Gareth Southgate has said there is “no way to hide” from England’s fitness issues at Euro 2024 and admitted Harry Kane is unable to reach his best in Germany.
Southgate’s side have been plagued by fitness problems since leaving for Euro 2024 in early June and have rarely looked as sharp as their Spanish opponents in Sunday’s final defeat.
Captain Kane missed the end of Bayern Munich’s season while La Liga player of the season Jude Bellingham faltered in the second half of the campaign, with 18 of his 23 club goals coming before the turn of the year.
The England manager, who declined to discuss his future after the game, could face scrutiny over whether he could have used his squad better – or taken another left-back given Luke Shaw’s long-term absence through injury.
But speaking to ITV SportHe said: “There’s no secret, we had a few problems before the tournament, we managed to sort most of them out and get Luke (Shaw) out tonight, but we just fell short in the end.
“It’s probably both (a success and a missed opportunity), honestly. The players have to be commended for getting us to where we are, but when you’re that close to that goal, you have to take your chance.
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Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol says the FA want Gareth Southgate to stay on as England manager and will give him “time and space” to decide his future after England’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
“The character, the resilience they showed, I just think tonight we didn’t keep the ball well enough. They had more control of the game and that was probably the main difference. I just think against Spain they press well, you have to keep the ball when you win it back.
“Defensively we were good in the first half, we just need to keep the ball better. In the end, that’s maybe what made us lose a bit of ground.”
In his subsequent press conference, Southgate added: “A lot of our players have come into camp having missed the end of the season, we managed to get Luke for 90 minutes after he hadn’t played for four months. We had Kobbie as a young player who did an incredible job, but the amount of football he’s played this year… Jude, we were about to leave because he had cramp as well.”
“We had a good period and equalised but I think the physical problems we had in extra time, having so little of the ball like tonight, ended up having a big impact and I think that’s part of the reason why the legs started to give out and make mistakes.
“That physical issue has certainly been a problem for us and for the other players in the squad as well. Of course, that’s exacerbated when you don’t keep the ball earlier in the game.
“There were a lot of things against us, with one less day to recover from the previous match and the extra time we had, but we have to hold on, Spain were better.”
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Jude Bellingham says he is heartbroken after losing to Spain in Berlin and believes at some point young England will have to deliver.
Southgate: Physically it was tough for Kane
Southgate made the bold decision to replace captain Kane, England’s top scorer, on the hour mark, hoping replacement Ollie Watkins could repeat his heroics that helped bring down the Netherlands in such dramatic fashion on Wednesday night.
It marked a disappointing end to a mixed tournament for Kane, who finished tied at six for the Golden Boot but looked off the pace for long periods and struggled to exert his normally impressive all-round game on the competition.
The English striker said BBC Sport The Euro was a “difficult tournament” while Southgate added: “Physically it’s been a difficult time for Harry (Kane). He’s played few games and hasn’t reached the level we all hoped for.
“We felt Ollie’s freshness would allow us to press better and provide a threat in behind. I think they both did what we wanted.”
Kane himself said: “It was a tough tournament. We had to show a lot of resilience, myself personally and the team.
“It’s been a tough journey and we’ve done a really good job to get here. But at the end of the day, we’ll be judged on this game.”
“We wanted to do it so badly for ourselves, for the fans and for everyone who believed in us along the way. Right now, it’s just a huge disappointment.”
Will Southgate stay or go after Euro disappointment?
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Gareth Southgate has said he will have conversations with “important people behind the scenes” about his future as England manager.
Southgate has refused to give his opinion on his England future in television interviews, with his contract expiring in December. The FA has already strongly suggested it wants him to stay in his job.
He gave further indication of his position in his press conference, saying: “I need to have those conversations with important people behind the scenes. I’m obviously not going to discuss it publicly first. There’s no doubt England have some fabulous young players.”
“Even the youngest have a lot of tournament experience. Many players in this team will still be here in two, four, six or eight years. We are now regularly back in the matches that matter. This is the last step that we have not managed to take.”
Captain Kane, who has made 81 of his 98 international appearances and scored 61 of his 66 goals under Southgate, made his feelings clear after the game but insisted it was up to the manager to decide his own fate.
“We’ve made it clear we like the manager but it’s his decision (whether he wants to stay or not),” he told ITV. “This is not the time to talk about it.
“It’s up to him to decide, he’ll go away and think about it. But we’re all suffering.”
