Euro 2024 final: ‘Brought the whole country together’ - Steve McManaman lauds Gareth Southgate ahead of England v Spain

Published 13/07/2024 at 13:38 GMT+1

In an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Steve McManaman lauded Gareth Southgate for the job he has done as England manager and hopes he can cement his legacy with a victory in the Euro 2024 final. England take on Spain on Sunday night in what is their second successive European Championship final as they look to clinch a first major tournament since the 1966 World Cup.

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Video credit: SNTV

Win or lose in Sunday's Euro 2024 final, Steve McManaman believes manager Gareth Southgate has galvanised the nation behind the England cause once again.
The Three Lions take on favourites Spain with a chance to land a first piece of silverware since 1966 in what is their second straight European Championship final.
It ended in bitter disappointment three years ago as Italy recovered from 1-0 down to force extra time and then win a penalty shoot-out, but they have a chance to heal those wounds and cement Southgate’s legacy as one of England’s greatest managers.
Brought in on an interim basis in 2016 after Sam Allardyce’s spell in the hotseat came to an abrupt end, few could have predicted the impact he would have.
It is not just on the pitch where things have improved. Under Southgate’s leadership, McManaman is adamant there is a togetherness among all those connected to the national team that has been missing for some time.
“He’s done an amazing job,” McManaman told TNT Sports. “I don’t think anybody could doubt that. He got brought in over past managers and there’s always been question marks over past managers, whether it was letting wives and girlfriends come to the place, or it was too relaxed or too strict, or it was this or that.
“Gareth has come in and brought the whole country together, brought all the press together, he’s been great for the FA, he’s great when he gets spoken to, he understands and talks properly, and of course his results have been excellent, so you can’t doubt the fact he’s done an incredible job in just making England cool again really.
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How Spain and England reached the Euro 2024 final

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“I think his man-management style with the players is excellent, which hasn’t been the case in the past and I think that really helps this bunch.
“There’s never any nonsense stories now, everybody is behind them, everybody wants them to do well, he’s a lovely man, we all want him to win and that’s the most important thing.”
Should it come to fruition, it would cap off a stellar seven years in what is one of the sport’s most high-profile jobs.
After being handed the reins on a permanent basis, he led England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in his first major tournament in charge, losing in extra time to Croatia.
That was followed up by a run to the Euro 2020 final at Wembley, a game which England led 1-0 after Luke Shaw’s early strike, and then a quarter-final at the 2022 World Cup.
It is a record that speaks for itself, especially when compared to those that came before him, and while it may not have always been the easiest on the eye, England are back in another major final.
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But history is generally unkind to those who finish second, and McManaman says Southgate and this group of players deserve to raise aloft that trophy on Sunday evening.
“It would be incredible, wouldn’t it? We haven’t done anything since ‘66 and as much as you talk about semi-finals and finals, when it ends in an L and you lose the game, it means nothing,” he added.
“In this game you have to win. Nobody remembers who lost in the semi-final four years ago or who lost in the final 10 years ago in the World Cup, all we remember are winners. They can cement their names in the history of the sport like the lads in 1966 did and that’s the most important thing.
“They’ll make the country happy, they’ll make it proud, everybody will rejoice and party for days on end, they may even get a bank holiday, so it’ll be an amazing achievement, and if they win they have to beat the best, which is a good scenario.
“You’ve got to where you are now and the best are in front of you and if you see them off by fair means or foul, you’re going to be heroes and you’re going to be remembered in this country for a long, long time.”

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