There is ‘something not right’ with Gareth Southgate, Ian Wright claims… as the ITV pundit admits he ‘feels’ for the England boss amid his side’s struggles at Euro 2024

Ian Wright has insisted there ‘is something not right’ with England manager Gareth Southgate.

Southgate and his England side are preparing for their Euro 2024 last 16 tie against Slovakia on Sunday afternoon, having topped their group following their first three matches of the tournament.

All has not been plain sailing, however. A win over Serbia was followed up by draws against Denmark and Slovenia, with fans left frustrated by performances from the Three lions in the two games.

After the Slovenia game, fans booed the team off the pitch in Cologne and threw plastic missiles in the direction of Southgate, who remained defiant and applauded the fans insdie the ground.

It’s poissible his spell as England boss is coming to and end, however, and ITV pundit Wright has now had his say on his recent behaviours. 

Wright said he ‘feels’ for Southgate as he compared his attitude before Euro 2024 to now

The England boss has said that his side’s ‘world is different’ and that it is down to his own doing

‘I think so,’ Wright said on the latest episode of Stick to Football: The Overlap Special, brought to you by Sky Bet, when asked if Southgate had a feeling from the fans and media that his time as England manager is up. ‘You can see something about him in his interviews.

‘When you look at Gareth before this tournament, you look at him and his demeanour, he was very confident. When he’s speaking to people and looking at reporters, there is an authority to what he’s saying, and he has confidence in what he’s saying.

‘Now you’re hearing him say, “There’s something quite not right”, and he does this thing at the moment where he’s speaking and will look down and you can see that he’s contemplating something else – there is something not right with him and I really feel for him because I think he’s taken on so much with what he’s had to do as England manager and change so many different things culturally and politically.’

Southgate has taken England as close as they have come to a major trophy since 1966 in his reign, losing the Euro 2021 final on penalties and reaching the World Cup semi-final in 2018.

The Three Lions are on the favourable side of the draw this time in Germany and are guaranteed to avoid the likes of France, Germany, Spain and Portugal until the final.

Expectations and the atmosphere surrounding the team from the outside, however, has been dimmed on the back of poor performances against Denmark and Slovenia.

Southgate has claimed he is determined to block out the noise, and walked past the plastic missiles on Tuesday as they were thrown onto the pitch from the stands.

‘I understand it,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to back away from it.

‘The most important thing is we stay with the team. I understand the narrative towards me. That’s better for the team than it being towards them but it is creating an unusual environment to operate in.’

He later admitted that he feels his side’s ‘world is different’ due to his own doing. 

Southgate and his side were booed off the pitch in Cologne after they drew 0-0 with Slovenia

Captain Harry Kane, meanwhile, said:  ‘I know there was a bit of stuff after the game , but the atmosphere was incredible. 99 per cent of the fans do what they always do. They’re singing, they’re pushing us on. I know the fans back home watching in the pubs, they’re pushing us on. They want us to be successful.‌

‘You’re always going to get maybe one or two that take it a bit too far, but that’s football, that’s life. We’ve all been around long enough to have been a part of that. From our point of view, I’d say just keep doing what they’re doing. We know they’re behind us.

‘They know that we’re giving everything, we’re putting everything on the line to try and be successful. Nothing’s changed from that point of view.’