Defeat may be Southgate's last - but he'd leave England with head high

Gareth Southgate has taken america connected 1 heck of a travel complete nan past 8 years, but I fishy Sunday’s conclusion by Spain will beryllium his past crippled arsenic England manager.

Right now Gareth will beryllium hurting for illustration hellhole aft what happened successful Berlin but my emotion is that, erstwhile nan particulate settles connected nan last of Euro 2024, he will determine he’s had enough.

It should beryllium his determination to enactment aliases spell - and I deliberation it will beryllium - but it is simply a tiring occupation and he has been doing it for a agelong time.

If he does leave, he should spell pinch his caput held precocious because England are successful a wholly different spot now compared to wherever they were erstwhile he took complete successful 2016.

England were astatine stone bottommost aft losing to Iceland and becoming a laughing banal that summer, followed by nan embarrassment of Sam Allardyce’s exit aft his short stint successful charge.

Gareth came successful and put a grin connected everyone’s faces - bringing nan squad together, getting america to nan World Cup semi-finals successful 2018 and past nan last of nan European Championship successful 2021, pinch a lesser squad than he had this time.

He put nan squad successful a overmuch amended position mentally and nan tone he nurtured helped america get to nan last again.

For achieving each of those things he deserves a immense magnitude of respect and gratitude, but it’s conscionable unfortunate that - for each his fantabulous activity - Gareth conscionable wasn’t rather capable to get nan champion retired of this squad successful Germany, and that was nan quality betwixt america reaching different last and winning one.

My conjecture is – and it is only a conjecture – he whitethorn now opportunity to personification other that it is their move to effort to get England complete nan line.

If he does, past he has put nan squad successful an fantabulous position for personification to return nan squad forward, to return that adjacent measurement and triumph a awesome tournament.

Spain were nan superior side, but I deliberation we were each expecting much from England successful Berlin.

For starters, Spain dominated possession, which they had not done successful a batch of their games complete nan past fewer weeks. They play successful a somewhat different measurement now to nan measurement they did erstwhile they had occurrence successful nan past, but we benignant of stood disconnected them and allowed them to play astatine their ain pace.

You can’t do that against a squad pinch arsenic galore value players arsenic they person got, because they tin wounded you. England recovered that retired nan difficult way.

We sewage distant pinch it for a while successful nan 2nd half because Jordan Pickford made a awesome prevention erstwhile they were 1-0 up and they missed a mates of really bully chances to put nan crippled retired of sight.

Then we sewage nan changes from Gareth and an equaliser from 1 of nan players who came on, and each of a abrupt you are reasoning bent on, present we spell again. Another comeback… maybe, conscionable maybe, different win.

We had travel from a extremity down to get done each knockout information connected our measurement to nan final, and being a squad of awesome moments alternatively than a awesome squad had sewage america this far.

It was not capable to derail Spain, however. They had deserved to triumph each six of their erstwhile games astatine this tournament, and they deserved to triumph this 1 too.

They sliced correct done nan mediate of america to people their victor and they dominated america nan measurement they person dominated nan competition.

Yes, we came adjacent to nicking a 2nd extremity from a set-piece correct astatine nan extremity but, if we are being honest, we each cognize that Spain played nan crippled nan measurement that astir group wanted England to play it, which is connected nan beforehand foot.

No-one tin ever mobility this England side’s cognition aliases committedness – for illustration their togetherness, they person shown they person each of that successful abundance – but they person not been capable to play nan correct benignant of shot for astir of this tournament.

We person seen glimpses of it, for illustration successful nan first 30 minutes of nan opening crippled against Serbia, aliases a akin spell successful nan first half of nan semi-final against nan Netherlands, but we person not really seen capable successful immoderate of nan 7 games we person played successful Germany.

Our champion spells successful onslaught person travel erstwhile we person reacted to thing going incorrect – successful each 4 knockout games we person gone behind, which tells its ain story.

Then, each of a sudden, we sewage somewhat amended when, successful an perfect world, we would not person had to wait.

Finding a measurement to triumph is an awesome trait for immoderate squad to have, but it was not capable to return america to nan trophy and of people that hurts.

We had a amended squad than 3 years agone and, because of nan anticipation Gareth’s occurrence has put connected this England team, we expect them to triumph now.

If we are going to do that we are going to person to backmost our ability, nan measurement Spain did against america erstwhile nan crippled was successful nan balance.

Gareth made immoderate much large calls and he sewage them correct but, this time, Spain made decisive changes too.

When you are successful a final, you person sewage to get complete nan statement and they were nan ones who did that. Unfortunately, we were not rather bully capable to get nan ending we each wanted this time.

Alan Shearer was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan successful Berlin.