EURO 2024 ICYMI: Southgate Admits Fitness Woes as England Fall Short

In Case You Missed It: Gareth Southgate acknowledged England's fitness issues at Euro 2024 and admitted that Harry Kane couldn't reach his best in Germany.

England struggled with physical problems throughout the tournament, never quite matching the sharpness of their Spanish opponents in the final defeat on Sunday. Captain Kane missed the end of Bayern Munich's season, while Jude Bellingham, La Liga's player of the season, faded in the second half of the campaign. Bellingham scored 18 of his 23 club goals before the turn of the year.

Speaking to ITV Sport, Southgate said, "There's no hiding we've had some issues coming into the tournament. We've managed to deal with most of them and got Luke [Shaw] out tonight, but we've just fallen short in the end."

Southgate praised his players but admitted missed opportunities, saying, "The players deserve enormous credit for getting us this far, but when you get that close, you've got to take your chances. We didn't keep the ball well enough against Spain, and that was the main difference."

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In his press conference, Southgate highlighted the physical toll on his squad. "Many of our players came into the camp having missed the end of the season. We've managed to get Luke through 90 minutes when he hasn't played for four months. Jude was cramping, and we had to take him off. The physical toll, the extra-time periods, and having so little of the ball tonight took a big toll."

Southgate made a bold move by substituting Kane, England's record goalscorer, with an hour played, hoping Ollie Watkins could replicate his semifinal heroics against the Netherlands. Kane ended the tournament in a six-way tie for the Golden Boot but struggled to exert his usual influence.

Reflecting on Kane's performance, Southgate said, "Physically, it's been a tough period for Harry. He came in short of games and didn't quite get up to the level we'd all hope."

Kane echoed the sentiment, telling BBC Sport, "It's been a tough tournament. We've had to show a lot of resilience. We've done extremely well to get here, but ultimately we're judged on this game. It's just huge disappointment."

Southgate avoided discussing his future publicly, with his contract up in December. He hinted at his position in the press conference, saying, "I need to have those conversations with important people behind the scenes. England have some fabulous young players, and we've been consistently in matches that matter. It's the last step we haven't been able to take."

Kane, who has made 81 of his 98 international appearances and scored 61 of his 66 goals under Southgate, expressed his support for the manager. "We love the manager, but it's his decision whether he wants to stay on. Now's not the time to talk about it. But we're all just hurting."

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