Having reached the semi-finals in Russia four years ago and finished runners-up at last summer's European Championship, the Three Lions are among the favourites to lift the trophy this winter.
But things have gone awry at just the wrong time for England, who suffered the ignominy of relegation from the Nations League top tier with a game to spare following Friday's 1-0 loss in Italy.
Southgate was booed by some of the travelling support at the San Siro after a fifth winless match, which ratchets up pressure and scrutiny with the World Cup opener against Iran looming large on November 21.
"I have to accept that," he said of the negative vibe as Qatar approaches. "I think I'm the right person to take the team into the tournament. I think it's more stable that way, without a doubt.
"I don't think Friday's performance was far off and I know that's going to get derision just because we're on the back of a run of defeats.
"But I've got to separate the summer and the circumstances around. the summer from Friday."
This story is from the September 25, 2022 edition of MEN on Sunday.
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This story is from the September 25, 2022 edition of MEN on Sunday.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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