How Gareth Southgate can leave his mark on England in caretaker spell

Virtually every manager is charged with being the antithesis of his predecessor. That should be easier for Gareth Southgate than most during his temporary stint in charge of England. It only entails lasting more than one game, avoiding being filmed talking about circumnavigating rules on third-party ownership with fake agents and remembering that the most exciting young forward at his disposal is Marcus Rashford, not Rushford.

Southgate has to avoid embarrassing his employers and, while he once threw up on Crystal Palace chairman Ron Noades, that should present few problems. A polite, eloquent and thoughtful man is equipped to be the public face of the FA. At the risk of tempting fate, he is less likely to suffer the same sort of hubristic fall as Sam Allardyce.

And, somewhere down the list of priorities, he also has to manage the team. It has almost seemed a subplot, given the seemingly simple nature of England’s qualifying campaign and the reality that Allardyce won what was, on paper, the toughest game in the group, 1-0 in Slovakia.

Instead of naming a squad with Kortney Hause, Cauley Woodrow and John Swift, Southgate must swap the Under-21s for the seniors and perm from more established players. He has an opportunity to undo Allardyce’s footballing errors and to shape the direction of the side. A natural diplomat may show the inherent caution of caretakers, who are often reluctant to alter much, but there is a chance to enact change by stealth.

Much of it can come under the category of common sense. Restoring Rashford and Ross Barkley to the squad should be a simple affair not least because, with Harry Kane injured, there is space for another striker. Squads do not necessarily have to contain just 23 names and the mistake of Barkley’s omission can be swiftly rectified.

If there was a sense that Allardyce’s long-running antipathy towards Arsene Wenger contributed to the absence of Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from his party, the reality was that neither was starting regularly. Now the Bournemouth loanee is playing again. He is another who could be added. Luke Shaw’s fitness may mean Ryan Bertrand comes in for him.

But just as Allardyce’s squad bore distinct similarities with Roy Hodgson’s, the shortage of English players in the Premier League means there is little scope for a clearout. Bigger decisions come next Saturday when the side to face Malta is named.

If it was unrealistic to expect Southgate, especially lacking the mandate of managing the team on a long-term basis, to jettison Wayne Rooney altogether, the confirmation he remains the official skipper certainly does not mean he should let him play anywhere he wants, Allardyce-style. Southgate should not start him at all. He can borrow Jose Mourinho’s judgment that a captain is not a mandatory starter and use it to justify his choices. He can recognise that Dele Alli is the most dynamic, most exciting No. 10 in English football now and accept that by granting Rooney preferential treatment, he damages not only the Tottenham talent, but also Barkley. Perhaps, given Bournemouth’s use of the man they borrowed as the most advanced midfielder, Wilshere too.

Allardyce dodged one big decision. He was spared the need to take another when Fraser Forster was ruled out of the Slovakia game. The Southampton goalkeeper is fit again and while Joe Hart has two clean sheets in Serie A, they should not be enough to expunge the memories of his dismal Euro 2016.

Gary Cahill, a common denominator in tournaments when England defended badly, retained his place last month, uncontroversially as Chris Smalling sat out Manchester United’s opening fixtures. Now Smalling is starting again and Cahill embroiled in a personal crisis of confidence. The vice-captain, like the captain, should be demoted. It is not necessary to proclaim regime change and to pronounce this a bright new era. These are decisions which can be argued are examples of pragmatism, taken purely on form.

Revolution can be presented as evolution, but a side should be selected without its three senior figures. All of which creates a vacancy. With Rooney benched, the armband could be tossed to Jordan Henderson, Eric Dier or, preferably, John Stones. It could be seen as a temporary move before England’s next manager, assuming it is not Southgate, commits himself to a long-term choice.

But, in the process, Southgate could exert his influence on the future. A previous caretaker did. Peter Taylor managed one game in November 2000. He recognised that Tony Adams’ and Dennis Wise’s time was up, promoted Rio Ferdinand to the team and made David Beckham skipper for the first time. It was an appointment Sven-Goran Eriksson then ratified. Not all of Taylor’s supposedly progressive moves paid off – Seth Johnson’s first cap was also his last and the unused substitute Michael Ball was not destined for a glorious England career – but it says something for his foresight that the starters he selected went on to win 611 caps between them.

If every England manager is charged with being the new Alf Ramsey, a test none passes and which Allardyce failed sooner than anyone else, Southgate at least has the chance to be the second Peter Taylor.