England's manager, Gareth Southgate, stated that his team must be "tactically perfect" to overcome Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday. This will mark England's first appearance in a major final on foreign soil, following their 2-1 semi-final victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday.
This achievement continues Southgate's record of leading England to the semi-final stage in three of the last four major tournaments, including the Euros and the World Cup. Spain, three-time winners, are considered the "favourites" for the final according to Southgate.
"They would be rightly favourites for what they have done this tournament. They have been the best team," Southgate commented. “They have got a day longer and in the past three finals, maybe more, 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. But, you know, we are here."
Reflecting on past disappointments, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice mentioned that the loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final remains a significant motivator. Italy won 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes at Wembley.
"Seeing Italy lift that trophy will haunt me forever," Rice said. "We are now presented with another opportunity where we can write our own history but we are up against another top side who we have to massively respect. Hopefully now we can do it. Not only for each other but also for the manager. I think he deserves it."
Chelsea's Cole Palmer, who assisted Ollie Watkins' last-minute winning goal in the semi-final, expressed confidence in the team's ability to "finish the job" in Berlin.
"Everyone's buzzing," Palmer shared on the England YouTube channel. "Last night on the bus, tunes were on, [in the] changing room, everyone was just enjoying it. But obviously it's a short turnaround and it's a massive, massive game to change our lives, our family's lives, and to make everyone proud. That's what we're trying to do. I think if you've got to this final then you have to hopefully finish the job. It's all good getting to the final, and you've got to enjoy it because you don't get many moments to enjoy. But, no, everyone just wants to win so bad."
Southgate's team has shown resilience, recovering from a slow start in the tournament to reach their second consecutive Euros final. Palmer, who was part of the England team that won the Under-21 European Championship in 2023, believes the team has hit its stride.
"In the first few games, we didn't play the best that we could and everyone knew that," Palmer admitted. "But now I think as the tournament's gone on, especially yesterday, I think we had our best game in the tournament, and that's what you want going into the later stages. It's huge. We played them last year in the Under-21s final, England versus Spain. Even that was a massive game, so I can't imagine this one."
England faces a significant challenge against a well-rested and highly regarded Spanish team as they aim for their first Euros title.
