is it tactical? Does Southgate see something behind the scenes that literally no one else in the world sees?

Or is he feeling the pressure of the baying public and equally scathing media, and stubbornly digging his heels in at the expense of a prestigious talent, as so many unsuccessful England managers have done in the past?

Given his comments acknowledging Aston Villa fans' outrage on social media before the Republic of Ireland victory, the latter feels much more likely. Grealish and Mason Mount are now political pawns, being used against each other to highlight cracks in Southgate's decision making and possible favouritism.

The man who seemed infallible and unflappable when facing the media's firing line, is now beginning to show his claws. Southgate is no pushover, and while painted as Mr Nice Guy, he reeks of a man willing to cut off his nose to spite his face.

So, three years on from the best summer in England's recent history, and we seem to have gone full circle. The Three Lions are approaching a major tournament unsure of their best system, the best personnel to suit that system, and with the moans and groans growing louder over a lack of game time for certain individuals.

All this, while the demands for another semi-final showing (at least) are through the roof.

These next few months are certainly going to be the most important in the England manager's career, and he's taken the first step towards rectifying any wrongs with his seeming inclusion of Grealish in the team to face Belgium on Sunday evening. But there is plenty of work to be done.

The inflatable unicorns of 2018 are back in storage and a distant memory. Should Southgate continue to miss open goals and harness the energy of the underdog, he may need a life raft to escape the stormy seas come the end of Euro 2020.