Euro Final: Gareth Southgate wary of hot favourite Spain as England eye first major title since 1966

England coach Gareth Southgate is wary of the Spanish challenge in the Euro 2024 Final as the Three Lions prepare to end their trophy drought at a major competition.

With England back in the hunt for a top trophy, having come close on the past two occasions during the last Euros and FIFA World Cup, Southgate feels his side is upbeat about taking down high-flying Spain in Berlin.

However, Southgate feels his team has enough character but has to be 'tactically perfect' to topple Spain, who will enter the summit clash as 'hot favourites'. While Spain has been among goals this year, with their young prodigy Lamine Yamal making headlines with his star performances throughout, England looked out of sorts in most games despite finding a way to go through (more so on penalties).

Knowing what lies ahead of them, considering Spain had tasted success on the global stage several times in the past decade or more, Southgate said, "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.

"We have got players who have played lots of big matches, so they will know what is required on the night, but in the next couple of days, we have got to get perfectly prepared as it is such a quick turnaround," the coach continued as quoted by The Daily Mail.

They are the best, but we are here to win

Acknowledging how well Spain has been with their attack this time, and also considering a little bit of history where the first semis winner had won the past three Euros, Southgate calls their opponent 'the best' to face in the grand finale. He, however, said his team is also there to win, and with the spirited squad at the helm, Southgate believes they can script history.


"They would rightly be favourites for what they have done this tournament," Southgate said. "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."