GOING SOUTH
At the end of last season, West Ham had a managerial conundrum, one that divided the board room and the fanbase. Should they punt David Moyes – a man who brought silverware back to the club for the first time in 43 years – out of a east London door marked ‘Sod Off’, or keep him, despite another underwhelming season where the Scot’s own brand of stodgy pragmatism hadn’t quite hit the ideals of the so-called Academy of Football. The Hammers chose the former, replacing Moyes with a Spaniard with ideas, and Moyes left as a well-liked, well-respected manager, who everyone can pretty much agree had both flaws and success. We’ll find out soon enough if West Ham’s decision to appoint Julen Lopetegui was a good one, or whether, in a few months from now, Moyes will appear as a guest on Monday Night Football, gleefully whistling Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi down the barrel of a camera.
All of which is a rather clumsy way of explaining that we don’t really know what this England team is capable of, without Gareth Southgate, but the overwhelming feeling is: a lot more. Stating the bleeding obvious, but Spain were deserved winners of Sunday’s final and the best team at this tournament by a stretch. They won every match, beating Croatia, Italy, Albania, Georgia, hosts Germany, France and England en route to glory, despite losing Pedri, Gavi and eventually Rodri to injury. On paper Spain were there for the taking after their talisman’s half-time withdrawal and later, after England’s shock equaliser, but in both instances after somehow gaining an advantage, England ceded ground. It was notable to see that after Cole Palmer dragged Southgate’s side back into the game, rather than go for the jugular and keep momentum, the England manager was seen prepping Conor Gallagher and Kieran Trippier to come on as subs, shortly before Spain scored their winner.
For England fans, this was another feeble and familiar night, bookmarked by their pantomime villain of 2021, Giorgio Chiellini, who brought the Henri Delaunay Trophy out on to the pitch for the pre-match anthems with a ominous and knowing grin, and ended the evening with a devastating post-match quote: “It takes me back, seeing the English so enthusiastic and happy, remembering how quickly their mood can change”, beamed the Italian. “This is the history of the Ingerland”, he didn’t add, but perhaps could have.
By the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around, it will be 60 years since England’s last male major tournament win: the same amount of time will separate us from Baddiel and Skinner in 1996 to what separated them from the boys of 1966. Just as with Moyes, there are very persuasive reasons for ditching Southgate just as there are credible reasons for keeping Southgate, from his qualifying and tournament record to a lack of alternatives. If only there was someone out of a job that understood how to play free-flowing attacking football, understood the English psyche and floated almost exclusively on pure vibes. Ah, well.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
The start of the second half was a Shakespearean tragedy. England, incapable of anything, yielded before a superior Spain and only some unwise Spanish decisions avoided a hammering. The injury suffered by Spain’s helmsman, Rodri, made little difference: the Premier [League] stars found themselves kneeling before a Spanish generation that is afraid of nothing” – Spanish daily El Mundo gets stuck into England’s performance. For more excitable press reaction from Spain have a gander at Sam Jones’s roundup here.
EURO 2024 DAILY
As England lost against the first good team we came up against (yet again), presumably now all the bandwagon jumping wannabes in Boxparks who don’t actually like football and only bothered watching England games from the semi-final onwards, wearing brand new retro England shirts from 1982, 1990 or 1996 and throwing £10 pints in the air performatively, can now slink off so football can return to those of us who actually bother to watch it season in, season out. I’m not sure what we’ll do without them though. It’s like the Beatles without Yoko Ono (not that I’m bitter)“ – Noble Francis.
Disappointed Nacho didn’t start. I had a bet on him or Rice being the first player named after a carbohydrate-based snack to score in a final since Bryan Breadsticks in 1962” – Paul Griffin.
This is something I really have a problem with. Why is it 58 years of hurt? The first tournament after England won the World Cup was in 1968 so surely the clock didn’t start until then, therefore it’s only 56 years of hurt. If I’m wrong and England had beaten Spain would we now be on one day of hurt?” – Alistair Moffat.
So, there were six winners of the ‘Euro’s Golden Boot’ award. Uefa missed a great opportunity to provide some extra excitement to the event … a penalty shootout among the six to decide the true Golden Boot winner” – Mike Haines.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Mike Haines. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and the Football Daily pod squad chew over another dose of Euros final heartache for England and laud the Spain team.
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