Euro 2024 final: Alex Keble's match-ups and key battles

By Alex Keble

19:59 · SUN July 14, 2024

Alex Keble (@alexkeble) is a football journalist who specialises in tactical understanding, analysis and predictions of all aspects of the game.

Spain vs England
Sunday 14th July, 20:00
BBC One & ITV1
Home 7/5 | Draw 2/1 | Away 21/10

Williams & Cucurella v Saka & Walker

Throughout Euro 2024 Spain’s main attacking threat has been the dribbling of their two wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, who between them are responsible for 45% of Spain’s attempted take-ons this summer.

Focus is on Yamal after his incredible goal against France and England will need a plan to deal with his constant desire to cut inside and cross or shoot; Kieran Trippier might be preferred to Luke Shaw because he can tackle on his right foot when Yamal drives infield, while Declan Rice will need to scurry across to help him out.

But the majority of Spain’s football is played down the opposite flank, where Marc Cucurella and Williams swap inside and outside positions to link up and confound the opposition right-back. Given that England’s right defender is a winger, Bukayo Saka, this is a more significant match-up than whatever happens on the other side.

Gareth Southgate praised Saka for his “defensive responsibility” after the victory over the Netherlands, but it will be a lot harder to defend the spaces with Kyle Walker on Sunday. Spain’s rotations are fast and intricate; Saka’s inexperience in the position might prove to be England’s weak point.

On the other hand, Cucurella is vulnerable at the other end. England’s lopsided 3-4-2-1 has seen Saka arriving in space on the right after opponents are pulled out to the other side, and in that scenario you can see Saka getting the better of Cucurella. That’s the wing to watch closely.

Rodri & Ruiz v Bellingham & Foden

We know that Spain will hog possession, but England don’t necessarily need to worry about that. Southgate’s side generally perform better when there is space to run into and worse when tasked with breaking down a deep block, hence their improvement against the Netherlands.

In fact, Spain’s territorial domination might just play into England’s hands, especially as the game wears on. It’s easy to envisage Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer coming off the bench to stretch Spain’s high line, with England once again digging deep to come back from a supposedly inferior position.

For that to happen, however, they will need to find a way to blunt the Spanish midfield. Rodri and Fabian Ruiz have been superb in a double pivot for Luis de la Fuente’s side, and if they are free to dictate the tempo then the most likely scenario is a return of that most criticised of Southgate traits: losing the midfield battle and gradually sinking into inevitable defeat.

Germany came closest to stopping them. In the first half especially, Ilkay Gundogan and Emre Can went man-for-man on Rodri and Ruiz, which prevented Spain from building through the thirds as they would have liked, creating a slightly disjointed Spanish performance.

This is instructive for England, because their 3-4-2-1 theoretically leaves Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham in the right place to sit on top of Rodri and Ruiz. In a more defensive performance than we have seen at any other point in this tournament, England’s number tens may be instructed by Southgate to follow the Spain midfielders around the pitch, forcing a more staccato rhythm in the hope of turning the ball over for an attacking transition.

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From here, Saka versus Cucurella comes into play. That is the rough blueprint for how England can overcome the odds to produce a smash-and-grab win. In a tournament defined by moments of magic and a heavy dose of good luck, you would not put it past them.

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