Euro 2024: England can make history against Netherlands – Southgate

Gareth Southgate said the external noise was “louder than ever before” at the start of Euro 2024, but he believes England are now ready to seize their chance to make history by reaching their first major final on foreign soil.

“One of our strengths over the years has been that we have less fear and less inhibition, but at the start of the tournament the expectation was heavy and the outside noise had never been louder. We couldn’t quite get ourselves into the right place,” Southgate told a news conference on Tuesday.

“What was impressive in the end was that we kept going and found ways to win. I thought it was the other way around against the Swiss, you saw a freer version of us on the ball. The group changed, but not the message.

“Now it’s about what’s possible and not about what can go wrong. This is the chance to make history. We’re trying to break new ground and that’s not easy, but the players have been resilient.”