By Sean Walsh
England boss Gareth Southgate joked his side will 'have to get the ball' off of Spain first and foremost in order to beat them in Sunday's Euro 2024 final.
The Three Lions secured their spot in Berlin with a late 2-1 win against the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Wednesday, 24 hours after Spain knocked out tournament favourites France by the same scoreline.
La Roja have been the great entertainers of the tournament so far and they have won all six of their matches to this point - a record at a single European Championship - while they have been best characterised by their two young and quick wingers, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.
And Southgate is well aware of the task ahead for England to topple Spain and claim continental silverware.
When asked how England can beat Spain, Southgate replied: "We'll have to get the ball off them 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.
"The extra day [of rest for Spain] is a concern, in the last few tournaments that's been a problem for finalists. We've got to do the very best we can to recover the players as well as we can.
"We're not going to be on the training ground, that's simple. 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 they do."
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Gareth Southgate jokes about England's plans to beat Spain in Euro 2024 final.
