MX23RW : Friday, November 8 15:03:45| >> :120:68849:68849:

Gareth Southgate urges England to ignore Euro 1996 talk

Gareth Southgate urges England to ignore Euro 1996 talk
© Reuters
Gareth Southgate was part of the England squad that made it to the semi-final before a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Germany.

England manager Gareth Southgate says his side should not have the shadow of Euro 96 hanging over their heads this summer.

The Three Lions are gearing up for their European Championship campaign, which will predominantly be played on home soil, 25 years since the memorable tournament that caught the nation's imagination.

Amid a backdrop of Baddiel and Skinner and euphoric patriotism, Southgate was part of the England squad that made it to the semi-final before a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Germany at Wembley.

With Southgate assembling a young and exciting squad, expectations are high that England can finally achieve glory this summer.

Southgate missed the vital penalty for England in the Euro 96 semi-final shootout
Southgate missed the vital penalty for England in the Euro 96 semi-final shootout (PA Archive)

The boss wants to achieve history, but says the memory of 1996 is not a factor.

"It's an opportunity. We can be the first. We've never got to a European Championship final," he said. "We've only been to one semi-final.

"These players don't need to worry about 96. Most of them weren't born. God, that's depressing.

"We can use some little things that happened along that way, but this is their moment, this is their opportunity.

"For some it's early in their careers, for some it's got to happen soon. They have got to approach it with that freshness and excitement.

"We have a great opportunity to bring happiness and enjoyment to people. That's one of the beauties of being involved with the national team and we're desperate to try to do that."

England are currently the favourites to win Euro 2020 with some bookmakers, not that Southgate is paying too much notice.

The 50-year-old does concede, however, that his side are contenders and they are a match for any of the other big guns on their day.

"We're one of a number of teams who, I think, are in the frame," he admitted. "Have we peaked as a team? I don't think we have.

"But can we say we're ahead of Portugal, who've won a Nations League and a Euros. Or France, who are world champions? Or Belgium, who have been ranked number one for four years and only lost two or three games?

England have an exciting squad going into this summer's European Championship
England have an exciting squad going into this summer's European Championship (Florian Abazaj/PA)

"We can't be arrogant and say we're ahead of those teams.

"We're in that group – like Italy, Spain and Germany who are improving quickly – so it's an incredibly strong field.

"We are capable, I think, of beating any team on a given day.

"What we've got to do is put those games back-to-back to be able to succeed in this tournament. That's the challenge for us."

ID:449499: cacheID:449499:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7070:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
England manager Gareth Southgate pictured on March 25, 2021
Read Next:
England players arrive in north east to begin Euro 2020 preparations
>
Read more about Gareth Southgate Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


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!