Featured Image Credit: Getty / The Rest is Football
Topics: Alan Shearer, England, Euro 2024, Football, Spain, Gareth Southgate
Ryan Smart
Topics: Alan Shearer, England, Euro 2024, Football, Spain, Gareth Southgate
Alan Shearer has claimed that one England player was 'not happy' with Gareth Southgate during the Euro 2024 final against Spain.
The Three Lions lost 2-1 to Spain in Berlin, with Cole Palmer's 73rd-minute equaliser ultimately proving not to be enough.
Instead, second half goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal was enough to end Spain's 12-year trophy drought.
Advert
It was more heartbreak for Southgate and his side, who placed in exactly the same position they were in three years ago when they lost to Italy - although this time Spain were clearly superior on the night.
It was a night which started out with hope from an England perspective, and even Williams' opener just two minutes into the second half didn't dampen spirits hugely. The Three Lions had, after all, come back from this before.
Southgate made his expected substitutions relatively early in proceedings, with Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins replacing Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Kane.
Those changes allowed Jude Bellingham to move into a more central role, which is where he was in order to set up Palmer's equaliser.
Advert
In the first half, though, Bellingham had often been positioned on the left side of midfield, with Phil Foden the one to run forward and join Kane in attack.
And Shearer, speaking on the latest edition of The Rest is Football, believes that the Real Madrid star was not happy to be playing in such a position during the final.
He explained: "Bellingham wasn't happy. He was stuck on the left again. You could tell he wasn't happy at all.
"He had a disappointed look about him, his arms were up, he was looking towards the bench for guidance. He could see things weren't going well, and he wasn't happy with the lack of press and everything else.
"He's not a left midfielder is he, so I sort of understood his emotions."
Advert
Shearer added: "I was really surprised Gareth Southgate went back to four at the back.
"Our best 45 minutes of football in the whole tournament was when we played three at the back in the first half against the Netherlands.
"I thought he would go for that system again. It's clear that Foden and Bellingham don't want to play on the left in that system."