Euro 2024: Exclusive - Steve McManaman dissects where the England v Spain final will be won and lost on the pitch
Published 13/07/2024 at 09:11 GMT+1
The highly anticipated Euro 2024 final between England and Spain is fast approaching. Gareth Southgate’s side, into a second straight European Championship final, will take on favourites Spain, who have lit up the tournament with their attacking brand of football. Ahead of the intriguing clash, TNT Sports' Steve McManaman has analysed where the game might be won and lost.
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England's men team stand a game away from ending almost 60 years of hurt at major tournaments after making it to a second successive European Championship final.
It has not always been pretty but as almost everyone who has watched football has had drummed into them over the years, results are all that matter.
Sixty seconds away from elimination against Slovakia in the last 16, Jude Bellingham rescued his country before Harry Kane struck the knockout blow in extra time.
Another 1-1 draw followed against Switzerland before The Three Lions nervelessly prevailed in a penalty shoot-out to reach the last four.
They then fell a goal behind for the third successive knockout game in the semis against the Netherlands and once again showcased the resilience that now defines this team.
But their toughest assignment awaits. Not only is it a massive occasion, but Gareth Southgate’s charges face the task of taking on, by some margin, the standout team of Euro 2024.
Spain dazzled in the group stages and deservedly beat Germany and France to book their own date with destiny as they bid to win the tournament for a fourth time.
They have star quality in abundance and players more than willing to do the dirty work when required, and they undoubtedly go into the game as favourites.
But it is a final. Anything can and often does happen when silverware is up for grabs, and England will arrive in Berlin full of belief on the back of arguably their best performance.
Ahead of the encounter, we spoke to former England international Steve McManaman about where the game could be won and lost.
Disrupting Spain's platform
The likes of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have grabbed the headlines for Spain but it is the middle of the park that McManaman believes will be the key battleground.
Rodri has lived up to his reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, while Fabian Ruiz has been equally impressive alongside the Manchester City man.
They are the engine of the team, the platform upon which everything is built, and McManaman thinks limiting their time on the ball could be the key to victory.
“Rodri is a superb player and I’ve been really impressed with Fabian Ruiz,” McManaman said. “I’ve watched him a lot of times this year for PSG and I haven’t been as impressed as I have been since he put on a Spanish shirt.
“He looks a different player than he does in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt, so those two and Dani Olmo, that triangle in the midfield against England’s three.
“They’re going to have to work hard and try to get hold of the ball with Declan [Rice], [Kobbie] Mainoo and [Phil] Foden or [Jude] Bellingham, that three up against their three.
“The wide men, they speak for themselves, but I think the control is going to be with Rodri and Fabian Ruiz, because they always want the ball. So if you go and close them down and try to nick it off them, we might have a chance.”
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Olmo warns Spain to be 'careful' of Bellingham ahead of Euro 2024 final
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England fell behind to an early Xavi Simons stunner in the semis but rallied and played like a team who finally resembled the sum of their parts, with Foden and Bukayo Saka, in particular, wreaking havoc on the Dutch in the first half.
But Spain are far more daunting opponents, so patience and discipline are likely to be the orders of the day according to McManaman.
“You know the Spanish, you know what the Spanish are going to play like, you know the Spanish team already,” he added. “This is the best team around at this moment from what we’ve seen.
“They will not change for anybody, they will try and impose themselves on England and it’s up to Gareth and Steve Holland and the staff to say to them, ‘look, this is what they’re going to do, they like to play out from the back, they like to create chances, we’re going to do X, Y and Z.
“‘Phil, if he goes here, you’re going to have to get into that bit of space there’, and they’re going to have to try and negate what the Spanish do. The Spanish are probably going to dictate possession so it’ll be hard for England, but then if that does happen, the counter-attacking, the times when they win the ball back, in transition they’re going to have to be ruthless.
“But it’s going to be difficult. They’re not going in as favourites, England are going to go in as underdogs, and we all know what Spain are going to do, it’s trying to stop them from doing it.
“Whether you mark Rodri, whether you mark Fabian Ruiz, whether you do something to stop the Spanish style of football, that’s the question in front of Gareth and the staff.
“There’s going to be no secrets, Spain aren’t going to do something that’s going to make him go, ‘wow, I didn’t expect that’. Spain are going to be Spain and they’re going to play like they do.”
Yamal ‘off the scale’
In his first taste of a major international tournament, Yamal has performed like someone in his prime, one who has experienced a few highs and lows before finally growing into the finished article.
Yet he will have just turned 17 when the whistle blows on Sunday night.
With 22-year-old Nico Williams on the left wing and Yamal on the right, Spain have attacked with blistering dynamism that teams have struggled to resist.
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How Spain and England reached the Euro 2024 final
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Asked if he has been surprised by how good the pair have been, McManaman continued: “I’ve seen them a lot in La Liga throughout the season, so no, but [also] yes. It’s their first high-profile tournament, and particularly Lamine Yamal.
“Nico Williams has been exceptional, don’t get me wrong, but he just gets eclipsed by a 16-year-old, a 17-year-old by the game on Sunday.”
Yamal got the goal he deserved against France in the semi-finals to become the youngest goalscorer in the tournament’s history and will likely have a target on his back ahead of the final.
But there is far more to his game than just the final product.
McManaman said: “No matter who you are it’s exceptional and I’m glad he got his goal and got his name in the record books because he deserved it. But it’s not just the goal it’s everything else. His all-round play, his one-on-one ability, he’s very confident, he just gets the ball and drives at the full-back, regardless of whether the full-back takes it off him, he’s just got one thing on his mind, to get round the side and both of them have, that’s why they’re so dangerous.
“But a 16-year-old, at a tournament like this, when you’re still studying for exams, it’s just off the scale. You can’t comprehend it at all.”
'Win your personal battles, you'll win the game'
How, then, does Southgate combat the threat from both flanks?
“It’ll probably be [Kieran] Trippier again [who starts at left-back]," McManaman said. "They’ve got Trippier there, they’ll have [Marc] Guehi on the side, they’ve got John Stones and Kyle Walker round the back in case he skips past anybody.
“But this happens in every game of the year. Tripper has marked Mo Salah, it’s just something you have to do. It’s a one-on-one battle and if Trippier does go forward, Marc Guehi is going to have to come across and cover Lamine Yamal, it’s as simple as that.
“On the other side, it’s the same. Kyle Walker’s going to have to help Saka and if he skips past the pair of them, John Stones is going to have to come across. This is just football.
“It’s not rocket science. You’re going to have a battle with whoever is on your side and you have to make sure you win that personal battle. If 10 of you win your personal battles, you’ll win the game.”
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