Soccer-Southgate presses pause but rewind will lead to questions

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Final - Italy v England - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - July 11, 2021 England manager Gareth Southgate applauds fans after the match next to the trophy Pool via REUTERS/John Sibley

LONDON (Reuters) - England manager Gareth Southgate certainly has a well tuned sense for judging the mood and avoiding the traps that some of his predecessors have fallen into.

So with England fans still digesting the bitter reality of their penalty shootout defeat by Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 final, his political skills were put to good use in Monday's news conference.