Connect with us

Culture

Spain vs England: Where the Euro 2024 final could be won and lost

Published

on

Spain vs England: Where the Euro 2024 final could be won and lost

After 28 days of drama and more than 80 hours of football, 24 teams have been filtered down to two. There is only one more game to play.

Spain and England prepare for battle at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday evening, meeting for the first time since 2018 to fight for the European Championship title — and there are some thrilling narratives to sift through.

How do you stop Spain’s relentless wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams? Have England become predictably unpredictable? Can you cut off Spain’s supply at source? England substitutions…. discuss.

The Athletic profiles the finalists’ strengths and weaknesses, the key battles, and the many sub-plots in your definitive tactical guide to the Euro 2024 final.

Advertisement

No one can begrudge Spain making it to the final.

After their 2-1 semi-final victory over France, Luis de la Fuente’s side became the first nation to win six matches in a single edition of the European Championships. They needed extra time against Germany but have otherwise dispatched each opponent in 90 minutes with the authority of ‘un viejo’ (an old man) swatting a fly away from his tapas.

With nine different goalscorers, Spain’s attacking threat has come from all over the pitch but it is clear where they possess the most danger.

Williams and Yamal have lit up this tournament on either flank, with their purposeful running and relentless dribbling dragging their side forward with their counter-attacking threat. The dynamic duo are responsible for 46 per cent of Spain’s total attempted take-ons this tournament.

Advertisement

The prodigious Yamal became the youngest scorer in European Championship history (16 years, 362 days) after his incredible semi-final goal against France.

It was a strike that could easily win goal of the tournament and you cannot say that France were not warned. Yamal’s tendency to cut inside onto his stronger left foot and curl a shot to the far post has become Arjen Robben-esque — you know what he is about to do but stopping it is another task altogether.

And here he is doing that a few times for Spain as an even younger child…

Beyond his shooting, Yamal’s creative threat has stood out the most. No Spanish player has logged more than his 11 open-play chances created and it is his wicked delivery to the back post that has consistently posed a threat.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Perfection, by Lamine Yamal

Against France, Fabian Ruiz should have done better from Yamal’s inviting cross but those whipped balls have become a trademark of the teenager — if that is even possible at his tender age — having assisted two goals using the same technique. He consistently cuts onto his stronger foot in the left channel or half-space and delivers a perfectly weighted ball to the oncoming team-mate crashing the box.

Opponents should not be surprised, given the near-identical deliveries he has provided for his club Barcelona across the past 12 months.

While Yamal received the plaudits for his performance on the right wing on Tuesday, it is down the left flank that Spain have most commonly channelled their attack this summer.

Advertisement

Against France, 59 per cent of their attacking touches came in the left third of the pitch — the second-highest share of any Euro 2024 game — with Spain seeing a notable tilt in their approach across the tournament. While 30 per cent of their overall attacking touches have come from Yamal’s right flank, 45 per cent have come down the left.

Why? Well, largely due to the attacking attributes on each side of the pitch. Where Yamal thrives off facing his opponent up in a one-v-one situation, Williams has been excellent at combining with left-back Marc Cucurella to overload their opponents on that side.

This is shown neatly in Spain’s passing network from their semi-final clash with France.

The rotations between Williams and Cucurella have been crucial to Spain’s attack. Sometimes, it will be the 21-year-old isolating his opposite number in the left channel (white) as Cucurella occupies the left half-space (red)…

…while other times, the pair will switch, as Cucurella hugs the touchline and Williams offers a penetrative run in behind between the opposition full-back and centre-back.

Advertisement

How can England stop Spain’s danger in wide areas?

In short, with great difficulty. England’s flexibility to shift to a back five in their quarter-final and semi-final clashes will be crucial as they look to condense the space across the width of the field.

In particular, Bukayo Saka’s energy will be required to protect England’s right side against Spain’s left-sided rotations. Saka came in for praise from his manager for his defensive discipline against the Netherlands on Wednesday evening, shifting his role out of possession according to the tactical tweaks made by the Dutch.

“The players made so many good decisions on the field,” Southgate said after the game.

“People like Bukayo Saka; the defensive responsibility he had. He started defending as a wing-back, then he had to go into midfield to defend, then he had to defend as a winger. There was so many things like that going on all night but I was really pleased with the quality of our play.”

Advertisement

Communication with Kyle Walker was crucial to such defensive discipline against the Netherlands. As shown below, Saka drops into a back five before Walker directs him to jump out to close Dutch midfielder Joey Veerman — allowing Walker to shuffle across to Cody Gakpo and retain England’s back four.

It is a simple yet vital action to ensure that the opposition does not progress further. You can easily substitute this situation out for Cucurella and Williams.

By the same token, England should be empowered to attack Spain’s left flank and target Cucurella’s defensive frailties — especially with the attacking prowess that Saka has shown in this tournament.

Cucurella has had a decent summer in a Spain shirt but has not been convincing at club level since making the move to Chelsea from Brighton in 2022. Of the chances that Spain have conceded, 42 per cent have come down their left flank compared with 24 per cent down their right — and the 25-year-old has often been the weak link, whether it is defending back-post crosses, including Spain’s concessions against Germany and France…

…or failing to block crosses himself from his own flank.

Advertisement

With nearly every England player having faced Cucurella in the Premier League, they will be familiar with his shortcomings out of possession. Preying upon them would be a decision that could prove lucrative.


Spain’s wingers have grabbed the headlines but their midfield engine has allowed them to hit top gear.

The partnership of Rodri and Ruiz has been near-perfect, giving freedom to Pedri and — more recently — Dani Olmo to pick up pockets of space between the lines.

Rodri is a man operating at the peak of his powers in the past 18 months, with a consistency that is so impressive that we are in danger of taking it for granted. Spain’s No 16 has made 403 passes in this tournament with a completion rate of 94 per cent. Let that sink in.

Coupled with the box-crashing, technical quality of Ruiz, Rodri has the capacity to catalyse the attack or act as the release valve under pressure — scaling up or down however he sees fit.

Advertisement

Breaking down Spain’s open-play shot-ending sequences, you can be confident that this formidable pair will have their fingerprints on their nation’s attack at some stage.

Therefore, stopping that midfield pairing will go a long way to stopping Spain’s fluid approach at source.

How might England do that? Well, Germany provided a decent blueprint in the first half of their quarter-final clash, with midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Emre Can going man-for-man on Rodri and Fabian Ruiz during Spain’s build-up — preventing the pair from dictating the play.

There were countless examples where Germany pressed aggressively to ensure that neither received the ball in their own third. This forced the Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon to frequently launch the ball long, often conceding possession in the process.

If England can maintain similar discipline across the full game — potentially dropping Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden on the Spanish midfielders — it could prevent Spain’s engine from purring.

Advertisement

The issue is that De la Fuente’s side have a double threat in their approach. Step off them and they can look after possession for long periods. Try to get tight to them and they can punish you with their directness in wide areas.


Spain might be the standout favourites but England will arrive in Berlin as the more experienced nation in recent major tournaments.

The Spanish have not reached the final of the Euros since they won it in 2012 while Southgate has made it back-to-back finals and England are looking to overcome the disappointment of their loss to Italy in 2021.

A diplomatic appraisal would be that England have been confusing this summer. There have been flashes of cohesion in possession — particularly in the first half against the Dutch — but the overriding conclusion has been that Southgate’s side have shown strengths in individual moments rather than their general performance.

The speed of England’s forward play has been a huge source of frustration among fans and the numbers support their grievances.

Advertisement

Here, we can look at each nation’s “direct speed”, which outlines how fast they typically advance the ball towards goal (in metres per second). A higher number indicates a team more willing to get the ball forward quickly. Additionally, we can explore how much a team likes to keep hold of the ball when they have it, measured by “passes per sequence”. More passes per sequence suggests a more considered build-up: knocking the ball around more during a given possession rather than a quick hoof upfield.

Comparing England’s style to the remaining 23 teams, their approach in possession has been careful, risk-averse and lacking in bite for much of the tournament.

A high-possession style does not have to be a bad thing but England have not matched their on-ball dominance with attacking threat. Among all last-16 nations, only Romania and Georgia (0.7 per 90) averaged a lower non-penalty expected goals than England’s 0.72 per 90.

The highest nation on the list? That would be Spain, generating chances worthy of 1.8 goals per 90 across their six games.

Southgate’s tactical acumen has been questioned at times but his tweak to England’s system has provided a greater foundation in the past two games — particularly given the mixed efficacy of their pressing high up the field.

Advertisement

A move to a 3-4-2-1 has suited Saka, Foden and Bellingham in particular, with greater balance in attacks and greater protection in defence.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

England’s change of shape against Switzerland worked – to a point – thanks to Bukayo Saka

Where things have still not quite clicked is with Harry Kane. England’s captain scored the crucial equaliser against the Netherlands, notching his sixth goal in the knockout stages of this tournament — more than any other player in European Championship history.

Notwithstanding his world-class quality in front of goal, Kane’s fitness and form has come under greater scrutiny considering the impact of Ollie Watkins on Wednesday evening.

At the risk of cherry-picking examples, it is Kane’s lack of inclination to run in behind that allows the opposition to squeeze the pitch at times. In the example below, Kane shimmies towards Bellingham on the ball (white arrow) despite a gap opening up between Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake (black arrow/area).

Advertisement

The situation is different but Watkins’ desire to run beyond the last line is not only crucial to his goal but it gives Cole Palmer the option to make that pass — running into space to stretch the opposition defence. Kane does not make those kinds of runs.

Kane is certainly not going to be dropped for the final but England might need both options to be true against Spain — a player who can drop in and overload central areas, but also a player who can stretch the defence.


Southgate’s substitutions have drawn scrutiny this summer — in both selection and timing.

Ultimately, his decisions have been validated in recent games. Ivan Toney’s late arrival proved crucial for England’s equaliser against Slovakia while the introduction of Palmer and Watkins was an inspired choice as the two combined for England’s winner against Netherlands.

That being said, the numbers don’t lie. Southgate has not given ample opportunity for his substitutions to settle into the game, with an average substitution time of 80 minutes being the second-latest of the sides to make it beyond the group stage.

Advertisement

This is particularly telling when considering that a lot of this time has been when England have been in a losing or drawing game state. Southgate’s side have spent just 22 per cent of the time in a winning game-state, compared with Spain’s 58 per cent — the highest of any nation. If things are not going to plan in Berlin, Southgate’s form suggests he is more likely to stick than twist.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Gareth Southgate has plenty of options on the bench – why is he so slow to use them?

Sure, England have not been free-flowing or convincing for a full game across the whole tournament, but maybe that is OK. In a contest where the margins are tight and individual quality counts for a lot, pragmatism can actually go a long way.

At club level, you only need to look as far as Champions League winners Real Madrid to know that having a rigid structure in and out of possession can be overrated in knockout football.

A closing thought on Sunday’s final would be to credit both managers’ commitment to their respective national set-up from the youth team to the national side.

Advertisement

De la Fuente coached Spain to the European Championship title at under-19 level (2016) and under-21 level (2019), and has the opportunity to complete a hat-trick with his senior squad. Meanwhile, Southgate’s commitment to the English FA dates back to 2013, leading England under-21s in the 2015 European Championship before his promotion to the senior set-up in 2016.

Both managers have been crucial to the promotion of youth within their national set-up and should be celebrated for the talent on show in Sunday’s final.

May the best team win.

(Photos: Getty Images/Design: Eamonn Dalton)

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Culture

Do You Know These Movies Based on Shakespeare’s Plays?

Published

on

Do You Know These Movies Based on Shakespeare’s Plays?

The works of William Shakespeare have inspired countless performances and interpretations over the centuries, but some films show their Shakepearean roots more clearly than others. The challenge here is to identify a handful of those movies in this week’s edition of Great Adaptations, the Book Review’s regular multiple-choice quiz about books and stories that have gone on to find new life in the form of films, television shows, theatrical productions and other formats.

Just tap or click your answers to the five questions below. And scroll down after you finish the last question for links to the plays and their screen adaptations.

3 of 5

“The Taming of the Shrew,” Shakespeare’s controversial comedy about gender roles, has been adapted multiple times for the stage and screen, with the 1999 teen rom-com “10 Things I Hate About You,” the 1948 Broadway musical “Kiss Me, Kate” and the 1986 “Atomic Shakespeare” episode of the television series “Moonlighting” all tapping into the storyline of a volatile couple and their relationship. Which of these films is also based on the play?

Continue Reading

Culture

Shock, fear, euphoria and heartbreak: The story of England's Euro 2024

Published

on

Shock, fear, euphoria and heartbreak: The story of England's Euro 2024

It was past midnight in Berlin and, in the bowels of the Olympiastadion, one England player after another emerged from the dressing room in stony-faced silence. Some heads were bowed, some hoods were pulled up. There goes Harry Kane. There goes Jude Bellingham. There goes Phil Foden. There goes Declan Rice.

It was a night of long walks for England’s players. First, the miserable trudge to the podium, where the European Championship trophy was adorned in red and yellow ribbons — look if you want, but walk on by. Then down staircases to the dressing room, where tears were shed. Now this: a circuitous route to the exit, where a bus was waiting to whisk them off into the night, their dreams of glory dashed once again in a 2-1 defeat by Spain.

Few of them were willing to chat. One who did was John Stones, who described his emotions as “mental torture”. “You think, ‘Could I have done this? Could I have done that? What if this happened?’,” the Manchester City defender said, reflecting on Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner. “You can play so many scenarios around in your head.”

But defeat had been coming. There had been moments of euphoria as England stumbled through the knockout stage, but in some ways, it was the least convincing of their four major tournaments under Gareth Southgate. They spent more time teetering on the edge of calamity than glory.


Stones passes the trophy, which now belongs to Spain (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

It was a strange campaign in so many ways. Southgate repeatedly spoke about the “noise” that was so difficult to overcome, but in the end, there was silence. The only noise was the fiesta coming from Spain’s dressing room down the corridor.

Advertisement

Stones spoke of pride in everything England’s players had done in Germany — “how we handled ourselves, how we gave everyone these memories” — but said that ultimately “it’s just sad”. It felt that way watching them leave, particularly youngsters like Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer, who hadn’t experienced disappointment like this before.

For Southgate, Kane and others, the long lonely walk was achingly familiar.

To tell this story of England’s summer The Athletic has spent the past month speaking to multiple people close to the camp, many of whom have chosen to remain anonymous to protect their relationships.


Five and a half weeks before the final, Kane and Southgate went for another walk. This one was at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground, where England were gathered before their final pre-tournament warm-up match.

Advertisement

Kane was worried. He and some of his team-mates were in a state of shock after Southgate, having already left Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford out of his pre-tournament squad, omitted Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish from the final group of 26.

Southgate had not enjoyed informing youngsters James Trafford, Jarrad Branthwaite, Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones they had missed the final cut, but they always hoped for inclusion rather than expected it. James Maddison knew the writing was on the wall. Leaving out Maguire and Grealish was going to be much harder.

Maguire knew he faced a race against time, having missed the final weeks of Manchester United’s season with a calf injury. But even after a slight setback, the defender felt he would be fit by England’s third group game. He was shocked when Southgate told him he was out of the final squad. Maguire insisted he would be fit. Southgate told him he couldn’t take the risk.

Grealish was equally stunned. He had made a positive impact from the bench in the friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina three days earlier and hoped he would be involved in the final warm-up match against Iceland at Wembley, but he too was summoned by Southgate and told he had not made the cut.


Kane and Southgate spoke after a final squad selection that left many players shocked (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Maddison left the camp almost immediately. Maguire and Grealish hung around, still shocked. In both cases, that sense of shock was shared by team-mates. Some visited Grealish in his bedroom, expressing disbelief. Rice said in a news conference he was “gutted” that Maddison and Grealish, “two of my best mates in the squad”, had been left out.

Advertisement

Beyond personal feelings, some players simply felt Grealish should have been included because of his quality and big-game experience. He had barely figured in the final weeks of the season at Manchester City, but he started both legs of a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid in April. If Pep Guardiola was willing to trust him in big games, why was he suddenly surplus to Southgate’s requirements? Was it personal? Something else?

Grealish wished all his team-mates good luck before he left the camp, but he was in no mood for pleasantries with Southgate. He was shocked and deeply upset. It left a bittersweet feeling among some of the players as they received confirmation of their call-ups. For many, it was not a happy camp that evening.


Grealish and Maddison were both left out of the final squad (Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Kane was keen to discuss the matter with Southgate so that he could better understand the decision and relay the manager’s thoughts to the rest of the squad. On that walk, Southgate tried to explain his reasoning.

The following evening, England were beaten by Iceland at Wembley in their final warm-up game. There were boos at full time from those who stayed long enough. England had only one shot on target all evening.

For the first time under Southgate, the mood inside and outside the squad felt far from optimal as they set off for a major tournament.

Advertisement

No stone had been left unturned by the FA the staff at their base in Blankenhain in the former East Germany, just over 60 miles from the border with the Czech Republic.

The Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land had everything from a basketball court, a padel court and a games room, to spa pools, ice baths, relaxation pods and cryotherapy chambers. There were two 18-hole golf courses, to the delight of Kane and others, as well as golf and driving simulators. Each player’s bedroom was decorated with home comforts, family photographs and letters written by loved ones. There was artwork commissioned of various players’ pets, some of them wearing England shirts.

Meals were prepared by Danny Schwabe, the resort’s Michelin-starred chef. It even smelt like home; FA officials had brought diffusers from St George’s Park, their English training base, to make the players feel more at home.

At one time, England players would complain about being shut away in their bedrooms at tournaments. Under Southgate, they spend most of their time in communal areas, whether around the pool (between matches of volleyball and water polo) or around the big screen, watching the other matches, or in the games room or the juice bar. Lewis Dunk and masseur Ben Mortlock set to work on the Lego kits the FA had provided, quickly building the Hogwarts Castle set from Harry Potter.

There was a different dynamic to this squad: no Raheem Sterling, no Henderson, no Sterling, no Maguire, no Rashford, no Grealish.

Advertisement

Some of the personalities within the squad were well established: Kane a quiet leader, Jordan Pickford exuberant, Rice as infectiously enthusiastic off the pitch as on it, Bellingham exuding alpha male energy, Bukayo Saka the universally loved “starboy”. Others would emerge as the tournament went on, not least “Uncle” Marc Guehi, mature beyond his 24 years, and youngsters like Palmer and Mainoo.


Gallagher’s midfield inclusion was curtailed by Southgate (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)

A favourite pastime was “Werewolf”, from which the TV series “The Traitors” is adapted. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bellingham, fiercely competitive in everything they do, were the main players — something they referenced with their celebration when Bellingham scored against Serbia to get England’s campaign off to a winning start.

But their performance that day in Gelsenkirchen was unconvincing. England hadn’t hit the ground running the way Germany and Spain had. After a dominant first half-hour, featuring Bellingham’s goal, they had just 44 per cent of the possession and managed just two more shots on target.

There were other concerns. Southgate’s use of Alexander-Arnold in an unfamiliar midfield role had not paid off. The balance wasn’t right. The manager expressed worries afterwards about the physical condition of his players.

Next was a 1-1 draw with Denmark in Frankfurt. Again, there was a lack of fluency and cohesion. Alexander-Arnold was substituted again, this time just 10 minutes into the second half. Southgate seemed to have pulled the plug on that experiment and was now ready to try Conor Gallagher instead.

Advertisement

The team’s energy levels were a real concern now. Southgate spoke of “limitations” in their ability to press because of the “physical profile of the team”. Kane, for his part, said England’s players were “not sure how to put the pressure on and who’s supposed to be going” when the opposition have the ball.

A day later, a report appeared in the London Times detailing the coaching staff’s concerns about the deficiencies in the team’s pressing game, but specifically about Kane. The report detailed conversations Southgate’s coaching staff had previously had with Kane, explaining to him that when pressing an opponent, he has to be at top speed when he reaches them. Kane, the report said, “has never been able to do this. He moves at half-speed towards his opponent, slowing down as he gets there”.


Kane scored against Denmark but was later criticised (Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images)

The report was by David Walsh, who ghost-wrote a book with Southgate two decades ago and was billed recently as “the journalist who knows him best”. The line about Kane’s pressing might have been historic, or might not have come from Southgate, but it was strikingly specific.

Kane ended the tournament with three goals, sharing the Golden Boot award, but he looked uncomfortable throughout. There were frequent suggestions that he was struggling with the back injury that curtailed his season at Bayern Munich, but publicly, he insisted he was fit.

The issues were piling up, but the biggest of them, according to Southgate, was the one that escalated in the following days.

Advertisement

As much as Southgate was worried about his team’s energy levels, their lack of cohesion, their lack of creative spark and the struggles of Kane, what troubled him most post-Denmark was what he called an “unusual environment”.

This was his fourth tournament as England manager and it was the first time he felt tension in the air. He spoke of “noise” and the difficulty players had in trying to shut it out.

There was still a warmth to media engagements at the team’s base in Blankenhain — built around the now traditional daily player-versus-reporter darts challenge — but some of the players felt they were under attack from former England players including Gary Lineker, who, on his podcast The Rest Is Football, called the performance against Denmark “s***”.

Kane hit back at the pundits, saying they had a “responsibility” to consider the impact of their words on a group of players — some of them at their first tournament — who were already under intense pressure.

At this point, there were whispers from inside the camp about whether Southgate had erred by leaving Henderson, Maguire and others behind. Even if they were not going to get much playing time, some players wondered whether their personalities and experience might have helped bring a sense of calm.

Advertisement

According to those briefed on the matter, one player told a member of Southgate’s staff he had “never known anything like” the criticism the team faced after the Denmark draw, particularly on social media. There had been a backlash after 0-0 draws with Scotland at Euro 2020 and the United States at the World Cup in 2022, but nothing on this scale. Kane was getting stick, but so were Bellingham, Rice, Foden, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and others.

Gareth Southgate, England, Denmark

Southgate was troubled by the reaction of his players to the draw with Denmark (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

There was also unrest when one newspaper accompanied Walker’s former mistress, the mother of his 10-month-old son, to the game against Denmark. Another player’s marriage was also the subject of media speculation.

The players always look forward to spending time with their families the day after a game, but Kane said some of them felt a seven-hour “fun day”, with bouncy castles and inflatable slides laid on for the children, had been a “bit too long”. “We might cut down on that in future,” he said — and they did.

In the days after the Denmark game, Southgate showed his players some footage from the final whistle in Frankfurt. He openly challenged the players over their body language, telling them, “They (Denmark) are on two points, we’re on four. They’re celebrating with their fans, we’re on our knees.”

Southgate felt their reaction, symptomatic of that “unusual environment”, had fuelled an outside perception of a failing campaign. But the environment got worse before it got better.

Advertisement

First came the boos and jeers. Then, as Southgate made a point of applauding the fans at the end of a dismal 0-0 draw with Slovenia in Cologne, came a stream of insults as the air turned blue. Finally, there were some plastic beer cups thrown in the manager’s direction, which shocked him.

England’s place in the knockout stage was already secure before they kicked a ball against Slovenia, but the mood darkened at the final whistle. It was aimed primarily at Southgate, but the players felt it, too. Ezri Konsa told reporters that some of the players’ family members had been “hit with a few drinks. My brother was hit, a few others. It was coming from all angles”.

So was the criticism. The team just wasn’t working. Bellingham, Saka, Foden and Kane were all struggling. Rice was carrying a heavy load in midfield. There were issues with the balance of the team — the blend in midfield, the lack of width in attack, the absence of a specialist left-back with Luke Shaw still sidelined — but what troubled Southgate above all was what he again referred to as an “unusual environment”.

He reflected after Cologne that the difference in mood was “probably because of me” and that this was now “creating a bit of an issue for the group”.

There were players Southgate felt he had to take aside. They included Alexander-Arnold, who had been cast aside after two games in midfield, and Gallagher, who was deeply disappointed at being substituted at half-time against Slovenia. Southgate assured both players they would still have important contributions to make, even if they were from the bench. He was pleased by both players’ response over the rest of the tournament.

But Southgate detected an underlying angst within the group. He didn’t go into specifics at the time, but two weeks later, having turned a corner, he was willing to acknowledge it publicly.

“I’ve talked to a lot of psychologists over the years and one of the things that human beings want to avoid is public embarrassment,” he told ITV Sport. “We had a little bit of that mindset in the group stage. We weren’t free. We were too aware of the noise around us.”

One player seemed more aware than anyone. Bellingham’s man-of-the-match performance against Serbia was followed by indifferent displays against Denmark and Slovenia. He was said by those familiar with the team environment to be acutely aware of every word said or written about him in the media. Any criticism of his performances seemed nuanced, but he would later refer to a “pile-on”.

His demeanour was the subject of murmurs. That “Hey Jude” Adidas advert, which portrayed him as the national team’s saviour, was well received by the public, but some within the camp felt the tone was at odds with the collective ethos of Southgate’s England.

Advertisement

Bellingham has followed a different path to his England team-mates: eschewing the Premier League to go from Birmingham City to Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid. He was fast-tracked through the England development teams without spending much time with others in his age group. Other than a close friendship with Alexander-Arnold, he does not have as many strong connections within the squad as others do.

On the eve of the tournament, Bellingham was promoted to the team’s “leadership group” with Kane, Walker and Rice. But his leadership did not extend to attending any of the daily outside media duties at Blankenhain, whereas less experienced players, including some on the fringes of the squad, such as Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Adam Wharton, faced up and answered awkward questions on the team’s behalf.

This was picked up on by former England captain Wayne Rooney, who wrote in a newspaper column that Bellingham “is in a position where he should be taking responsibility”. “It may be time to grow up, make decisions and say, ‘I need to help out and speak during the difficult times’,” Rooney said, “because if England win these Euros, I’m sure you’ll see him doing interviews.”

Bellingham — and England — needed a big response on the pitch against Slovakia in the round of 16.


England were staring into the abyss. It was the fifth minute of stoppage time and they were on the way out of the tournament, 1-0 down to Slovakia. They hadn’t got a single shot on target. Their campaign — and, it seemed, Southgate’s tenure — was about to end in embarrassment, ignominy and rancour.

Advertisement

And then, after a long throw-in from Walker was headed on by Guehi, Bellingham did something extraordinary, leaping, contorting his body in mid-air and saving England with a spectacular, dramatic scissor kick. Bellingham charged away in celebration. “WHO ELSE?” he asked. “WHO ELSE?”

Well, there was also Kane. In the first minute of extra time, the forward made it 2-1. From facing humiliation in the face, England were heading to the quarter-finals.

This time, Bellingham did the post-match interview rounds, having been named player of the match by UEFA. He said his celebration was partly adrenaline-fuelled but partly a “message to a few people”. “You hear people talk a lot of rubbish,” he said. “It’s nice that when you deliver, you can give them a little back.”

There was also a moment, after that goal, where Bellingham appeared to make a crotch-grabbing gesture. UEFA gave him a suspended one-match ban — to be triggered in the event of a further offence — and fined him €30,000.

Bellingham was the man of the moment, but the biggest pluses for Southgate were the performance of Mainoo, who had brought a better balance to the midfield since replacing Gallagher at half-time against Slovenia, and the contributions of Palmer, Eberechi Eze and Ivan Toney from the bench.

Advertisement
Jude Bellingham, England

The spectacular Bellingham goal that changed the mood (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

There was a different mood as England returned to Blankenhain that evening. Nobody doubted they had got away with a poor performance, but it felt like a weight had been lifted by the euphoria. Back at their hotel, the players bonded, some of them taking Southgate up on his offer of a celebratory beer or two.

The next day brought a recovery session, more family time — a more relaxed mood this time — and, in the evening, a surprise visit by singer Ed Sheeran, who performed an acoustic session for the players, as he had during Euro 2020.  

Not every player shares Kane’s enthusiasm for Sheeran’s music, but the night was a great success. Again, the players were allowed to have a drink or two. Some took the opportunity to sing with Sheeran. There was hilarity when Ollie Watkins, an enthusiastic singer, suddenly got stage fright and walked off, telling Sheeran, “Sorry, this song isn’t the one.”

But in a wider sense, the fear of embarrassment had been overcome — just. On the training pitch, on the padel and basketball courts, in those evening games of “Werewolf”, the mood was more upbeat. There was a unity of purpose and a sense of momentum. They were on what looked like the gentler side of the knockout bracket. That helped, too, with Spain, Germany and France all on the other side.

There was also a six-day break between the Slovakia game and the quarter-final against Switzerland: time to recover, recharge batteries and refocus, but also time to work on the training pitch.

Advertisement

Three days before the quarter-final, there were widespread reports that Southgate was considering switching to a three-man central defence against Switzerland. With Guehi suspended after two yellow cards, it was reported that Konsa was likely to join Walker and Stones in central defence, with Saka and Trippier as wing-backs.

Southgate and Holland were livid. Journalists were invited to a conference call where FA officials expressed anger and disapproval on the manager’s behalf. Southgate later asked in an interview with Talksport, “How does it help the team to give the Swiss (who might have been expecting us to play differently) three days to work out what we might do?”

The indignant reaction was a surprise. Media outlets, including The Athletic, have frequently run stories about potential personnel or system changes without attracting such a backlash. The possibility of reverting to a back three, mirroring Switzerland’s system, had already been speculated upon given they had done so in extra time against Slovakia and Southgate had frequently used that system earlier in his tenure.

They worked extensively on the back three in the build-up to the quarter-final. They also prepared for the possibility of a penalty shootout: not just working on their own technique (including the walk-up and the importance of slowing down breathing), but preparing each taker with a designated “buddy” to support him after the kick, to avoid others being disturbed.

The first-half performance against Switzerland was England’s best of the tournament to date, but there was a familiar drop-off after the interval. A sinking feeling took hold even before Breel Embolo gave Switzerland the lead with 15 minutes remaining.

Advertisement

Pickford’s penalty water bottle (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

It was desperation time again for Southgate. Off came Trippier, Mainoo and Konsa. On came Eze, Palmer and, for the first time all tournament, Shaw. Salvation came almost instantly from Saka, the 22-year-old cutting inside from the right and beating Yann Sommer with a shot whipped inside the far post to force extra time. England looked the likelier winners in the first half of extra time, but they ended up clinging on in the closing stages.

Penalties, then: so often the source of English tournament misery in the past, but rarely so (with the Euro 2020 final a notable exception) under Southgate.

Their preparations looked clinical in their precision. So, too, did their penalties as Palmer, Bellingham, Saka and Toney all scored while Pickford pulled off a great save to deny Manuel Akanji (diving to his left, just as the instructions on his water bottle had told him to if the Manchester City defender stepped up).

Alexander-Arnold walked up to take England’s fifth penalty, knowing that he could secure victory. His response was emphatic, a thunderous shot that sent his team through to the semi-finals. On the pitch and in the stands, the celebrations were loud and joyous.

The previous angst had given way to joy and a sudden sense of excitement about what this tournament might now have in store.

Advertisement

There was barely time to rest now. England’s players returned to Blankenhain that night and, after a recovery session the next day, there was only time for two full training sessions before they flew to Dortmund, where they would play the Netherlands in the semi-final on the Wednesday evening.

Southgate reflected on how “at the beginning of the tournament, the expectation weighed quite heavily and of course the external noise was louder than it has ever been”. “We couldn’t quite get ourselves into the right place,” he said. “I felt that shifted once we got into the knockout stages and definitely in the quarter-final.”

The “shift” he spoke about was, he felt, from a “fear mindset” to a “challenge mindset” — being driven by the challenge in front of them rather than consumed by fear of consequences.

But it didn’t quite ring true. They had looked fearful for long periods against both Slovakia and Switzerland, only to be rescued in both matches by a moment of individual brilliance. Performances were still unconvincing. They were going to have to raise their game against the Netherlands.

That need grew after they fell behind to a seventh-minute thunderbolt from Xavi Simons. But they responded well. The manner in which they equalised was fortunate — a Kane penalty following a VAR review which found that Denzel Dumfries had followed through on the England captain — but they were playing more fluently, with Foden enjoying his best 45 minutes of the tournament.

Advertisement

But again they lost their way after half-time. Again they went most of the second half without producing so much as a shot. Foden’s influence had faded after an excellent first half. Kane looked exhausted.

Throughout his tenure, Southgate’s use of substitutions in big matches has been arguably the biggest blot against his record. This time, needing fresh legs, he sent on Palmer and Watkins for Foden and Kane. A big call. Two big calls.

Watkins had only had one brief cameo in the tournament to that point, but earlier in the day, Watkins had told Palmer the pair of them were going to combine for the winning goal. Palmer, receiving the ball in the inside-right channel, knew where to play the pass. Watkins knew where to run. He took one touch to tee himself up and then surprised Bart Verbruggen with a crisp finish inside the far post. England were through to the final.


Watkins creates another euphoric moment (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

The scenes that followed will live long in the memory: Watkins being mobbed by the whole squad, led by Kane; Rice close to tears; Jordan Pickford going berserk; every player looking euphoric, including those who hadn’t kicked a ball in the tournament; Southgate dancing along to “Freed from Desire” and punching the air with delight.

“One more!” Southgate shouted, holding his finger up to the supporters. “Come on!” One more game. One more victory to “make history”, as Southgate put it later.

Advertisement

Spool forward to 10.53pm local time on Sunday. The final whistle was blown and, as Spain’s players and supporters celebrated a deserved triumph, their English counterparts sank into despair.

Rice on his knees. Stones on his back. Saka down, disconsolate. Bellingham walked off the pitch, towards the dugout, and then took out his frustration on a crate of water bottles.

The first half went reasonably well for England. They had far less possession than in previous matches, but Spain’s attacking threat had been kept at arm’s length. Foden forced Unai Simon into an awkward save just before the interval.

But barely a minute into the second half, Spain struck through Nico Williams after the precociously talented teenager Lamine Yamal had escaped from Shaw on the opposite flank. It was a terrible time to concede.

Spain turned the screw, with Williams and Yamal enjoying themselves, and Pickford was repeatedly called into action. Kane gestured to his team-mates to keep going, but it was easier said than done. Again, he looked done for.

Advertisement

Southgate rang the changes, sending on Watkins for Kane and then Palmer for Mainoo. If England were going down, they at least had a duty to go down swinging.


Palmer is the latest to stir England, but this time they did not have the final word (Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Palmer’s impact, again, was almost immediate. He had barely been on the pitch for two minutes when he struck a first-time shot that beat Simon with the help of a slight deflection. England were back in the game.

It briefly looked like both teams were gearing up for extra time, but Spain found renewed impetus. Yamal forced Pickford into another save and then, in the 86th minute, Oyarzabal played the ball wide to Marc Cucurella and made a perfectly timed run for the return pass, sliding in ahead of Guehi to make it 2-1.

England rallied again, with Rice and Guehi both going close from a corner, but Spain would not be denied.

There was post-match talk of fine margins, as there often is, but this time it didn’t feel that way. England were lucky to end up on the right side of those fine margins earlier in the tournament. They had sailed close to the wind for weeks. It was no surprise when, finally, coming up against a far more coherent team, they were blown off course.

Advertisement

Additional contributor: Dan Sheldon

(Top photo: Getty Images: design: Eamonn Dalton)

Continue Reading

Culture

Copa America final live updates

Published

on

Copa America final live updates

What has happened?

The start of the Copa America final has been delayed. Chaotic and dangerous scenes have seen thousands of supporters unable to enter the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for the game.

What caused the problems?

Miami-Dade Police Department blamed “unruly behaviour” by fans. CONMEBOL, who organise the Copa America, published a statement which said “only those who have purchased tickets will be able to enter the stadium.”

But thousands of law-abiding fans with tickets were caught up in the problems, which led to a dangerous throng of people stuck outside the ground in searing heat.

Advertisement

What have our reporters at the stadium seen?

Paul Tenorio: “We saw multiple people faint as they got let in, some carried by police over to the medic station, others leaning on each other as they searched for water. Some simply found a spot to sit on the ground and cry or dump water on themselves.”

Jack Lang: “I saw people packed in together in the boiling heat for over an hour. A lot of them were trying to keep cool by using hats as fans. At one point a woman passed out and the crowd tried to make way to let her to the gate.”

Laura Williamson: “I saw numerous people climbing back out over the railings by the southeast gate to try to get out of the huge mass of fans.”

What is the latest?

Advertisement

The game has been delayed until 8:45pm ET. All gates are now open. There are still large groups of people struggling to gain access to the stadium.

Continue Reading

Trending