Southgate keen to banish talk of Euro 96
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.
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.