England and their manager Gareth Southgate fell short once more, losing 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 24 final. Spain gave England a lesson in attacking football, dominating possession and controlling the match for long periods. The Spanish are the deserving champions of Europe for a record fourth time. And England? They hardly turned up, only coming to life after they went behind early in the second half to a goal from Spain’s man of the match, Nico Williams. Even when England equalised, thanks to a brilliant goal from the substitute Cole Palmer, Spain didn’t miss a beat. The match-winner, scored by Mikel Oyarzabal in the 86th minute, had a certain inevitability about it.
Southgate has still not managed to impose any distinct style of play
So, the interminable wait goes on for England to win a major international tournament: 58 years and counting. This defeat must surely signal the end of Southgate’s reign as England manager. He has done many good things in his eight-year spell in charge of the national team but ultimately football is about winning – and Southgate, however cruel it may sound, is not a winner. His cautious and negative mindset is at odds with the attack-minded, fluid tactics employed by the best in the game.
Why did it go so badly wrong for England in the final? They got off to a nervy start, playing quite deep and handing possession to Spain. It was to prove the story of the first 45 minutes. Spain’s energetic pressing meant England struggled to get out of their own half. Kane looked heavy-legged, which was a worry so early in the match. The only good news was that somehow they got to halftime ended goalless. The statistics told their own story: Spain had 70 per cent possession. But there was still hope for England at that point. Surely they would come alive in the second half? If only.
The critical moment in this match came within two minutes when Nico Williams put the ball in the net for Spain. Lamine Yamal sent the ball across the penalty area to Williams, who guided it first time past Pickford on the run. Almost immediately, Olmo had a chance to kill the game off but his shot went wide of the post. Spain was all over England. Watching on, it was just possible to hope that going behind might finally get England going. It didn’t.
Spain created chance after chance while England struggled. It was time for the cavalry, first Ollie Watkins and then Cole Palmer. Palmer scored a brilliant equaliser within minutes of coming on. England didn’t deserve to be level but no one cared. Perhaps, we thought, the final might yet turn out to be the familiar story in this tournament: the team somehow hanging on, looking down and out, and then a moment of magic? Hope returned to English hearts. It didn’t last long, though. Oyarzabal scored the winner four minutes from time. No great injustice was done in Berlin: Spain were simply too good for England.
After the match, Southgate refused to be drawn on his future. He told ITV: ‘I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision like that. I’m going to talk to the right people and, yeah, it’s just not for now.’ He has certainly earned the right to take time to think through his options but he must surely know that his race is run.
England were, at best, a moments team in this tournament: 25 minutes of playing well in the opener against Serbia, and another 35 minutes or so against the Netherlands in the semi-final. This isn’t good enough by any measure. Southgate has still not managed to impose any distinct style of play. He has many qualities, including loyalty and empathy, and has shown great resilience and decency in what has long been dubbed the impossible job.
The wise course of action now would be to walk away, with his head held high and his reputation enhanced as someone who made England contenders again. His record in the last four tournaments – semi-final, final, quarter-final and another final – is an achievement far greater than many of those who have preceded him. Only Sir Alf Ramsey and the great 1966 World Cup win eclipses him. Even so, the brutal truth is that Southgate hasn’t turned England into winners. Time for someone else to have a go.
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