Spain – England: La Roja Reign Supreme (2-1)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the worthy winners of EURO 2024 packed the punch in this final clash to crown their entertainment of the masses in the last four weeks with the most prized asset of all. While the English expended the energy they need only to carry out the task at hand, Spain showed how they could turn the screw at the push of a button to take the trophy.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

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Continental conquest was an aspiration of the Armada, but it died with defeat in the English Channel. More than 400 years later, will the new showing of Spanish strength come to the correct conclusion?

The Spanish stoutly hold onto their beliefs. Except it is now no longer Catholicism, but rather the will for a technically outstanding and systemic game model that has driven the camp to wage war on the rest of Europe. The campaign has been far from simple. Their skirmishes have involved both the 2022 World Cup finalists and semifinalists, the hosts of this tournament, and the reigning champions from EURO 2021. Yet, La Roja refuse to relent in their assault and have earned the acclaim of their foes.

Their final adversary still stand firmly on a different doctrine. While stability has been the tagline for Gareth Southgate, impressions of England from the outside have been of an outfit that does not seem assured of how it ought to act. The ‘Three Lions’ rarely roared in the group stage, and Slovakia nearly knocked them out in the Round of 16. But individual class and character cannot be underestimated: this is a team that is all too aware of how a victory would banish demons from their national past.

Southgate sent out ten of the eleven men that triumphed over the Dutch in the semi-final. Marc Guéhi and John Stones stayed at the heart of the defense. Kieran Trippier has filled in on his ‘wrong’ side for most of the competition, but the manager felt he could call on the services of Luke Shaw on the left. Kobbie Mainoo aspired to maintain a balance with Declan Rice in the middle of the park. Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Harry Kane all remained members of this starting selection.

Luis de la Fuente figured out his lineup from the first fixture. Suspensions stifled his squad against the French, but he was free to fall back on his first choice rearguard. The return of Robin Le Normand and Dani Carvajal on the right of the back four signaled substitute slots for Nacho and Jesús Navas. Pedri’s knee injury forced Dani Olmo to act as the most offensive midfielder ahead of Fábian Ruiz and Rodri. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal looked to mark their birthday weeks with a victory.

The settlement for a stalemate

Opponents have opted for more active and passive ways to withstand the Spanish system. Southgate stayed faithful to a risk averse approach. Any attempts to press involved Bellingham jumping from Carvajal to Le Normand. As was the case against the French, Spain could simply go back to their goalkeeper, take the sting out of this engagement, and wait to advance their players up the pitch.

England did not defend in their 5-2-3 formation from the last two rounds. Saka situationally dropped next to Walker, but he mainly sat on the right of a bank of four. A pair of relatively compact quartets shifted more passively in their half of the field. But Southgate was wary of allowing the three Spanish midfielders of wrestling control in the middle of the park. So, Foden shuffled inside from the left and marked Rodri as the anchor of the Spanish system. Rice and Mainoo locked onto Olmo and Fábian.

It was enough to keep Spain at bay before the break. Shaw shackled Yamal with Bellingham by his side. Williams wandered a little more freely with the frequency of rotations off the left wing, but Walker and Stones were able to smother him at the final stand if necessary. And although Morata’s movement between Rice and Mainoo added an extra option in the center of the park, it could do little to compensate for the technical inaccuracies and slower tempo from the Spanish during the first half.

14^th minute: defensive sequence from England. England marked all Spain’s midfielders, so Cucurella pushed forward, on the inside of Walker, to release Williams on the left wing. Saka dropped backward to double up on him with Walker and Stones slid across to cover the underlapping run. Morata moved to the far post and Olmo advanced for a classic cutback toward the edge of the box, but Rice retreated to follow the run. Guéhi cut out Williams’ delivery and Mainoo was present to grab the second ball.

Yet, this stalemate was not unsuitable for Spain. Not only did they dominate the ball, but also shots were far and few between for their opponents. Long balls for Bellingham to fight in the air or width from Shaw and Saka sporadically relieved pressure on England’s block. However, their first shot on target arrived on the stroke of half time from Foden. De la Fuente waited for the right time to strike.

Yeah, it's been rather flat.
The England blocked shot just before half-time the best 'chance' of the game so far.#ESPENG | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/Re7O3gErp2

— Between The Posts (@BetweenThePosts) July 14, 2024

Martín the matador baits the bullfight

The two combatants reemerged for the start of the second half without one cornerstone in sight. Out of nowhere, de la Fuente had replaced Rodri with Martín Zubimendi. Yet, it seemed an inspired act within two minutes of the action. He and Fábian fell backward to circulate the ball, and as it reached Carvajal, Shaw was unsure whether to push out to the right back or stick to Yamal in his back. The wide men could connect, and Yamal released Williams on the left to strike into the corner of the net.

🔝 performance
🔝 tournament

Nico Williams is the real deal 👏@Vivo_GLOBAL | #EUROPOTM pic.twitter.com/lPu38RWoX0

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 14, 2024

Carvajal had cut open the block with a pass for Yamal to swivel onto with a forward facing posture. But it also indicated a shift in solutions. Since Fábian fell back deeper in a clearer double pivot, there was protection for both fullbacks to move higher up the wings while Williams and Yamal moved inside. The rotations released the fullbacks and if England’s midfielders were intent on staying close to their men, there was more uncertainty about who should help Rice to pick up all the options.

New movement patterns from teammates complemented these alterations. Kane did not engage the defenders aggressively, and Le Normand could carry the charge from central defense to connect on the right. Also, Morata saw no need to drop off the last line so much. He would run across the last line, pinning Guéhi as a fellow red shirt would attempt to turn and face the goal directly. In the 55th minute, he duly received a through ball from Yamal but struck a shot weakly and wide of the target.

55^th minute: offensive sequence from Spain. Kane jumped to Laporte, while Le Normand had space and time to receive. Foden does not stay tightly to Zubimendi, anticipating the shift to the central defender. Zubimendi becomes free on his inside shoulder and Spain can circulate. Cucurella pins Saka, Olmo and Williams prevent pressure from Mainoo with movement in his back, and Fábian eventually lifts a pass to Le Normand. From the switch, Yamal and Morata connect for a chance.

Fortune favors the brave

Southgate saw risks were in order. At the hour mark, he pulled off his captain: Ollie Watkins once more stepped in for Kane, aspiring to add life to the high press. Ten minutes later, Mainoo made way for Cole Palmer, and Bellingham dropped deep in midfield next to Rice. It worked a treat. Cucurella committed to containing a transition, but England escaped: Saka slalomed forward on the wing and pulled three red shirts into his proximity. He searched for a gap to pick out Bellingham in the box, and a layoff arrived at the feet of Palmer. Ice cold in his veins, Palmer placed an effort past Unai Simón.

65^th minute: pressing sequence from England. Watkins started from the right near Laporte (just as Kane had done for the first sixty minutes). The ball passes between Simón across the center of the defense, but Watkins engages with such speed that the back pass to the goalkeeper is not possible; Foden also does not need to leave his marking on Zubimendi. Le Normand knocks the ball long. Rice remains in close coverage of Olmo and Stones steps in front of Williams to sweep up possession. Such pressure permitted the English to take a little more possession in the phase around their equalizer.

The deficit demanded such a response. And the profiles on the pitch in the midfield would prefer to probe further after the equalizer. However, the pressure in this new arrangement soon dialed down.

The ball was back in the Spanish court. De la Fuente had brought on Mikel Oyarzabal for Morata just before the equalizer and their proactivity paid dividends one more time. Four of the English forwards filtered forward to press while the rest of the block backed off behind the halfway line. Fábian and Olmo opened up in the pockets, and the offensive midfielder poked a pass to Oyarzabal. Cucurella climbed up the left wing and reached the ball first, flashing a first time delivery behind the defense. Jordan Pickford was not in an ideal position to collect the cross and Oyarzabal restored the lead.

For a second time, Southgate reacted. Ivan Toney took the place of Foden as a second striker with Watkins. The scoreline nearly leveled immediately. Bellingham had broken the lines to feed Watkins, who could not control cleanly. At the subsequent corner, Rice barreled a header at the goal; Simón saved the effort and Olmo nodded a secondary header from Guéhi off the line. So close, yet so far.

Takeaways

Felicidades! La Roja have returned to the top of Europe for the first time in 12 years with a record breaking fourth EUROs title. And this Spanish squad has achieved something not even the Golden Generation can boast. Seven from seven wins represent the only 100% record in the history of the competition; their 15 goals are also a record for a country in a single edition. Above all, their free flowing, risky style has earned its due reward; all of a sudden, Spanish football feels far rosier.

It’s the same sinking feeling for England. Many of the same men who fell at the final hurdle in 2021 would have wanted to wipe away their shootout sorrows against Italy, but it was not written in the stars. Even if the English held onto hopes of glory till the end, a reluctance to be bold and take the game to their opponents brought up more questions than answers. Southgate could not bury the pain of the past once and for all— and observers will continue to question if he has the right to try again.

We decided to make all of our EURO 2024 articles free to read. If you want to support our work, consider taking a subscription.

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