Euro 2024: FA wants Southgate to stay regardless of final result in Berlin – live | Euro 2024

FA wants Southgate to stay regardless of final result

So back to the striker conundrum then. Can we call it a conundrum? Harry Kane has not lit up Germany (though he has joint top of the goalscoring charts) but Jonathan Liew believes the England captain can still thrive on Sunday.

Euro 2024 appears to have rewarded a different kind of attacking profile, one prioritising variety over reliability. By and large the teams that have tried to build their attack around a single dominant source of goals (France, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, Belgium) have struggled. Meanwhile those with more varied points of attack (Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, Austria) have impressed. Spain’s 13 goals have been shared out among nine different players. Across the tournament as a whole, Euro 2024 will fall significantly short of Euro 2020 in terms of total goals (114 v 142) while boasting more separate scorers (83 v 80, with one game to play).

Strikers who do not offer an extra dimension, whether through selfless running or assiduous defensive work or link play, have been more visibly exposed than ever before.

And perhaps Southgate has learned from the cautionary tale of Bayern Munich this season, who essentially remoulded their entire system around Kane, and were rewarded with sensational individual returns and no trophies. Of course Kane still has a role to play, whether as scorer or creator, starter or finisher. Those three goals, scored from a total distance of about 20 yards, have been crucial. But the story of this tournament suggests that England as a whole benefit when Kane swallows his pride and takes on a more restricted, delimited role.

How will England fans mark the occasion on Sunday? Well, fans in Germany (or those still looking to make the trip) are looking at heavily marked up ticket prices. Tickets for the final are now at about £2,500 each and cost of travel to and from Berlin has spiked.

What about those staying at home? Well, Major supermarkets and business owners are giving staff a lie-in on Monday to recover from the final. Some companies are also offering workers early finishes if they are due to be on shift on the evening of the game. A primary school in Hertfordshire said that because a number of students will be going to bed late because of the match, it would leave registrations open until a later time on the Monday.

And so I pose these questions to you:

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Declan rice is still “haunted” by losing last editions final. The midfielder is ready to put the demons of Roberto Mancini’s tactical adjustments, Marco Verratti and Jorginho outpassing England and the eventual defeat on penalties to bed.

Seeing Italy lift that trophy will haunt me for ever. We know what we have to do compared to last time, in terms of how to control the game, not to sit back like we did in previous tournaments and when Italy came on to us. We know how we can win this final.

With Rice holding, and in a system that puts more players in the middle, it is easier for his midfield partner Kobbie Mainoo to express himself. The defensive weaknesses that were more evident when England were in a 4-2-3-1 system are less obvious.

You speak to him and just feel his calm presence. He is not scared to say it how it is. There was something towards the end [against the Netherlands] when he gave me a pass between the lines and I got sold short for it. We had to sprint back and we had a bit at each other, but that is good because you need that relationship. At 19, I can’t imagine many saying that to older players and that’s what I love about him.

That is what the lads love about him as well. He gets that respect, he has that leadership. The way he takes the ball, and the conversations we’ve been having daily with each other, has brought us together.

In terms of team news, both managers will have some decisions to make. After coming into the tournament injured, Luke Shaw managed some healthy minutes in the quarter-final against Switzerland and semi-final against the Netherlands. Is he fit enough to start ahead of Kieran Trippier.

Ollie Watkins was the star of the show when his late goal sent England through to the final, but it would be a massive call for Gareth Southgate to drop Harry Kane, despite the captain not having the impact he would have wanted. Highly unlikely.

Luis de la Fuente was without Robin Le Normand and Dani Carvajal in Spain’s semi-final win against France due to suspension, but both should return against England. Álvaro Morata, who picked up an injury during the semi-final celebrations after a security guard slid into him, should be fit to play. De la Fuente confirmed that the Spain captain was in a bit pain but there were no signs of deeper issue. Pedri will be unavailable through injury after coming off in the quarter-final against Germany.

What are Southgate’s thoughts on all this? Well, he’s likely more focused on Sunday. The England manager says his side must be “tactically perfect” against the “favourites” Spain.

They have won a few trophies. They are a bloody good side. Let’s pitch it right. We have got to be perfect to win this game and we will have to find everything that we have got from within us.

They would rightly be favourites for what they have done this tournament. They have been the best team. They have got a day longer and in the last three finals it has been quite significant, so we have got to get our recovery spot on. Tactically, we will have to be ­perfect as they are such a good side.

In the last three European Championships, the side that have played their semi-final first, have gone on to won the tournament (Italy, Portugal and Spain).

The Football Association will attempt to convince Gareth Southgate to remain as England manager regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s final against Spain, the Telegraph reports.

It was expected Southgate would leave after the Euros in Germany, his fourth major international tournament as England manager. But the FA have been impressed with the way Southgate has changed perceptions of the England team since he took charge in 2016.

The manager’s current contract ends in December. Before the Euros, the FA’s chief executive officer, Mark Bullingham, confirmed that no one had been approached to take over from Southgate.

Preamble