Spain’s stars shine brighter than their English counterparts
On Sunday, 14th July 2024, Spain became European champions for the third time in five European Championships, recording a last-gasp 2-1 win over England in Berlin courtesy of a Mikel Oyarzabal goal.
The victory was fully deserved, as La Roja won all seven of their games in Germany and looked to be deserved winners.
England’s star players wilted under the pressure
On paper, this game was a tough one to call, as both teams had a plethora of quality players within their ranks. However, some would argue that while one team’s stars shone bright, the others just wilted under the pressure of the occasion.
In Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, England possessed two players who shone at two of Europe’s biggest clubs last season. Kane is England’s all-time record goalscorer and was prolific in his debut season at Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, Bellingham, in his first season as a Real Madrid player, helped Los Blancos to a double La Liga title and Champions League. His influence on the men from Madrid has turned him into one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or.
However, in Sunday’s final, both stars struggled to have any impact. Kane was cumbersome and looked unfit. In truth, he had little impact in the Three Lions in the earlier rounds, either.
The biggest contribution the former Tottenham player made to the final proceeding was a 25th-minute booking. His substitution just after the hour mark for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins felt almost like an act of mercy.
Arguably, if he wasn’t captain and England’s all-time record goalscorer he may not have started the final. Southgate admitted after the game that the striker was struggling with his fitness, yet he still started the final.
It could be argued that Bellingham’s case is slightly different to Kane’s. The midfielder has been one of England’s best players, but at times he looked exhausted. It felt like his teammates were just waiting for him to do something rather than making it happen themselves.
Gareth Southgate’s team didn’t really start playing until they were already a goal down. The introduction of the excellent Cole Palmer finally gave England some attacking impetus, which led to the equalising goal.
Palmer is a player who cannot be wasted at international level anymore. He needs to start games, and as he has proved in Germany, he can have a big influence on a team’s attacking play.
Spain’s stars shined
If England’s stars struggled in the final, Spain’s shone brightly in the Berlin sky. Wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal were a constant threat to the England backline.
One goal, one assist, zero starts at the Euros for Cole Palmer. Both crucial. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/i1TMiAn5Gs
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2024
The pair combined to great effect to create Spain’s opening goal and were simply vibrant. While all the attention was on wonderkid Yamal, it was Williams who was the best player on the pitch in the first half.
The 22-year-old won the UEFA Player of the Match, and rightly so. He produced the sort of performance that a team needs from one of their main attacking threat.
It was inevitable that Yamal would impact the game, as he had been one of the standout players of the tournament. Having just recently turned 17, he showed very little nerves as he prodded and probed the England defence.
Unlike England’s players, the winger played with a creative freedom that suggested he was enjoying the game, and tournament in general.
He looks like a player who will inevitably break many records in his career. The Barcelona star has already broken a record at Euro2024 by becoming the youngest player to ever score at a European Championships, a record former held by Switzerland’s Johan Vonlanthen.
Forget all the praise, accolades and titles that he will win in his career. The best thing about the winger is that he is quite simply a joy to watch play football.
It wasn’t just the youngsters who shone during Euro2024 for the European Champions. Attacking midfielder, Dani Olmo has also stepped up and produced superb displays when needed. The RB Leipzig star will now be difficult to dislodge from the team. Midfielders Rodri and Fabian Ruiz were also a big influence in the centre of the park for much of the competition.
Spain’s mentality won the game
Football is not always about the quality of a team’s players. Both England and Spain had potential matchwinners in the final. However, the difference between winning and losing was the two teams’ mentalities.
For most of the tournament, the Three Lions have looked like a team held on a very restrictive leash by head coach Gareth Southgate. Creative players like Phil Foden have struggled, and as a result, the team’s results have suffered.
England players looked like they were scared. They couldn’t retain the ball, constantly giving the ball away to the opposition under Spain’s press.
They needed composure, and all they had was panic. Until Palmer was introduced, no player really looked comfortable on the ball, even Bellingham, who had been outstanding for Real Madrid in his debut campaign.
Spain, in contrast, as they do so well, kept their cool and created patterns of play which were vital for getting their more creative players into the game.
They very rarely seemed flustered or panicked on the ball. Their forward players seemed to enjoy the game, while England’s looked like very slow rabbits caught in the headlights of a car.
Despite making it to the final of the last two European Championships, head coach Gareth Southgate has once again failed to get a talented England squad over the line to win a trophy.
Rather than roaring their way through to the final, they stumbled like a drunk after the last bell at the local watering hole.
His pragmatic style has been criticised, and some would say rightly so. England has some very good attacking players, but his critics have claimed that the Three Lions boss has not properly utilised them.
Despite reaching the final, there are now question marks over his position as England head coach. It would not be majorly surprising to see him exit the position in the near future.
If the final was Southgate’s last game in charge of the England team, then he, like millions of fans, will be left to wonder what might have been had he been slightly braver and allowed his team to express themselves.
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