Gareth Southgate has attempted to rally the nation behind his England team at Euro 2024 with a reminder that the memories of Italia 90 and Euro 96 have become more cherished over the years and overlook the difficulties experienced at the time.
England have set up a quarter‑final against Switzerland on Saturday after a heart-stopping 2-1 win over Slovakia on Sunday, and there is no doubt they have problems. Southgate is grateful for the mini-break to recalibrate his players, many of whom were shattered after extra time against Slovakia, some carrying knocks and bruises.
Kieran Trippier complained of a “really bad tackle” on him by the Slovakia right-back Peter Pekarik that left him with a sore knee, although he said he would be “fine” for Switzerland. John Stones departed the stadium in Gelsenkirchen with a strapping to his right thigh. Again, he said he would be OK.
Southgate was an England player at Euro 96, playing every minute en route to the semi-final penalty shootout defeat by Germany when he missed the decisive kick. He can remember the tough moments, taking in the second group game against Scotland when David Seaman saved a crucial penalty from Gary McAllister. Also how fortune favoured the team in the quarter‑final shootout victory against Spain.
England did not light up the group stage of the 1990 World Cup but at both tournaments it was the dramatic and spectacular elements that have gone down in folklore: David Platt’s 119th-minute winner against Belgium in the last 16 in 1990; Gary Lineker’s penalties against Cameroon in the quarter‑final victory; at Euro 96, Paul Gascoigne’s goal for 2-0 against Scotland, and the 4-1 demolition of the Netherlands in the last group game.
Southgate knows that all teams will suffer. But while they remain alive, they have the possibility to write a glorious script, particularly if they can get behind potential turning points. Jude Bellingham provided one against Slovakia with his 95th‑minute bicycle-kick equaliser, which prefaced Harry Kane’s extra‑time winner.
“Everybody now looks back at 96 in a different way to how it was at the time,” Southgate said. “We were bang average against Switzerland [in the opening tie]; we were the same against Scotland. They missed a penalty at 1-0. Spain should have beaten us in the 0-0 draw … 1990 was similar. So you do go through these moments in tournaments. We know we should be better than we’ve been but I’m saying that …
“I don’t know what to think at the moment because I know how everything will have been pitched at 99 minutes [against Slovakia] or however long we were. And I know that we’ve got to be better. We’ve got a very tough team to prepare for so I’m already on to that. But I am so proud of the players.”
Southgate will reach 100 matches as the England manager against Switzerland but he said the milestone was not in his thoughts. What is, as has so often been the case over the past few weeks, is the condition of his players. Southgate described Bellingham and Kane as having been “out on their feet”, leading up to their substitutions at half-time in extra time against Slovakia and he said the same about Marc Guéhi, who completed the 120 minutes.
Guéhi is suspended for the Switzerland game after picking up a second booking of the tournament; he is expected to be replaced in central defence by Ezri Konsa.
Southgate has had fitness worries over other players, including Trippier and Stones, while Jordan Pickford feared he had dislocated his finger in the warm-up against Slovakia. “All my body weight went on my little finger and I thought I popped it but it was fine,” the goalkeeper said.
It is surely too late to build greater physical levels in training for the players who had injury problems towards the end of the domestic season. But Southgate hopes a couple of rest days would be beneficial. On Monday the 10 players who had no involvement against Slovakia worked on the grass at England’s training base in Blankenhain – plus Conor Gallagher, who came on in the 105th minute. The others underwent recovery work elsewhere.
Southgate talked up the “phenomenal” composure of Kobbie Mainoo in midfield against Slovakia while noting that with the 19-year-old’s profile “you can be a little bit more open without the ball”. He said he liked the “uninhibited style” of Cole Palmer, who he introduced in the 66th minute on the right wing, with Bukayo Saka switching to left-back.
“Cole can throw people off balance,” Southgate said. “He can open things up. When you come on as the opposition are tiring, there’s a different picture so the job that the guys are doing at the start is also important. But we needed to risk, we needed to go with Bukayo at left-back and we felt Cole could have an impact.”
Southgate’s biggest takeaway was the character and togetherness that his team showed, with some of the more unheralded players getting on to contribute, namely Eberechi Eze, Ivan Toney, Konsa and Gallagher. Eze filled in out of position at left wing‑back for a spell before Konsa came on to do the same.
“That group that hasn’t played yet – Joe Gomez, Lewis Dunk … Konsa and Ivan before Slovakia … they’re all playing a part in preparing the team and it’s so important. If you’ve got any sort of fracture in the camp at a tournament, you’re in trouble. I can’t speak highly enough of those guys and it was great that another couple of them got on to the pitch.
“When you win with all the top players on the pitch, that’s one thing; but when you win with all the guys that have gone in at a critical moment, that doesn’t half build a spirit in the group.”
