Euro 2024: ‘Free Lions’ have weight lifted off them, says Southgate

3 months ago

Gareth Southgate says England’s stars are nary longer playing pinch nan weight of anticipation connected their shoulders and tin attack their semi-final against nan Netherlands pinch freedom.

Southgate and his squad came nether reasonably aggravated scrutiny aft a mostly disappointing commencement to their Euro 2024 campaign, which saw them hit Serbia 1-0, tie 1-1 pinch Denmark and past 0-0 pinch Slovenia.

If anything, things sewage worse successful nan Round of 16 pinch nan Three Lions needing a 95th-minute equaliser from Jude Bellingham to unit extra-time and past separator done 2-1 against lowly Slovakia, though location were encouraging signs arsenic they again came from down successful nan quarter-final against Switzerland earlier going done connected penalties.

Pure emotion from nan gaffer 🎥🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#Euro2024 | #ENGSUI pic.twitter.com/zfbTeUVF2P

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 6, 2024

Quieting outer noise

Southgate told a media convention up of Wednesday night’s semi-final successful Dortmund that location had been ‘a definite shift’ successful his players arsenic nan tourney progressed.

“I was really interested,” he said, “as a coach sometimes you return a measurement backmost and you observe.

“One of nan strengths of america complete nan past seven, 8 years has been little fear, little inhibition. But I deliberation astatine nan opening of nan tournament, nan anticipation weighed rather heavy and of people nan outer sound was louder than it’s ever been.

“I felt we couldn’t rather get ourselves successful nan correct spot and, successful nan end, what was awesome was that nan players crushed it out, they crushed results retired and recovered ways to win.”

What is possible?

Southgate highlighted nan gloom connected his players faces aft nan tie against Denmark which yet ensured their advancement to nan knockout stages, saying different nations players celebrated pinch nan fans, but for England it was a minimum expectation.

“I felt that shifted erstwhile we sewage into nan knockout shape and decidedly successful nan quarter-final,” he said. “I thought we saw a amended type of america pinch nan ball, freer.

“I’m not judge immoderate of nan messaging changed but I conscionable felt nan group changed. You’re now into that infinitesimal successful nan tourney wherever it’s ‘what’s possible? what’s achievable?’, alternatively than ‘what mightiness spell wrong’.

“That’s different for players, for an athlete. So, this is now nan chance to make history, which we’ve enjoyed doing that, a chance to get to a first last not held successful England – nan first clip England will person ever done that.

“We’re trying to break caller ground. That’s difficult and it’s complicated, but nan players person responded brilliantly and nan resilience that’s been built.”

England grounded to scope a semi-final of a World Cup aliases Euros successful nan 22 years earlier Southgate took over, they person now made it to nan last-four successful 3 of nan past 4 competitions.

“Our semi-final tally looks a spot much for illustration what we’d dream an England history would look like,” he said. “But location are a batch of nations who person won nan European Championship and we haven’t. We want to effort and redress that balance.”