Gareth Southgate’s England can end their 58-year-long wait for major silverware on Sunday if they go past Spain to win UEFA Euro 2024.
The Three Lions once again find themselves within touching distance of the Euro title after going past the Netherlands in the 2024 semi-final thanks to a late winner by Ollie Watkins. Last time out, things did not go according to plan for England as they ended up losing the final of Euro 2020 at the hands of Italy.
While the fans might consider the team to be unlucky as they lost that final on penalties, in reality apart from the early goal from Luke Shaw, England were never really in control of the proceedings.
However, they will be hoping things turn out differently this time around. There have been a lot of changes to their squad since the last final, and they do have one of the best squads in the world at this point, which will give their fans the belief that their wait will finally come to an end.
England and the road to the UEFA Euro 2024 final
Gareth Southgate’s team started their Euro 2024 campaign with a 1-0 win over Serbia. While they did get the three points, it was a disappointing start in terms of how they went about the game. Throughout the 90 minutes, they could only manage three shots on target. But, England were lucky enough to get the desired result.
While everyone expected better from the Three Lions in their next two group fixtures, the team in white could only manage a draw against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0). Despite taking a significant amount of shots at goal and dominating the ball, they had to settle for a draw.
However, in the end, England did finish top of Group C, which resulted in them facing Slovakia in the round of 16. Once again, they dominated the proceedings but were within touching distance of getting eliminated before Jude Bellingham saved the day with an injury-time equaliser, which pushed the game into extra-time. Harry Kane then slotted home the winner at the very start of extra-time.
They faced Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and it was one of their most difficult fixtures given the kind of form the Swiss were in. While on paper England have a much better squad, on the pitch it was quite an evenly contested match. Penalties were needed to separate the two teams and this was the Three Lions once again got the job done.
Southgate’s team squared up against Netherlands in the semi-finals, the first real European powerhouse opponent of theirs in this edition of the tournament. Both teams scored in the initial phase of the first half following it was quite a cagey affair.
Not many chances were created, and it was substitute Ollie Watkins’s magic which was the difference between the two teams as he slotted one into the bottom corner from out wide on the right. It was not really that great an angle for a shot, but Watkins took it on and got the job done.
England and the final against Spain
While England have managed to make it to the final, they have not put up a convincing performance so far. Despite having some of the best players in the world, the Three Lions haven’t got going at Euro 2024.
They do find a way to win games, but nothing so far has suggested that they are getting closer to their best. To take down a team like Spain, they need to put up a solid performance as La Roja have been the most consistent team in this tournament.
Luis de la Fuente’s team have won each of their six games on the road to the final becoming the first team to do so. They have defeated the likes of Croatia, Italy, Germany and France on their way and now have the opportunity to become the first team to win the European Championship for a record fourth time this weekend.
What makes Spain so dangerous?
Luis de la Fuente is someone who has coached Spanish youth teams in the past, and he knows quite a few of these players from back in the day. He has a great understanding of how they could click together and what makes them so dangerous is their ability to play possession-based football as well as hit the opposition of the break when they commit to deep in their half.
Pedri’s injury has actually made Spain even more deadly going forward as Dani Olmo has come in for him and he has been playing as a number 10 changing the 4-3-3 setup to a 4-2-3-1. With Olmo, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, they have an extreme pace on the break. Skipper Alvaro Morata is great with the holding play, and he can bring in those around him into the game.
They have a strong defensive base with a great holding midfielder in Rodri and given the kind of flexibility their attack has, it is very difficult for opponents to keep them in check. England will also find it difficult to keep track of their opponents who can attack in different ways. So far, they have done everything right and in terms of current form, one would think La Roja are the favourites for this one.
Can England end their 58-year-long wait?
England have come a long way under Gareth Southgate. They might not have played the most attractive or dominating brand of football in recent years, but they do find themselves in the final phase of the tournaments more often than not under him. Once again, they have made it to the final of the European Championship.
The Three Lions have never won the Euros, and they did fail to win the final last time out against Italy. Their last major silverware was the World Cup they won back in 1966. Despite having produced some of the best players in the world, they just have not been good enough at the major international tournaments.
Things have changed under Southgate, as England have been a lot more consistent at major events and do have a chance of ending their wait this time around. While Spain have a free-flowing team that likes to hit the opposition on the break and exploit the wide areas, they could find things difficult against England given how they lineup.
Southgate’s team can easily shift into a back five while defending because of the personnel used and with two defensive midfielders Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo in front of the back four, they have enough cover to ensure they are not left exposed to counter-attacks.
England’s focus here will be to ensure they do not let Spain get away with this. If they managed to keep things level for heading into the second half, the Three Lions have made it a bit of a habit to find a way to score and get the job done.
While the most consistent teams are the ones that end up winning the league, in a knockout tournament if a team knows how to get the job done, they do tend to get their hands on the silverware. The odds will surely be in La Roja’s favour but given how England have got the job done time and again and the quality that they have on the bench, they will surely have a chance of ending their 58-year long wait for a silverware.
