England have a squad capable of winning the World Cup but not under manager Gareth Southgate, according to Adam Catterall.
Southgate is preparing for his third major tournament with the Three Lions, who will face the United States, Iran and one of Scotland, Wales or Ukraine in their group in Qatar.
England reached the semi-finals of the last World Cup under Southgate, who then guided the team to the final of Euro 2020 where they narrowly lost on penalties to Italy.
But despite his strong record in tournaments, Southgate is yet to fully win over a section of England's support, which includes talkSPORT presenter Catterall.
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“England, player for player, have the boys to win the World Cup. They’ve got the players. I don’t think they’ve got the manager,” Catterall said on talkSPORT.
Former England international striker Carlton Cole disagrees with Catterall, saying: “That’s not fair.”
Catterall then responds: “No it is fair. I was having a little joke earlier on about the run of games that England have had in tournament football recently and we haven’t won anything.
“And people come up to me and say ‘what are you talking about man? We got to the semi-final, got to the final and no we’re at the stage were everybody is excited, we’re playing some good stuff, there is a buzz about England.’
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“I’m not denying any of that. We’ve got loads of young talent, a plethora of players for every single position. Some lads are going to be really unlucky and miss out, and we all think they should definitely be going to the World Cup.
“But in-game management. Has Gareth Southgate proved to you that he’s got what it takes, with his in-game management, when it hits the fan, when we need a little bit of something, when we need a sprinkle of magic… has he proved to you that he change the course of a football match?”
Catterall later doubled down on his comments, writing on Twitter: “I stand by this. I hope I’m massively wrong.”
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Catterall has split opinion on social media, with some England fans agreeing with him and others keen to defend Southgate.
“Correct. We got there despite Southgate not because of him,” wrote one fan on Twitter.
Another commented: “Semi-final in World Cup 2018 and final in euros but he’s not good enough! Hate this logic.”
Can Southgate lead England to World Cup glory in Qatar? Let us know your thoughts.
Topics: England, Football World Cup, Football, Gareth Southgate
Rory O'Callaghan