Next England Manager

Following yet another disappointing showing at a major tournament, pundits and journalists alike have been picking over the bones of England’s lacklustre display and asking: “Where did it all go wrong?”

While the players have been criticised for failing to perform on the European national stage, most fingers have been pointing in the direction of departing manager Roy Hodgson. The consensus has been that the England team lacked a clear sense of style, formation and identity.

While other top nations have played in a distinctive way that has been fine-tuned over many games, England often looked lost – like they were making it up as they went along. Team selections were inconsistent, decisions were knee-jerk and players and fans alike were left wondering what the actual plan was.

Of course, many predicted four years ago that Roy Hodgson did not have the technical know-how to cut it with the big boys at tournament level. A great qualifying record counts for nothing, if you cannot bring it all together on the main stage. So with Hodgson now gone – who is the right man to take his place?

Many names have been thrown into the mix with the bookies currently putting former Germany and current USA boss Jurgen Klinsmann as favourite.

While Klinsmann would be an interesting and brave choice, there are many observers who are not entirely convinced that he is the right man to get the best out of the current crop of talent that is available.

Next season, the England players will be working at club level with some of the most progressive coaches in the world such as Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho. It makes sense that when they move into the England set-up, they should feel at least some sense of continuity. That means hiring a coach with a modern approach and a good understanding of the technical exposure that the players will be receiving at club level.

This could mean going for a young progressive coach such as Eddie Howe. Or a more experienced head such as Arsene Wenger. Howe has been described as a “coach’s coach” by some that work behind the scenes in the game due to his attention to detail and his application to learning the technical side of the game. However, his relative inexperience at the top level could rule him out.

Of all the coaches in the Premier League, Arsene Wenger is perhaps the one coach who has had the most influence on how the game is now played in England. He brought new ideas, training methods and technical concepts to a league that had become stuck in its ways for too long. Along with Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Arsene Wenger helped to raise the English game to the level we know today.

At his age, it could be the right time for Wenger to hand over the reins at Arsenal and do for the English international game what he helped to do for the club game. But would he be up for the job?

Next England Manager Current odds:

• Jurgen Klinsmann 11/2
• Glen Hoddle 15/2
• Sam Allardyce 8/1
• Laurent Blanc 14/1
• Gareth Southgate 10/1
• Harry Redknapp 12/1
• Eddie Howe 16/1
• Arsene Wenger 16/1

For England Manager betting, we recommend Betfair.