England manager Gareth Southgate believes his team is poised to make history at Euro 2024 by reaching their first international tournament final on foreign soil. As the Three Lions prepare to face the Netherlands in the semifinals in Dortmund, Germany, Southgate exudes confidence in his squad’s potential.
England’s journey to the semifinals has been marked by resilience, overcoming Switzerland and Slovakia in knockout rounds that extended into extra time. Despite conceding first in both matches, the team demonstrated tenacity to secure their place among Europe’s elite.
“There’s been a definite shift. I was really interested because as a coach sometimes you take a step back and you observe,” Southgate commented when asked if England is ready to peak. “One of the strengths of us over the last seven, eight years has been less fear, less inhibition. But I think at the beginning of the tournament, the expectation weighed quite heavily and of course the external noise was louder than it’s ever been.”
England’s last major final appearance was the FIFA World Cup in 1966, where they triumphed on home soil. More recently, they reached the Euro 2020 final, losing to Italy in a penalty shootout at Wembley Stadium. This time, Southgate aims to lead England to a historic final away from home.
Addressing critiques about his management style and the utilization of star players like Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, Southgate remains focused. He experimented by moving Phil Foden to right midfield against Switzerland, a change that yielded mixed results despite the victory.
“I’m not sure any of the messaging changed but I just felt the group changed. You’re now into that moment in the tournament where it’s what’s possible, what’s achievable, rather than what might go wrong,” he explained. “This is now the chance to make history, which we’ve enjoyed doing that, a chance to get to a first final not held in England – the first time England will have ever done that.”
The upcoming clash with the Netherlands adds another layer of intrigue. Historically, England has faced the Dutch 22 times, with a tight record of six wins to the Netherlands’ seven, and nine draws. Their last European Championship meeting in 1996 saw England secure a memorable 4-1 victory during the group stage.
As anticipation builds, fans around the world await to see if Southgate’s squad can seize this opportunity and etch their names into football history.
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Manager Southgate confident in England to make history at Euro 2024
cgtn.com
