Dan Childs: Potter should be trusted to pick up the pieces

Gareth Southgate often divided the crowd with his cautious approach to managing the England team but he put the nation first with his swift resignation and it will be down to the FA to plot a path forward and continue to work towards ending the Three Lions' 58-year wait for major tournament success.

England's competitive schedule continues in September when they travel to Dublin to take on the Republic of Ireland at the start of their Nations League campaign but there is a longer wait until the start of World Cup qualifying in March 2025 and that may provide the decision-makers with greater scope when it comes to selecting Southgate's replacement.

Qualifying for the expanded 2026 World Cup, which will feature a record 48 teams, should not be too much of a problem, but England will be expected to make a big impression on the tournament and their chances may hinge on getting the right manager.

Making that right choice will depend on having a brutally honest assessment of the last eight years.

Southgate has been rightly praised for his efforts and his record at major tournaments makes for impressive reading.

History was made at Euro 2020 when England reached a first European Championship final and it was updated again last week when the Three Lions appeared in their maiden major tournament final on foreign soil.

But there was no repeat of the public euphoria which followed England's run to the semi-finals at the 1990 World Cup and the reluctance to go overboard was understandable because there was a sense that another great opportunity had been missed.

England went into Euro 2024 as competition favourites due to the high level of individual quality in their squad, but it soon became clear that the style of football was unsuited to many of the key players and an ignominious round-of-16 elimination to Slovakia – similar to the Iceland experience at Euro 2016 – was narrowly avoided only by a moment of Jude Bellingham brilliance.

England improved and worked their way through the softer section of the draw but they were nowhere near the level required to beat Spain in the final and could have no complaints at the outcome.

Losing to a team as accomplished as Spain was no disgrace but the manner of the defeat left fans wanting more.

And, while England were second-best in Berlin, their general performances indicated that they would have struggled to cope with several other teams in Spain's side of the draw.

England were not among the five best teams to compete in Germany this summer and the style of play, with and without the ball, needs a massive rethink.

Spain have some excellent technicians but their superb second-half performance against England was delivered without injured midfielders Pedri and Rodri, who were widely acclaimed as two of their best players.

La Roja's task was made far too easy by an ultra-cautious England approach.

While England's players were presented with an intense Spanish press, the opposite was usually the case at the other end and Luis de la Fuente's side were afforded ample time to knock the ball about and build attacks at their own pace.

England could have been braver on the ball, but their biggest downfall was their out-of-possession work, which needs to be completely revamped if they are to seriously challenge the top dogs of international football.

Many of England's regular players are used to playing a possession-based, pressing game with their clubs and they need a manager to reflect those ideals.

There are plenty of suitable candidates but there is an understandable desire to find an English successor and Graham Potter would fit the bill.

The 49-year-old undoubtedly made huge strides at Brighton, who finished ninth in the 2021-22 Premier League - his final full season with the club - and the club ranked fourth highest for average possession with a total of 54.3 per cent.

Like so many other managers Potter failed to last long at Chelsea, but he would surely be given a lot more time and scope to shape the England team and his methods might  bring about the change which could allow a talented generation to take that final step towards glory.

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.