MX23RW : Tuesday, February 4 05:01:37| >> :600:6357596:6357596:

Gareth Southgate: 'England are better prepared for semi-final'

Gareth Southgate: 'England are better prepared for semi-final'
© Reuters
The Three Lions fell short of the last match at the most recent World Cup and the Nations League in 2019.

Gareth Southgate believes England's recent semi-final experience means they go into Wednesday's last-four clash with Denmark better prepared than at previous tournaments.

The Three Lions are bidding to reach a first major tournament final since 1966, having fallen just short at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where they lost in the semis.

England then suffered more semi-final disappointment in 2019 as they were beaten by Holland in the Nations League.

But Southgate insists the experience gained on those two occasions will help England as they prepare for Wednesday's Wembley showdown.

He told BBC Sport: "We are better prepared for this semi-final in that we've lived it before. We've had another two semi-finals prior to this one.

"And although that doesn't determine winning or losing a game of football, there are a lot of factors that we are aware of and we have dealt with before that help you to prepare in a better way.

"For example, after the game in Rome the celebrations were at a certain level, where probably in Russia – to get through the first knockout game, to get through the quarter-final, took a lot of emotional energy.

"In Rome, it was important to go and thank the fans who turned up in such numbers but everybody was quite calm about what was going on and we knew we hadn't achieved what we want to achieve yet.

"So those things I think are what prepare you for a big match like this."

England beat Ukraine to reach the semi-finals
England beat Ukraine to reach the semi-finals (Marco Iacobucci/PA)

Southgate also highlighted the "very special" chance his side have to bring happiness to the country.

He added: "The opportunity to bring happiness and create brilliant nights for our fans, our nation, is a very special one that you have when you play with England.

"England matches are events that bring families together, that bring communities together, and they are matches that you remember where you were.

"Some of the nicest messages you get are that people appreciate how the players have been – that they feel they can connect with them – they should be very proud of that."

ID:454137: cacheID:454137:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5907:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Aymeric Laporte celebrates scoring for Spain against Slovakia at Euro 2020 on June 23, 2021
Read Next:
Euro 2020 Team of the Week - Ronaldo, De Bruyne, Pogba
>
Read more about Gareth Southgate Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2494114242031
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!