England legend Rio Ferdinand blames the Three Lions' 2-1 final defeat on Gareth Southgate's 'conservative' approach in fiery post-match coverage

Rio Ferdinand slammed England for their 'conservative' approach in the European Championship final against Spain, pinning the blame for defeat squarely on Gareth Southgate's shoulders. In an explosive bit of post-match punditry after Spain's 2-1 win in Berlin, England legend Ferdinand slammed the 'negative' tactics of the Three Lions' head coach. Rio Ferdinand let loose on Gareth Southgate's tactics during the BBC's post-match analysis Ferdinand questioned Gareth Southgate's approach, labelling it 'conservative' and 'negative' Ferdinand said that with the way Southgate's team played and the clear talent in the England squad they had to win or else they were guaranteed to come under fire for their negativity 'They play too well for their clubs to come here and look a shadow of themselves. The England legend asked why it took until Spain's 47th minute opener for England to attack Rio Ferdinand argued that it wasn't until English captain Harry Kane was replaced by semi-final hero Ollie Watkins that England started to seriously press and attack their Spanish opponents Ferdinand said England's on-form club players 'were held back on a leash' by Gareth Southgate 'It wasn’t until Ollie Watkins came on and he started hurrying them.