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Gareth Southgate might have a contract that runs until after the next European Championship in 2024, but the England manager knows he is on thin ice.
The defeat to Italy on Sept. 23 saw the Three Lions relegated from the top tier of the UEFA Nations League as their winless run in 2022 stretched to five games.
England have gone more than 450 minutes without a goal from open play and, if they fail to get a positive result against Germany at Wembley Stadium on Sept. 26, the atmosphere among the home fans could turn toxic.
Southgate admitted before the match: "Contracts are irrelevant in football because managers can have three-, four-, five‑year contracts, and you accept that if results are not good enough, it is time to go your separate ways. Why would I be any different? I am not arrogant enough to think that my contract is going to protect me in any way."
With the 52-year-old's future unclear, who are the leading candidates to become the next permanent England manager?
MORE: Comparing Southgate's England record to past Three Lions managers
The favourite to be the next permanent England manager is Graham Potter, with SkyBet pricing him at just 2/1 to take the role. Those odds seem particularly short given that Potter has only recently taken over from Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea head coach. Tuchel himself is 16/1 to take the Three Lions job.
Next favourite is Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe at 3/1. Former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is out of work at the moment, is at 5/1.
*Updated as of September 26, 2022
MORE: UEFA Nations League 2022 fixtures, results, tables, standings and what's at stake in 2023
With 48 victories from 75 matches in charge, Southgate has a win rate of 64 percent as England manager. Among permanent Three Lions managers to take charge of at least 10 matches, only Fabio Capello (66.7 percent) has a better record.
Southgate, unlike Capello, has performed well at tournaments with the national team. He took England to their first major semifinal since 1996 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where they were eliminated by Croatia. Then, in 2021, he steered England to the Euros final, their first at a major competition since they won the World Cup back in 1966. They were defeated on penalties by Italy at Wembley Stadium following a 1-1 draw.
5 - England have gone five matches without a win for the first time since 2014, and have gone five competitive matches without winning for the first time since 1992. Slump. pic.twitter.com/vKmGzZAmmi— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
However, recent results, coupled with an uninspiring style of play, have seen critics round on Southgate. The defeat to Italy stretched England's winless run in 2022 to five matches, just one short of their worst such run, set back in 1993. Should they fail to score against Germany on Sept. 26, they will be on a four-game scoreless run for the first time since 1981.
*Minimum of 10 matches in charge of England
