England manager Gareth Southgate said “if I can’t enjoy this moment then it’s a waste of time” after his side reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024 by beating Switzerland 5-3 in penalties.
The Three Lions’ jubilant moment was made even sweeter for Southgate, who celebrated with fans after the recent “difficult personal” criticism he faced in Germany.
“From time to time, there certainly needs to be some pleasure in this job,” said the England coach. “I love the players and I share this moment with them.
“I can’t deny that when it’s [the criticism] As personal as the last few weeks have been on a human level, this is quite difficult.”
England fell behind in the 75th minute but Bukayo Saka equalized five minutes later, forcing extra time before the penalty shootout victory.
Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I took this job to try and improve English football, to give us nights like this.
“We continue to give people great memories. We will continue to enjoy this journey.”
England have now reached their third major tournament semi-final under Southgate.
“Now we want to deliver one more thing: we have never been to a final outside of England, we have never won a Euro, so there are two pieces of history we would love to create,” he said.
‘Resilient’ England has ‘attributes’ of a winning team
Southgate praised the “resilience” his team showed at Euro 2024 to find a way to get results and continue progressing through the qualifiers.
“There’s what we ideally want to be and there’s how we find ways to deal with all the obstacles, different challenges, all along the way,” he said.
Southgate added that the current group continued to win in a way that previous England teams had not.
“With England, it was often about starting the 25 minutes really well, getting through the games and then being eliminated in the first knockout rounds. We weren’t experienced or wise in the tournament. This group is different. They keep possession of the ball for longer periods.” .
The England coach added that his team has the “attributes” of a winning team.
He said: “We didn’t always get it right, but overall we showed the resilience that teams that win tournaments have had for years – Italy, France, Spain… it’s not all pure football, it’s other attributes they have. .”
‘Moving in an upward direction’ – what the experts said
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand, speaking on BBC One: “I’m looking at the team and in football tournaments we are doing the right thing – we are moving upwards.
“Today wasn’t perfect, but it was a big improvement. Then it was nerves of steel when it mattered. I had no doubts.”
Former England midfielder Izzy Christiansen, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live: “England is getting better and better. There are so many questions this team has been asking.
“But imagine playing beautiful football and being defeated on penalties. Nothing comes of it. There is character, resilience, the will to win and energy. These things can take you a long way.
“We have to talk about them now to be in the final, perhaps, from what we saw.”
Former England defender Micah Richards, speaking on BBC One: “We want to speak positively about England.
“We’re out front and everyone looks together – that’s important.”
Former England striker Alan Shearer, speaking on BBC One: “The emotions that the England team will be going through – they will be ecstatic and they should. They made an incredible change.
“A big thank you to the coach – his preparation was absolutely fundamental. The players he hired to take penalties were simply perfect.
“We know how pressurized this situation is and they made it look really easy.”
