- Listen to It’s all about to begin! EUROS DAILY: Why you should believe England can beat Spain in the final
- England fans have revealed whether they think Gareth Southgate should stay
- Southgate has led England to the final of Euro 2024, where they will face Spain
England fans have made their views known as to whether Gareth Southgate should remain as national coach after Euro 2024.
Despite heavy criticism over England’s troubled start to the tournament in Germany, Southgate has guided the Three Lions to the final, where they face Spain on Sunday.
England also reached the final in 2020 (where they lost on penalties to Italy) and, under Southgate’s leadership, reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
The FA are keen for Southgate to remain as manager regardless of the outcome of the final.
Southgate, who initially took charge on an interim basis in 2016, sees his current contract expire at the end of December.
England fans have given their verdict on whether Gareth Southgate should remain as manager
A YouGov survey found that 64 percent of England fans wanted Southgate to stay on as manager after the tournament, while 36 percent wanted him to leave.
The division among fans was further deepened when they were asked whether Southgate should be knighted if England win Euro 2024, with 52 percent in favour and 48 percent against.
They then turned their attention to the pressing issue of who should form England’s attacking line in Sunday’s deciding match.
Harry Kane has started all of England’s matches at the tournament so far, scoring three goals, but overall his performances have been far from convincing.
Ollie Watkins made waves with his winning goal as a substitute against the Netherlands in the semi-final, while Ivan Toney also played a key role as a substitute.
45 percent of England fans think Harry Kane should start, while 42 percent favor Ollie Watkins
67 percent of England fans believe Spain will triumph in the 2024 European Championship final on Sunday
However, the majority of England fans believe Southgate should continue with Kane against Spain, with 45 percent believing he should start.
It was a close call, with 42 percent wanting Watkins from the start, while 13 percent of fans want Toney to start.
As for the outcome of Sunday’s decisive match, most English fans are pessimistic. Only 33 percent believe they will win, while 67 percent believe Spain will triumph.
There is also a debate about whether there should be a bank holiday if England win Euro 2024. However, only 30 per cent of fans believe there should be, while 70 per cent believe there should be no bank holiday.
England finished top of Group C after taking five points from their three games. They then beat Slovakia 2–1 after extra time in the last 16, with Jude Bellingham scoring an equaliser with an overhead kick in regulation time before Kane scored the winner in extra time.
Southgate and his team won on penalties against Switzerland in the quarter-finals and then defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-finals thanks to Watkins’ winning goal.