As Gareth Southgate deliberates over his future as England manager, the problem for the FA’s technical director, John McDermott, and chief executive Mark Bullingham is the lack of an obvious successor.
The two most eligible candidates, Eddie Howe and Graham Potter, would be nearly impossible to pry away from Newcastle or Chelsea, respectively.
Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel are both out of work and have expressed an interest in the role, in the former’s case publicly, although it would be brave to appoint an Argentine or German, and it is unclear if either would actually be prepared to walk away from club football when it came to the crunch.
A name which will, therefore, be discussed by McDermott and Bullingham over the coming weeks is Steve Holland, Southgate’s long-time assistant.
Holland, 52, would clearly be the continuity successor and, in the circumstances, there may be merit in not straying far from Southgate’s approach.
England’s performances in Qatar suggest the side is still improving and evolving into a more confident, front-foot team, capable of taking the game to more decorated opponents — as the players did in the quarter-final defeat by France.
Southgate has set England on the right path and, with luck and minor tweaks, the current squad should be well-placed for another serious challenge at Euro 2024.
Pochettino and Tuchel, for example, are world-class coaches but would want to instil a new philosophy in the squad, whereas Holland offers the stability of more of the same.
Steve Holland’s meticulous coaching brain is England’s secret weapon.
Southgate has said Holland’s views on the game “are aligned with mine”, and he would provide a similarly measured, conscientious approach to man-management and dealing with the media.
The former Chelsea assistant is known as a diligent planner and an excellent training ground coach. Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Antonio Conte all kept him on at Stamford Bridge.
“Steve Holland’s meticulous coaching brain is England’s secret weapon,” former Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas has written. “Assistant managers can be undervalued when it comes to handing out praise to people for the performances and results of a team, but, in Steve Holland, England have one of the very best.”
Perhaps, crucially, one thing Holland has that Southgate lacks is a history of being part of winning dressing rooms. In Holland’s eight years assisting seven Chelsea managers, the Blues won two League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup, the Europa League and the Champions League.
The France match was, arguably, an example of an occasion when England lacked a little big-game ruthlessness against a side which knows how to win.
Holland is one of the most successful English coaches in the game, and should be aware of the indefinable qualities needed to not just to get a team in sight of the finish line, as Southgate as done, but to drag it over it.
“I was really fortunate to be at a club where I had the chance to compete for titles,” Holland said last week. “There are only so many clubs fighting for the big titles, so that was a huge learning experience for me. What you do learn in that environment is [what it takes] to win titles, to win cups.”
Being a No1 comes with far more pressure, however, and it is not clear if Holland has the personality or desire to be a manager, let alone an England manager, having spent so long behind the scenes. After nearly a decade by his side, Holland may also see his future as tied to Southgate’s and want to follow him to a club job if the latter no longer has the appetite to lead England.
