Gareth Southgate reveals the culprit: ‘Why England didn’t win the Euro’

The English coachGareth Southgate regrets that the extra time previously played at Euro 2024 affected his team’s possession against Spain finally.

After England’s defeat in the Euro 2024 final against Spain (1-2), Gareth Southgate did not hesitate to point the finger at one culprit: the physical condition of his players. The Three Lions coach believes that this was the key element that tipped the match in favor of La Roja. Despite a rather encouraging start to the match, where the English managed to defend well and contain the Spanish attacks, Southgate regretted that his team did not manage to control the ball as they would have liked. “Today we didn’t counter-press well enough, losing the ball. We managed to equalise, but our physical condition weighed on us.” he said after the match.

Indeed, the Three Lions suffered from a glaring lack of ball control in the face of Spain’s dominance. According to Southgate, the extra time played earlier by England was a determining factor in this final. “Our physical condition, the problems we started this tournament with, as well as the extra time, affected. Because of that, we had so little possession of the ball. That’s one of the reasons why we started to make mistakes at the end.” he added.

The efforts made in the previous knockout matches clearly weighed on the English players, who were unable to maintain a high rhythm against the freshness of the Spaniards. This is in any case what justifies England’s defeat against this Roja according to the British coach. “That’s one of the reasons why we started to get it wrong at the end.”

Southgate, a commitment and a pride despite everything

Despite this bitter defeat, Gareth Southgate was keen to salute the commitment and efforts of his players throughout the competition. “Our players were incredible. They gave us incredible nights and couldn’t give us more in terms of effort, desire, character.” The England coach is particularly proud of his men’s performance in the final despite the defeat. “The players fought until the 85th minute in the final. Incredible game. I am very proud of this team: they could not have given more to me or to the country.” he added.

While the defeat in the final is still difficult to take, Southgate wants to learn the necessary lessons for the future. “We have to think about how it happened. It seems to me that the key point was the location of the ball – we didn’t control it enough,” he thus analyzed. Despite this disappointment, Southgate’s record at the head of England remains more than positive. He has in fact led the Three Lions to the final of two major tournaments in a row, a feat that allows him to remain at the head of the selection.

“It’s hard to say (whether we’ll see him again in 2026) so soon after a defeat like that. Of course, leading England to two finals… Nobody has done that. We came here to win, but we couldn’t. It’s incredibly difficult to lose the final,” concluded the coach. Despite the disappointment of this defeat, Southgate and his players can be proud of their journey at Euro 2024. They were able to lift England to the highest level and give their supporters a dream. The lessons from this final will be valuable for the future.

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