Next England manager: Is this the FA’s chance to get Guardiola? | OneFootball

England were so cowardly in defeat against Argentina that there are calls for Thomas Tuchel to be sacked. So who would come next?

Many are pinning England’s most painful semi-final defeat on the manager after his defensive tactics backfired.

Emotions are running high in the immediate aftermath but there is a clamour for Tuchel to go after England wasted a chance to end 60 years of hurt.

If the German does depart, who should take over?

Here are the top 10 favourites according to the bookmakers’ odds…

10) Sir Gareth Southgate

Many judge Southgate harshly in hindsight but Tuchel’s tactics against Argentina illustrate again that perhaps we don’t know how good we had it.

Of course, Southgate isn’t coming back – not only to the England job, but probably not to football management.

9) Steven Gerrard

Tactics Thomas hasn’t worked; maybe it’s time to go in the opposite different direction with Gerrard?

Few know better the pressure of playing for England, and Southgate had little more going for him that Gerrard does right now when he was appointed. We’re not selling it, are we?

8) Kieran McKenna

The Northern Irishman is available. And that’s as much of a case as we can make for him.

7) Graham Potter

Potter has recently extended his contract with Sweden until 2030, and he’s probably buzzing off being out of the English spotlight after chastening experiences with Chelsea and West Ham.

Prior to those jobs, he looked like an England boss in waiting. You could give him the excuse that both clubs are circuses for managers but perhaps that reflects poorly on his judgement. He seems perfectly content where he is, so let’s leave him there and maybe check in again further down the line.

6) Carlo Ancelotti

Ancelotti is certainly not sitting as comfortably in the Brazil hotseat after the manner of the World Cup exit to Norway. Romario is among those demanding he be sacked. He’d even take the Italian to court for, well, we’re not sure.

So Ancelotti is well versed in dealing with the nonsense and noise that goes with being England manager, not only from his foray into international football with Brazil, but all the huge jobs he’s had in club football.

At this point, we’d suggest he’s better suited to the England job than the one he currently has.

5) Frank Lampard

The Coventry manager has just signed a three-year contract with the Sky Blues having led them back to the Premier League, but we’re quite sure he’d ask to be excused if England came calling.

Lampard has the same England playing pedigree as Gerrard but is perhaps even more of an FA man. His coaching credentials, though, don’t quite stack up yet for the job at this particular time.

4) Mauricio Pochettino

After that, the nation is simply not ready for an Argentine England manager. Not yet, lads.

But Pochettino would make an intriguing candidate. The bulk of his managerial career was spent in England – successfully for the most part – and he plays a front-footed style of football that the public pines for.

We suspect, though, that Poch fancies a club gig next.

3) Lee Carsley

Hiring a company man worked for the FA when they stumbled upon Southgate when he stepped up to replace a bigger name. Might they be tempted to turn the same trick now another flashy foreigner hasn’t worked?

Carsley, though, isn’t Southgate. He doesn’t seem to have the same gravitas – Gareth had some – and the absence of experience at club level means he remains largely untested.

We’re sure he will manage England, but as a caretaker again, sometime perhaps not in the distant future.

2) Eddie Howe

Wor Eddie is clinging on a bit at Newcastle and life up there doesn’t look set to get any easier for the ex-Bournemouth manager. Might now be the perfect time to take his mate Mad Dog on to the global stage?

Howe would be a reassuringly safe appointment for an FA board probably scared now to look beyond the border. Unless this fella fancies it…

1) Pep Guardiola

The FA will surely know that opportunities to hire Guardiola don’t come along very often and now he’s left City, is this their chance?

Pep fancies the job, apparently, but could he really get his methods across with the access an international manager is limited to? There’s only one way to find out.