It is a landmark that looms large and yet there is the sense that it is rather sneaking up on everyone. If all goes to plan, Gareth Southgate will manage his 100th England game in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 in Germany next summer. For context, the country can count only two centurion men’s national team managers – Sir Walter Winterbottom (139 matches) and Sir Alf Ramsey (113). Sir Bobby Robson reached 95.
Southgate will take charge of his 90th game against Malta at Wembley on Friday night before his 91st against North Macedonia in Skopje on Monday – the final Euro qualifiers, although England have already qualified. They need results purely to ensure top-seed status for the group-phase draw in Hamburg on 2 December.
