SOUTHGATE: THIS COULD BE BIGGER THAN
‘Our World Cup winning heroes are rightly revered ... but now, with modern global social media, it would be crazier’
GARETH SOUTHGATE claims winning the World Cup could make his players even greater legends than the Boys of ’66.
Southgate is just one game away from reaching England’s first major final since the days of Sir Alf Ramsey and the heroes of the greatest victory in the country’s football history.
And the manager has told his players what it would mean to lift the World Cup and become a generation of heroes.
He said: “We’ve talked,
GARETH SOUTHGATE described it as “standing on a moment of history”.
The opportunity for England to forget all those years of hurt, their biggest chance for 28 years to become immortals and revered as legends. They are just one game away from a World Cup final, their first semi-final since 1990 and the best chance of winning it since 1966. We still celebrate the Italia 90 side as heroes, despite their glorious failure after losing to West Germany, when the nation fell back in love with football.
The current generation has done the same with their remarkable World Cup campaign yet Southgate insists they are not ready for it to end. The England boss said: “I think they know what they want to do. They know they stand on a moment of history and they are desperate to do as well as they can.
“They don’t need any motivation for this now. It’s all there and we’ve just got to prepare them as well as we can for the game.
“We’ve got to move on. But the players are focused. They recognise the opportunity they have. We said before the Sweden game, these opportunities might never come again. “I said to the players before the game, we could go home after Sweden and I’m sure we’d have got a good reception, and that would have been nice. But I don’t think any of us would have been happy to go home at this point. “We are just enjoying the journey, that’s definitely helped us. Everything we’ve done has been based on enjoyment.
“How far can we go? Let’s push the boundaries, let’s create our own history, and they are continuing to do that all the time.”
It was Gazza’s tears back in Italia 90 and now it is Southgate’s celebrations which might just prove to b e th e most iconic pictures from England’s Russia scrapbook. Mild-mannered Southgate became a wild-eyed monster, fist pumping while screaming in celebration in front of the England fans. Just imagine what he will be like if England actually win it. Long after the final whistle in Samara, Southgate came back out onto the pitch to act as conductor to lead the fans’ chants and celebrate with them. Days in the life of an England manager do not get any better. The Three Lions were expected to beat Sweden and did exactly that. Typically, it started with Harry Maguire scoring from yet another set-piece and ended with Dele Alli heading home. Keeper Jordan Pickford had to make three smart saves, but the truth is that Sweden were effectively a free pass by World Cup quarter-final standards.
Croatia are much better but have just played two lots of extra-time and penalties back-to-back. England will never have a better opportunity and that is why Southgate was determined to drink in every last drop.
“My life in football is a rollercoaster of emotions,” he said. “I’m experienced enough that days like today you have to enjoy and cherish, but you know how quickly that can change.
“The fans have paid a lot, come a long way and to be able to connect with them – I’d love to be able to do it with however many millions are watching at home.
“The supporters are here, they’re singing and I know what they’ve been through, I met lots of them before we came, they told me their stories, how many years they’ve been travelling watching England, and what it means to them.
“I only played for three clubs, I have a real affinity with all three, but England has been the biggest part of my life. To be able to manage the team to this point, having played in a semi-final at Euro 96 as well is really, really special.
“I’ve looked at the history, so it’s an incredibly proud moment. I’m privileged to be involved with a group who have given everything over the last 18 months.”