Spain vs. England: Gareth Southgate could make unwanted history in Euro 2024 final

England manager Gareth Southgate is at risk of writing an unwanted chapter of history in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final against Spain at the Olympiastadion.

As was the case three years ago, the Three Lions now find themselves just 90 minutes away from ending 58 years of senior men’s misery since lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy aloft at the 1966 World Cup.

Luis de la Fuente‘s Spain are now the only obstacle between a first-ever European Championships triumph for England’s men’s first team, who have witnessed some of their colleagues clinch continental stardom since Euro 2020.

It has been almost exactly two years since England’s women’s team defeated Germany to be crowned queens of Europe, while the men’s Under-21s appropriately defeated Spain in the final of last year’s European Championships.

Prior to the successes of their compatriots, though, Southgate’s men were left inconsolable at Wembley in July 2021, where Italy’s penalty prowess came to the fore and condemned England to an agonising runners-up placement.

© Imago

Southgate could set unwanted managerial record

Three summers down the line, and Southgate has become the first England men’s head coach in history to lead the Three Lions to more than one major tournament final, as they prepare to pit their wits against Spain in Berlin.

However, should England come out second best again, the former Middlesbrough head coach will become the first-ever manager to lose multiple European Championship finals.

Southgate knows Euros heartbreak all too well from his playing days, having memorably missed the decisive spot kick in England’s Euro 96 semi-final elimination at the hands of Germany, which came after a quarter-final success against none other than Spain.

The 53-year-old has attracted intense criticism for England’s lackadaisical performances earlier in the tournament, and only two of their six Euro 2024 matches have seen the Three Lions prevail in normal time; their 1-0 opening triumph over Serbia and 2-1 semi-final beating of the Netherlands.

However, out of all England managers to have coached at least 40 games for the senior men’s team, Southgate’s win ratio of 63.4% is second only to Fabio Capello, who won 66.7% of his matches at the helm.

Southgate aiming to bring “credibility” back to England

© Reuters

The 53-year-old is also just one of three men to have managed 100 England matches after Walter Winterbottom and Alf Ramsey, and speaking in Saturday’s pre-game press conference, he expressed his belief that victory in Berlin would restore a sense of “credibility”.

“We would bring happiness to our nation, we would bring credibility. I think we have brought credibility back to English football in terms of how we are seen around the world in recent years,” Southgate replied when asked what a Euros triumph would mean to him and England.

“Winning a trophy would finally answer a lot of the questions that are still being asked. For the group of players and staff, and also the players who have been with us for the last six or seven years, I would be massively proud of them. There are a lot of people who haven’t been given enough credit and it would all come together in my head.

“I think we feel different to 2021. Qualifying for a first final in 50 years was a massive milestone at home and it affected us a lot emotionally. This semi-final cost us a lot of emotions but there is a real desire to make this count after having walked past that trophy last time.”

England are expected to have all 26 players available for Sunday’s showpiece match, where Luke Shaw will be bidding to make his first start of the competition after two substitute appearances against Switzerland and the Netherlands.

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