Gianfranco Zola says pressure is the only thing stopping England from winning Euro 2024
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Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola advises the Three Lions to keep the foot on the accelerator and not repeat the same mistakes they made against Italy in Euro 2024.
- “Everyone would like to have the players that England or France have right now though. We have good players but unfortunately, we don’t have players at the same level of those two teams.”
- “The key for England succeeding is handling the pressure. Quality wise, they aren’t second to anyone.”
- “Strength and ability isn’t everything, you sometimes need to be lucky too and I hope this is England’s time.”
- On the Euros final in 2021: “What disappointed me about the game for England is that they had the game in hand, and they let that slip out of their hands.”
- If I could steal a player from England and put them in the Italian squad, I would take Harry Kane.
Everyone would like to have the players that England or France have right now
Nobody thought we could win the Euros two years ago. Everyone would like to have the players that England or France have right now though. We have good players but unfortunately, we don’t have players at the same level of those two teams. But we are very good as a team. We have an amazing coach and I believe that in competitions like the European Championships, it is the team as a whole that can win it. In the past, teams like Denmark and Greece won it. They didn’t have the best players, but they were excellent as a team. We will rely on that a lot.
We don’t have any pressure. We know that we aren’t favourites, and we don’t have big expectations. We are going there in a good mood. France of course are the team to beat along with England. France have so many good players so for sure, they have to be a favourites. England have the players; the Premier League prepares the players at a very high level.
Portugal and Germany have very strong teams too, so these are the teams up there. However, there is space for others to get in the mix like Spain and Belgium, so it’s going to be competitive.
Strength and ability isn’t everything, you sometimes need to be lucky too and I hope this is England’s time
The key for England succeeding is handling the pressure. Quality wise, they aren’t second to anyone. It’s a big competition and there will be attention and expectations on the players so the way they handle it will make the difference. There will be moments in the tournament where they will be tested, and those moments will determine if they get to the end or not.
Of course I am an England fan too; it is my second home. I always long to see them doing well. I feel sorry that they haven’t reach the heights that they are capable of to this point. It is complicated though. Strength and ability isn’t everything, you sometimes need to be lucky too and I hope this is England’s time.
I think the key will be how they handle the pressure moments and playing with courage
If I look at the England team now, I don’t see any weakness’ ability wise to be honest. They really are strong in every position on the pitch and have so much variety. I think the key will be how they handle the pressure moments and playing with courage. If they do that, they can beat anybody.
There are no technical or tactical problems. Finding a good momentum is key. If you remember Italy three years ago, they got good results from the very start of the tournament. The morale just increased, and they overcame all the obstacles as their confidence grew. England must do that. If they can find a good momentum, they can go all the way.
You need to push on the accelerator right until the end. That was England’s downfall last time…
I was working in Qatar for beIN Sports for the final between England v Italy in 2021 alongside Peter Schmeichel and it was a great time. We had a lot of fun that night. I don’t think England were outclassed in that final, it was a tight game and what disappointed me about the game for England is that they had the game in hand, and they let that slip out of their hands.
When they got in front, they just focussed on holding that result rather than trying to score the second one. That kind of attitude makes a huge difference. You become protective, but you need to push on the accelerator right until the end. That was England’s downfall last time.
If I could steal a player from England and put them in the Italian squad, I would take Harry Kane. He is one of those really important players and we lack goals sometimes, so he is the first pick. I would also love Phil Foden. He’s on fire at the moment.
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