England’s progression to a first ever major tournament final on foreign soil at Euro 2024 is the fruit of a decade of work on a player development program that has turned perennial underachievers into serial contenders.
Ending a 58-year wait to win a major trophy at senior men’s international level is the final hurdle left to clear for Gareth Southgate’s men in Sunday’s final against Spain after serial success at youth level and in the women’s game.
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Just months after the Three Lions had crashed out of 2014 World Cup with one game to spare of the group stage, Southgate — then in his role as under-21 boss — appeared alongside the English Football Association’s technical director Dan Ashworth.
They presented a plan termed “England DNA” that had the goal of blending the passion English football was famous for with better technique and a stronger mentality to handle the pressures of major tournament football.
“One of the mantras we have is ‘The only thing that changes is the size of the shirt’,” said Ashworth, who was recently appointed Manchester United’s sporting director after successful spells at Brighton and Newcastle.
“So as they come through that player pathway, from an under-15 boy or girl, all the way through to the seniors, we have some consistent messages around them.
“If everyone is on the same page and everyone buys into and believes what you are trying to do it can become so much more powerful.” The results since speak for themselves at every level.
England celebrates Euros semi-finals win | 04:07
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Many of Southgate’s squad in Germany have already experienced winning tournaments at youth level.
Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer were part of the side that beat Spain in the final to win England’s first under-21 Euros for 39 years 12 months ago.
Ezri Konsa won the Under-20 World Cup in 2017, while the same year Phil Foden won player of the tournament alongside Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher in winning the under-17 World Cup.
England’s women won their first major tournament on home soil at the Euros in 2022 and followed that up by reaching the World Cup final last year.
“As a football nation we have long been characterised by our passion, fighting spirit and effort,” Ashworth said at the time.
“Although there are aspects of these characteristics we wish to retain, we do not wish to be solely defined by them.”
‘HAUNT ME FOREVER’: THE BRUTAL NEAR MISSES BEHIND ENGLAND AGONY
The blend of an old fashioned never-say-die attitude with players of a higher technical standard has carried England on a rollercoaster to the Euro 2024 final.
Hyped before the tournament as one of the favourites, Southgate admitted the expectation weighed heavy as his side stumbled through the group stage, scoring just two goals in three games.
They then needed late fightbacks and individual moments of brilliance from Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka to keep them alive in sneaking past lower ranked opposition in Slovakia and Switzerland to make the last four.
But in Dortmund against the Dutch, England’s decade of planning had its reward in a famous 2-1 semi-final win.
“It will be I would imagine a long time, if ever an English side had 60 per cent possession of the ball against a side from the Netherlands. So it shows the more modern England way,” said a beaming Southgate afterwards.
The ultimate test lies ahead against a Spain side that have swept all before them, including Germany and France on the tougher side of the draw.
England have previously suffered a series of near misses under Southgate.
They defied expectations to reach the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup before missing out on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final on home soil.
Eight players in Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad took part in that devastating defeat, with midfielder Declan Rice conceding the loss “will haunt me forever”.
More heartbreak came in Qatar two years ago when Harry Kane ballooned over a late penalty against France in a 2-1 quarter-final defeat.
But that experience has put them in a better place than ever before to become champions of Europe for the first time.
“We’re more calm going into the knockout games because the first time we did it in Russia, we hadn’t won a knockout game for 10 years,” added Southgate.
“We hadn’t been through the experience. Quarter-finals, semi-finals, we’ve managed a lot of those games now.
“The last final was the first European Championship final I’ve ever managed. If I didn’t get anything right, apologies for that. I’m going to try and do better this week.”
THE KEY TWEAK THAT SPARKED ENGLAND’S STUNNING TURNAROUND
England’s deep run in Germany has also left some wondering if Southgate may stick around even longer.
The 53-year-old’s contract with the FA expires in December and he shelved any talk about his future until after Euro 2024 was complete.
Prior to the tournament, the England boss told German outlet Bild that if he can’t lead the team to victory, he “probably won’t be here anymore” and it “might be the last chance” at winning a trophy.
Despite finishing top of Group C and going unbeaten in three games, England’s displays were uninspiring as Southgate was strongly criticised for, well, just about every on-field matter possible.
His substitutions — or lack of — were called out, a lack of attacking flair, an unbalanced midfield. You name it, Southgate copped flak for it.
Such was the anger directed towards Southgate that two empty beer cups landed near him as he applauded the England fans after a dour 0-0 draw with Slovenia.
The reaction on social media was even more aggressive, all to a man who guided England to at least the quarterfinals in the three prior major tournaments he managed.
But the discourse slowly turned in Southgate’s favour when he opted for a back three against Switzerland.
It was a departure from the 4-3-3 formation England had largely up until then, but with the new system in place, it worked a masterstroke.
The team immediately looked more balanced, even if the right-footed Kieran Trippier lined up at left wing-back.
Southgate’s three-man backline — which transitions to five when defending — also represented a return to the successful set-up from the 2018 World Cup that sparked England’s surprise run to the semi finals.
The return of Luke Shaw — the only left back picked in the squad — helped add even more balance when he came on in place of Trippier at half time in their semi final against the Netherlands, a game in which they played their best football at the tournament yet.
“With the back five we’ve played against in the last two games we’ve kept the ball so well,” Rice said.
“When we’ve sat back in we’ve felt solid. On the pitch we feel together and strong.
“The improvement from the last Euros on the back five is that we’re keeping the ball much better. You have players at club level that are used to taking the ball under pressure and playing in pockets, HK (Harry Kane) dropping deep suits us.
“I felt really good with Kobbie in there playing really close together and with John and the back three has really helped, Jude and Phil in the 10s has really helped as well.”
Some England fans may still think Southgate should move on after the tournament is done.
Despite leading England to the semi final stage in three of four major tournaments, eight years remains an awfully long time to remain in a managerial role and it could be time for fresh ideas.
Even Southgate conceded similar in his interview with Bild.
“I’ve been here for almost eight years now and we’ve come close so I know that you can’t keep standing in front of the public and saying ‘please do a little more’, because at some point, people will lose faith in your message,” Southgate said.
However, it seems the FA don’t exactly share the same sentiment with The Telegraph reporting they want Southgate to stick around until the 2026 World Cup regardless of victory or defeat in the final against Spain.
Only Southgate can decide if he wants to move on or stay in his post after the tournament is done.
But if he is able to lead England to victory, he can look back and know he was one of the architects of the nation’s stunning revival that has them continually making deep tournament runs.