DORTMUND — Spain are favourites to win the Euro 2024 final – even the England manager knows it.
“They would be rightly favourites for what they have done this tournament,” Gareth Southgate said. “They have been the best team.”
Up until the semi-finals, they were almost the polar opposite of England — Spain’s purists to England’s pragmatists.
Here are 14 reasons why England can emerge victorious at the end of it.
His strengths eat up my weaknesses
England have a secret weapon in Holland — not Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the animated Dutch assistant coach, but Steve, the trusty aide who has been by Southgate’s side since day one.
Holland, 54, is one of football’s brilliantly quiet and humble operators. For years at Chelsea he soaked up the expertise of an astonishing array of managers as assistant: Jose Mourinho, Rafael Benitez, Guus Hiddink, Antonio Conte, winning countless trophies, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.
“I could not do it without him,” Southgate said. “He is a fantastic balance for me.
“His strengths eat up my weaknesses. He is so meticulous in his preparation. We have grown so close.
“The trust between us is immense and I could not have anybody better alongside me. He has won the Champions League, he has won the Premier League — everything. He is a proud Englishman like me and there is one medal missing.”
Mai — have found Rice a — noo — partner
There was a moment towards the end of the semi-final that spoke volumes about Kobbie Mainoo, and it involved him speaking in high volumes. Being 19 years old, the youngest footballer to play for England in a major tournament semi-final and making only his fifth international start didn’t stop him from giving Declan Rice an earful.
The game poised, Mainoo had played a pass to Rice between the Dutch lines. Rice felt the ball was short, Mainoo felt he should’ve got to it. They legged it back, recovered, then went at it for a few seconds.
“That is good because you need that relationship and at 19 I can’t imagine many saying that to older players and that’s what I love about him,” Rice said.
“That is what the lads love about him as well. He gets that respect, he has that leadership and the way he takes the ball and is comfortable and the conversations we’ve been having daily with each other and on the training pitch has brought us together and we have become a nice partnership.”
Since Kalvin Phillips’s decline Southgate has been searching for the perfect midfield partner for Rice.
“You speak to him and just feel his calm presence that he has,” Rice added. “And what I like about him is that he is not scared to say it how it is.”
Foden finally caught fire
Phil Foden may have struggled to catch fire like the chant that spread around Germany to become England’s unofficial anthem of Euro 2024, but he finally ignited in the semi-final.
You can’t start a fire without a spark, but he has been gently smouldering all tournament so when the spark came he was ready to explode.
Ocean depth
Ollie Watkins came on with 10 minutes remaining, having featured for only 20 minutes in the second game, then hit that winner.
“He has trained like that the whole tournament and his head has never dropped,” Southgate said.
Cole Palmer provided the assist — the player Southgate has repeatedly utilised to give opponents a new problem late in games.
Conor Gallagher came on to shore up the midfield. Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold came on for penalties. Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon were ready to stretch tired opponents.
Even those who are playing little have been training like they might score a stoppage time winner or make a last-ditch game-saving challenge.
“They have all been ready,” Southgate added. “It is so powerful for them as a group when the subs keep coming on and having the impact that they do. And there are all moments of them being the headline writer and making the difference and that is really powerful.”
Southgate’s shrewd subs
One of the frequent criticisms of Southgate is his perceived inability to change games with substitutions, or making them too late.
But he got it spot on against the Netherlands, when the stakes peaked. Most would’ve presumed he would bring on Toney for the tiring Harry Kane, who had played more in the tournament, but Southgate saw that pace could hurt the Dutch and went with Watkins.
The other sub, Palmer, has the passing range to find those dangerous angles it was one of those balls that found Watkins.
You’ll never win anything with kids
There’s no doubt that Lamine Yamal is the breakout wonder kid of this tournament, scoring one of its best goals with that long-range stunner in the semi-final. It is hard to fathom how he is coping with the pressure, not turning 17 until the eve of the final. Yamal is so young that a guardian has to travel with him everywhere he goes.
And to put the player into some context, Rice, a £100m midfielder, was still fighting for his future in the game at the same age.
“I was trying to get a scholarship when I was 16 and you’ve got Yamal putting one in the top bins. At 16, what he is doing is another level as there is no way I was ready at 16,” Rice said.
The final will be another step up in intensity again. Can someone so young cope with it?
Big game psychology
England now possess players with an astute awareness of what to do when they fall behind. It was Rice’s error that allowed Xavi Simons to steal the ball and fire the Netherlands into an early lead. But England remained calm.
“I knew I made the mistake for their goal but thought straight away about my own body language and being positive and thinking at the clock and thinking there is a long way to go here and time for me to have an impact on the match,” Rice said.
Comeback kings
It is that elite mentality that has made England the Euro 2024 comeback kings. Behind in all three knockout games, they’ve levelled late, they’ve levelled early, they’ve produced rare moments of brilliance when it matters, deep into stoppage time if required. If they fall behind against Spain it will be no cause for panic.
Fixed the formation
Southgate persisted doggedly with the 4-2-3-1 formation with which he started the tournament, but England have looked a far more fluid, relaxed, threatening side since he switched to a back three with wing-backs.
“When we’ve sat back in we’ve felt solid,” Rice said. “On the pitch we feel together and strong. You have players at club level that are used to taking the ball under pressure and playing in pockets, HK dropping deep suits us. It is suiting us.”
England believe they can out-pass the masters
With that in mind, there is growing confidence that with a compact, supremely talented core to the side they can control possession and the ebbs and flows of the game against the founders of tiki-taka who are back to their intricate passing best in Germany.
“In the last two games we have spoken a lot about Switzerland and Netherlands and how they keep the ball but in those games we kept the ball as good, if not better,” Rice pointed out.
“In the last two games we’ve passed the ball really well. I felt really good with Kobbie in there playing really close together and with Stones and the back three, Jude and Phil in the 10s, has really helped as well.”
Fortune favours… the team who build up attacks cautiously
So many big moments and decisions have gone in England’s favour.
Without that iconic goal in the 95th minute England are out of the last-16 against Slovakia. Without Saka’s wonder strike they are probably out in the quarter-final against Switzerland.
Some would argue England should not have been awarded a penalty against the Netherlands.
“You couldn’t write it and to be part of it is so special,” Rice said. “It started with Jude’s overhead, then the pens, then Holland was a completely different challenge. I know the final is going to be a really tough game and hopefully someone else can write some history into the books.”
Luck is on their side.
Rio Stones
John Stones is having a blinding tournament. He has barely made a mistake in one of the tournament’s best defences. His dynamic passing out from the back is a massive strength, but it is his positioning and timing that stands out. He isn’t the fastest but he has that awareness which means he is rarely fazed. It is similar to Rio Ferdinand at his peak.
Walker recovery pace
Kyle Walker’s recovery pace should probably be banned at this point.
He does have a mistake in him, but whether it’s mopping up his own spillages or cleaning up after someone else, his ability to recover is off the charts.
Shootout prep
Last, but not least — because if it goes the distance it will be the last thing England do in Euro 2024 — England are ready. From Pickford’s water bottle penalty saving instructions, to Toney’s no-look kick, to “ice cold” Palmer, the exemplary techniques and composure of Bellingham, Saka and Alexander-Arnold.
And that was all five penalties scored, in the shootout against Switzerland, without arguably England’s best penalty taker, Kane, on the pitch.
Penalties were England’s downfall in the last final. If required this time they will have no fear.
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