Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola nominated England to win the 2024 European Cup this summer in Germany, if he follows in the footsteps of his team, which has dominated the English Premier League in recent years.
After several close attempts, Guardiola led his team to the Champions League title last season for the first time in its history.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach feels that England coach Gareth Southgate can do the same thing with the Three Lions, after several close attempts at the continental and international levels.
The England national team reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia 2018 and the quarter-finals in Qatar 2022, and was very close to winning the European Cup title for the first time in its history in the summer of 2021, but it lost on penalties to Italy in the final.
Guardiola said in a press conference: “They are really good. It is not only about the talent of the attackers, but about the entire squad, and Gareth knows exactly what he wants to do.”
He continued, “I feel, and everyone has this feeling, that the English team, from the recent events, the World Cup and the European Cup, is progressing and it is really close. They lost a final and semi-final match.”
The Spanish coach added, “When you reach these stages every two years, it will happen in the end. It is almost the same as us (Manchester City in the Champions League). We were very close, and in the end we lifted the title.”
Guardiola considered that the English passion for the game, which often put the players under pressure, would be a positive factor this time. “I see the reaction when they play in the European Cup or the World Cup. People go crazy in the streets. They go crazy for the national team.”
He continued, “This confirms how proud they are, and in the end, as a football player, this is the best. Your country is proud of what you are doing and the way you are playing as you reach advanced roles.”
He continued, “Just believe in it. If they believe, they can do it.”
Manchester City striker Phil Foden may play a major role in Southgate’s squad that competes in the continental finals in a group that includes Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia, after a good season with his club.
The 23-year-old, who scored 24 goals this season, was chosen as the best player of the season on Friday by the Football Writers Association in England (FWA), ahead of his competitors, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, and his Man City teammate, Spanish international Rodri.
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