Euro 2024 final: “A lot stacked against us tonight” — Southgate

In the wake of England’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, England head coach Gareth Southgate addressed the challenges his team faced and the factors contributing to their loss.

The defeat marks Southgate’s second setback in a major final, following the team’s narrow miss at Euro 2020 against Italy in 2021.

Read More:

Euro 2024: Pain again for England, courtesy of Spain

Spain vs. England: Predicting the Euro 2024 final

Reflecting on the match, Southgate highlighted the physical strain on his squad, with several players joining the camp after missing the end of the season due to injuries. He pointed out the remarkable effort of Luke Shaw, who played the full 90 minutes despite a four-month absence from the field.

“I think so many of our players came in to the camp having missed the end of the season. We’ve managed to get Luke through in 90 minutes when he hasn’t played for four months. We’ve had Kobbie as a young player who’s done incredibly well. But the amount of football,”

Additionally, he commended young player Kobbie Mainoo for his outstanding performance, though he acknowledged the heavy workload the teenager endured this year. Jude Bellingham, another key player, was visibly struggling with cramping, indicating the physical toll on the team.

“Jude, you could see we were about to take off because he was cramping as well. “

Southgate noted that the physical demands were compounded by the lack of ball control earlier in the game, which exacerbated the team’s fatigue. He also mentioned the disadvantage of having one less day to recover from their previous match and the extended periods of extra time they faced in earlier rounds.

“So that physical toll was definitely an issue for us with others in the group as well. But of course, that’s exacerbated when you don’t keep the ball earlier in the game.

“So yeah, look, there was a lot stacked against us tonight in terms of having a day left to recover from the previous game and having had the extra time periods that we did. But we have to hold our hands up”

“Spain were better,” Southgate admitted