‘Fearless’ Southgate exudes calm on eve of final showdown

Gareth Southgate says he no longer has anything to fear as England boss, as he has already been through everything football has to throw at him.

Southgate missed a crucial penalty in the semi-final shootout defeat against Germany at Wembley during Euro 96. He also saw England surrender leads in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and Euro 2020 Final, only to lose in extra-time and on penalties respectively.

The Three Lions boss spoke to media from around the globe at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on the eve of Sunday night’s clash with Spain in the European Championship final.

“I don’t have any fear because I have been through everything,” he told the media conference. “I want the players to have that fearlessness.

“If we are not afraid to lose it gives us a better chance of winning. I am personally excited.”

“I’m not a believer in fairytales, but I am a believer in dreams.” 💭

Will Gareth Southgate’s dream come true on Sunday night? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#BBCEuros #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/Ja4ojH2ROG

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 13, 2024

‘We have found ourselves’

Southgate says England have finally found themselves at Euro 2024, after seeing their preparations hampered by injuries and having to find ways of balancing the attacking side with so many talented players occupying similar positions.

“I am happy where we are at going into this game,” he said. “We have been trying to find balance and we have started to find that in the last few games.”

He is wary of the threat posed by La Roja, who are the first nation to win six matches at a single Euros.

He said: “My observations are that they have a very clear way of playing, a very settled team, they press with real intensity, keep possession exceptionally well.

“We will have to be very well organised in how we play.”

“We are showing our real selves,” he added. “It’s been starting to come over the last three matches. We played very well against the Netherlands (in the semi-final) and that’s our intention again.”

The world is watching

Southgate says despite their improved fortunes over the past four tournaments, the only way they will earn the respect of the football world is to win Euro 2024.

He said in football ‘sometimes you go through difficult nights,’ and added: “We had high expectations but they didn’t match where we were performance wise.

“Now the high expectations are still there but we have consistent performances.

“In the end you have to be in the latter stages of tournaments to learn how to win the big games.

“We have broken a lot of records but we know we have to do this one, to get this trophy, to really feel the respect of the football world.”

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With speculation that Sunday night could be his final game in charge, regardless of the result, Southgate reflected on a career which has seen incredible highs as well as deep lows.

“Those difficult nights have taught me football can change so quickly. The difference between winning and losing is so small. It’s given me more perspective in life – in the end there are bigger things than football.

“Football has given me an amazing life and amazing experiences. I couldn’t have wished for anything more than to represent my country as a player and then to be able to lead my country for eight years as a manager has been the biggest privilege I could possibly have.”