England football pundits puzzled over national coach Gareth Southgate's thoughts. Will the 52-year-old stay and fulfill his contract, which runs until 2024, even after Qatar's bitter World Cup quarter-final defeat by France? Or is Southgate looking for a new challenge after six years at the Three Lions?

Is it after the difficult from the K.o. disappointed professionals, the thing is clear: Southgate should continue and lead England's strong generation to the EM 2024 in Germany.

"I hope he stays. He's been brilliant for us. There's a lot of criticism that isn't justified. He's taken us so far, further than people could have expected," said midfielder Declan Rice after the close 2-1 draw the defending champions, where a missed penalty by captain Harry Kane became decisive. Defender Harry Maguire made a similar statement to Rice. "We players love Gareth, he's been great to each of us," explained Maguire.

Southgate doesn't seem to want to make a quick decision. "I need time to make the right decisions. It's very emotional. You have so many different feelings at a World Cup like this. It takes so much energy, a lot of energy," he said at the press conference on Sunday night. On Sunday, the Three Lions left their team headquarters in Al-Wakra, south of Doha.