Gareth Southgate refused to be drawn on his future as England manager after the Euro 2024 2-1 final defeat to Spain, but says he believes the Three Lions squad is set up for success.
Winger Nico Williams opened the scoring for Spain at the beginning of the second half, with substitute Cole Palmer equalising for England on 73 minutes to give the Three Lions hope. However, it was another substitute, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, who became the hero of Berlin, scoring the winner in the 86th minute to leave England heartbroken for the second successive European Championship final.
Throughout the tournament in Germany, Southgate has seen his position as England boss come under scrutiny following several unconvincing displays. When asked about his future following the defeat to Spain, the 53-year-old said: “I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision like that. I’ve got to talk to the right people. It’s not for now.”
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While England’s defeat to Spain left Three Lions supporters heartbroken, there can be no doubt the latter were not the best team in Germany. Spain’s run to Euro 2024 glory saw them beat the two finalists from Euro 2020 in England and Italy, the top two European sides at the 2022 World Cup in France and Croatia, and the tournament hosts in Germany.
“I think they were the best team in the tournament,” Southgate said when asked about Spain. “We didn’t keep the ball well enough but we were tight in it until the last 10 minutes. I’m devastated. Players have been incredible, but we’ve just fallen a little bit short.
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He added: “We had a little bit of momentum at that point [Palmer’s goal]. Big chance at the end to equalise as well but across the 90 mins we didn’t do quite enough. I just think against Spain, they press well and you have to keep the ball. Defensively we were fine just needed to retain the ball a little bit better. That takes more out of your legs as well.”
“I think the players have got to take enormous credit for getting to the point we did. But then we’ve got to take those chances. There’s no hiding from fact we had a lot of issues going into the tournament. In the end we’ve just fallen short.”
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However, despite another devastating final defeat, Southgate still believes the Three Lions are still in a position to achieve success at the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 European Championships.
“England are in a really good position in terms of experience they have got now,” said Southgate. “Most of this squad will be around now not just for the next World Cup but next Euros as well. There’s a lot to look forward to but at this moment that’s no consolation.”