It was all going so well for Gareth Southgate.
A semi-final and final in his first two major tournaments as England boss undoubtedly make him one of the Three Lions' most successful managers, breeding a new culture that had the country swept up and right behind him. But after the events of Sunday, July 11, 2021, it's turned rather sour for the national darling.
While the record suggests that World Cup qualification was another breeze for England, a messy 1-1 draw with Poland in Warsaw last September before Hungary, against the odds, earned themselves a gritty point at Wembley raised eyebrows. Of course, Southgate had enough credit in the bank for those results to effectively be forgotten about by fans - especially after the four successive wins that followed, during which his side scored a whopping 20 goals and conceded just one.
