Exhausted England faces a historical obstacle in Euro 2024 final against Spain

BERLIN — There was a lot of singing in the England locker room in Dortmund late Wednesday night.

Much of it took place in the ice bath.

For all the delirium that followed Ollie Watkins’ injury-time winner to knock out the Netherlands and reach Sunday’s final against Spain, there was also an immediate eye cast on the challenge that follows.

And the fact that the opponent had already had its feet up for 24 hours after defeating France in Tuesday’s first semi.

“We play the team that has been the best team in the tournament, and we have a day less to prepare,” head coach Gareth Southgate said. “So, it is a huge task.

“The extra day is a concern. In the last few tournaments, it has been a problem for finalists. We’ve got to do the very best we can to recover the players as well as we can.”

Spain already poses a monumental challenge to England’s hopes of winning only the second major tournament in its history, following the 1966 World Cup.

Luis de la Fuente’s side, the 2008 and 2012 Euros champion, has won six straight games here in Germany, has scored a competition-high 13 goals (to England’s seven), and has a 16-year-old phenom in Lamine Yamal.

Add in the physical challenge involved with a tight turnaround at the end of a month-long tournament — at the end of a grueling club season — and you can see why Southgate thinks it is a potential problem.

The last three Euros finals — England’s penalties defeat to Italy, Portugal’s victory over France to hand Cristiano Ronaldo his sole major tournament title and Spain beating Italy 4-0 in 2012 — have all gone to the team that played in the first semifinal, each time contested a day earlier than the other.

The World Cup has been the same story, with the last three titles all going to the first, and more rested semifinalist. Argentina and Lionel Messi had an extra day’s break relative to France in Qatar in 2022 and will do so again in the Copa America final against Colombia on Sunday.

In 2018, France was a day more rested than World Cup opponent Croatia. Germany, likewise, against Argentina in 2014.

“Now it is one more game,” attacker Jude Bellingham told reporters. “We are tired, it has been a long season, but this is one last push for our country and for history.”

The perceived disadvantage is not something England’s players will want to dwell on too much ahead of what England star Phil Foden said “will be the biggest game of my life.”

Fatigue is a factor in modern soccer, however, and it should be noted that both of England’s knockout games leading up to the semifinal went 120 minutes, with extra time required.

“The lads are signing in the dressing room, but they are straight in the ice,” Southgate added. “There won’t be any wild parties, we’ve had a couple of those already — we pick our moments for those. 

“We are still here and we are fighting. We have to get the ball off Spain first. It’s not as simple as us having the ball and making them run.

“They press very, very well, so we’re going to have to be exceptional with the ball and we’re going to have to be exceptional without it. It’s a final, so you expect it to be that way.

“They’ve been the best team. We’re starting to show a better version of ourselves.”

After beating the Dutch to reach a first major final on foreign soil, England have now come from behind in each of its three games in the elimination bracket. While trailing is clearly not an ideal scenario, the response has undoubtedly provided a confidence boost to a team that was heavily criticized for its uninspiring play in the group stage.

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Southgate’s group spent Thursday back at its base in Blankenhain, in Germany’s South-East. It has been situated there throughout the tournament, preferring to have a consistent camp in one location, even though it meant traveling longer distances for games.

There won’t be any significant training taking place in the days leading up to the final, with the focus revolving around recuperation.

“We’re not going to be on the training ground, that’s simple,” Southgate said. “We’ll be walking through things or delivering things in meetings. It was the same for this game.

“But we’re in there and with what we’ve shown to this point, we have as good a chance as (Spain) do.”

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.

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