Nearly as expected really. I guess Southgate wants them to absorb pressure. Hopefully the attackers will be subbed on. The issue is England can't distribute or dominate the ball. I feel England have to try and possess the ball and then go fast. Bellingham keeps trying to fall when he needs to pin his ears back.

If England start suffucating Spain, they're too good and will just parry. 

With all the talent we know England have they are struggling to retain possession - Bellingham trying too much being aggressive in frustration Saka has been ineffective against the old man.
Quite telling the class where this Spain side is.
Vamos Spain such a controlling performance so far and magic build up play and finish.

Long way to go yet - Pom’s might jag one change the game or Spain finish them off.
Watkins now will offer more movement up front like Morata offers.

That was well played 

Justice 
what a 2nd goal 
Minutes to play - deserved best team all tournament ! 

Your safe and sound robbos - I’m sure you shed a tear for the wife but happy inside haha 

England way too reserved. Southgate played with fire and got burned. Why did the ref blow so early? Spain wasted so much time in added time.

It's idiotic to ever let possession based teams have the ball. If you press and unsettle them, they don't have a plan B. 

Thought Walker was bad but that's football. Spain were to good this tournament 

Walker is garbage living off the City tag. Twice off the pace for both goals tonight and nothing in attack. He had a knock early on and Trippier should've come on. Tripper would overlap and pass better. 

At least I can cancel Optus sports 

Don’t think even the best of backs would have covered that flowing line of attack - you can’t beat perfection at times.
Those 3/4 pass’s were copy book play and then the finish.
You guys are dreaming.

Southgate is one thing but the players themselves struggled to penetrate them better than Spain.
The skill diff was obvious in close spaces when at the box either ends.
Spain showed class finesse where the English were passive aggressive.

Where to now for Southgate ?
Back to back final loss’s, is that try someone else ? 

What a mess though. Kane nowhere again and Foden had a shocker of a tournament with no scorer points.

It comes down to coaching and while it got some results by a hair, England players were in shackles most of the time. I don't watch Madrid enough but Bellingham would rather fall than pin his ears back.

Walker caught out twice when TAA or any other aware defender knows you've got to keep tabs on lingering deep man. It's all linked to the midfield also with Rice off the pace and Mainoo was a ghost tonight. England should've played a flat 3 midfield to try and dominate the centre. 

Close run finals both times where bigger things make the ultimate difference. 

I'm not much of a football tactician but for the second goal it looks like they pushed curcella up as like as surprise attack on the wing definitely got them off guard 

Watch him. He starts a sprint from within his own half. England's midfield were far too spacious between the lines. Walker way too high and confused where to go. Guehi not goal side. Casual and punished really. 

I'll watch it again. As a side note I really wish we got a bit more tactical analysis a lot of football coverage is just kind of bland talking about who's playing well. 

Kane is done been ordinary most tournament.
Maybe it’s the midfield not reading where to play the ball but Kane also doesn’t offer himself in the open enough.
Hes been playing with injury led to believe so Southgate should have opted for Watkins starting up most games.
Rice is not a creative midfielder much but a winner of 2nd balls and defensively.
Bellingham plays like a bull - uses his muscle and skill and more individual to me than using his team mates enough and his slide tackle intent should bring a yellow every time.
Saka wants to take on everyone when at the box when a low lying cross is where Kane excelled over his career like the 2nd Spanish goal scorer - England are trying to play like Spain but can’t do it…..
Your right re TAA - I thought of him in that 2nd half i would have put him on instead of Trippier you mentioned earlier talking Walker.
They lack a midfield maestro puppet master.
Southgate has stuck too much with Kane Walker for one.
Gomez instead of Guehi.
Anyway glad Spain won it would have been so wrong Pom’s jag the win.

Cucerella has played with the most consistency I’ve seen compared to his EPL games I watch over the years.
Hes normally a weak link susceptible of errors but this tournament he’s played pretty sound.
Ive hardly seen him mis time a ball under the pump or having to back track like mad.
Must instil confidence with the players around him.
This Spain team is brilliant blend of everything you want in a team.

Yeah amazing tournament from a usually average player....  Also agree Walker and Kane were the weakest links although I also though Foden was pretty flat... Better side won on the day. Bottom line is, as I think Johnsaz stated above, you give a team who likes to hold the ball, the ball .... what do you expect to happen? Southgate OUT!!!!!

correct he's been dam average for sometime, been on the bench at Chelsea most of last season for eg.....

People carry on about Southgates tactics and brief to players BUT on the pitch a player needs to react and adapt whats in front of him like any of us when playing a game, I know whats been instructed BUT I need to change my game to change whats happenning.
This leads to Foden, he and Bellingham pressed too high imo, Mainoo/Rice were deeper and lacked winning the midfield possession hands down.
The only Distribution stat the Poms were ahead is freekicks !
Foden on the ball at times was looking where to pass and mostly back, as we know Foden is a forward attacking player, thats his forte and lack posssion/penetration a player like Foden is flat due to lack of pitch authority.
You don't win midfield enough your playing catch up.
Bellingham was pretty ordinary for me.
Poms trouble was they couldn't hang onto the ball enough to dictate play but for those fits and starts.
Will be interesting if it will be Southgate out, IF I was in the shoes of decision after 8yrs, you'd seriously have to consider looking elsewhere depending who is suitable and accepting the gig.

BTW how great was it watching a Euro Final in a proper football stadium with a running track around it eh? 

Only thing the ref got wrong all game. Should've played at least 90 seconds extra. There were 2 stoppages in time added on.

Few quick random thoughts.
Bellingham falls over a lot.
Williams and Yamal were great. Tough night for the England defenders with not only those 2 blokes running amok but then there's talent galore streaming forward in the middle.
Don't watch enough Kane to know but he seemed to play way too deep. Saw him in his own box on more than one occasion.
Luke Shaw was terrific. 
Foden looks like one of the chavs from that movie The Gentleman when they're in the fish and chip shop.
On TV the running track is fine. For the fans it's shit. The blokes behind the goal on the fence would've been literally 130 to 140m away from the other goal. Further if you were up higher.
Morata was great.  
Hard for England to make chances when they don't have the ball. I'm assuming Spain had 70 odd % of possesion?

Spain were better in both halves and deserved to win.
Don't know whether to feel sorry for Southgate or not.

Here's a conversation starter. How do you think Ange would go coaching England?

Glad Spain has won this.

I mean... for England, Spain should be the blueprint of what to follow. Same for Italy too.

How much disappointment did they have to put up with, with quarter-finals after quarter-finals and disappointment after disappointment.

Since (and including Euro 2008)
Winner
Winner
Winner
Group of Death knockout
Round of 16
Round of 16
Semi-Final
Round of 16
Winner

And especially with winning Euro 2024 whilst STARTING a teenager that had their fingers in the pie across the tournament, the youth development for that country (which might admittedly be just Barca) is elite. As an example, the last time Italy did such a thing was Maldini at Euro 1988

Can you imagine how insufferable I would be if the English FA published the same amount of "love letter" posts to South Melbourne Hellas as Celtic and now Spurs do???

ahahahahah 

https://x.com/SpursOfficial/status/1812463391304548770

Muz, stats below - possession 63 to 37.
https://www.uefa.com/euro2024/match/2036211--spain-vs-england/statistics/

Your right mentioning Morata.
He has been a victim many times not delivering enough over his years, heaps of pressure to perform especially whilst the side had dropped its dominance so he was called out alot.
Even I used to think friggin blanks but he has resurrected himself during their rebuild, I agree he ran his socks off and played a brilliant front role whereas Kane was polar opposites.
Morata 31 Kane 30, past the prime but still years ahead but the contrast is for all to see.
Kane had a good Bundas season, think he got lead scorer, seems he destined never to win a trophy though.
Yer Shaw, for having been injured for sometime he did play well.
Southgate their prob couldn't give a toss actually :)

Ange ? I reckon they would leak some goals but also score alot to counter that.
He'd also give some on the bench a better run to prove their worth and maybe expose the talent thats there.
For eg, I would have given
Gordon
Bowen
TAA
Gomez
Palmer more time on the pitch
Watkins more pitch time
Tony/Eze, why pick and never use them

yes kudos to them always been amazing watching what they can produce.
Cruyff ??? WTF has his DNA stuck in their blood more than his own country of birth one wonders, well it has but the results are chalk and cheese..
9yrs player at Ajax 245 games a return of 193goals FFS !
Just 5yrs at Barca 143 games return of 48.
Retires from playing coachs Ajax 3yrs, goes to Barca 8yrs creates a factory, and Ajax/Netherlands produce some amazing players but their Clubs/NT's don't figure greatly compared to Spanish Clubs/NT..
The football world since the Xavi/Messi/Pulyols etc reign since have coachs leading the charge ala Pep/Xavi won LLiga the other season and their NT now have up coming world beaters.

Here quoted by Rodri :
More from Player of the Tournament Rodri: "We have made history, beating four former world champions in the process. We got through the toughest draw and it speaks for the mentality of the team. This has been cultivated. Many of us were champions at Under-17, Under-19, Under-21 level ... De la Fuente knew what he was doing."

England were awful for the first 20 mins. Southgate is just so predictable... its incredible.. he had Shaw back! Should of went back to 4 at the back and get another man in midfield and started Watkins... Spain knew what England were going to do. Spain controlled 80% of the game... well done to them.

I reckon any England player that deviates rom Southgate's blueprint gets benched. Lack of freedoms just like under Arnold. Hopefully now someone new can come in and those players can thrive. Foden with a garbage tournament. Southgate only benefited when he had to go off script and let the players do their thing. It's true the players need to react on the pitch but I think they've been drilled to stick to a plan. Notice how they slowed down the closer they got to the Spanish end? No urgency. Their kits were too white at full time.

maybe they should offer Luis de la Fuente whatever it takes :)

Time for a beer and slight football break I'd say. What a tournament. Well done by Germany. Oh...Danish league starts this weekend not to mention EPL Fantasy dropping.