Southgate tells England followers ‘we had been bang common at Euro 96 and World Cup 90’
Gareth Southgate knows better than most how one iconic moment can spark a fire in England at major tournaments.
And he believes Jude Bellingham’s wonder goal to help the Three Lions beat Slovakia will see history repeat itself. Back in 1990 David Platt’s volley inspired England to beat Belgium and go on to reach the World Cup semi finals in Italy.
While Paul Gascoigne’s individual brilliance against Scotland at Wembley ignited England’s charge towards the last four of Euro 96. Both goals lifted England off the canvas – when they looked to be losing the fight.
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The same can be said of Bellingham’s overhead strike in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday night. Bellingham’s brilliance took the clash into extra time, before Harry Kane headed home the winner to save Southgate’s job and keep alive the Three Lions’ hopes of winning Euro 2024.
Southgate was on the pitch that day blonde bombshell Gazza broke Scottish hearts with one of the most famous solo goals of all-time. He said: “Everybody now, 30 years on, looks back at Euro 96 that I played in, in a different way to how it was at the time.
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”We were bang average against Switzerland, we were the same against Scotland. Scotland missed a penalty at 1-0. Spain should have beaten us in a 0-0 draw. 1990 was similar as well, so you do go through these moments in tournaments.
“We know we should be better than we’ve been, but I’m saying that … we’ve ended up with a lot of young players in important positions and trying to solve problems. But the stand-out is the way the players are dealing with it.
“You could see the boys that went on, but also the boys that came off and the way that they were up and supporting the group. I can’t speak highly enough about all of them.
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“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.”
Someone to have impressed as a substitute is Chelsea star Cole Palmer. The attacking sensation is piling the pressure on Southgate to start him in Saturday’s quarter final showdown with Switzerland in Dusseldorf.
And Southgate himself admits Palmer is the maverick who can help lead his Three Lions to Euro glory. He said: “There’s that uninhibited style that he brings.
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“He can throw people off balance. He can open things up. Of course 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.”
Southgate will allow his players to take stock and rest both physically and emotionally, ahead of the next challenge. And he even admitted the rollercoaster ride England were on had made him forget what the upcoming schedule is.
He added: “You know what, I can’t even remember the schedule! We’ve got a plan in place, we’ve got to look at that, extra-time and everything else, but I don’t think many of them will do much over the next couple of days.
“Refreshing will be enough, but the good thing is we’ve got time.”
