´Do it for me, Sir Bobby and England´ – Eriksson backs Southgate to bring Euro 2024 glory

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has asked Gareth Southgate to “do it for me, Sir Bobby [Robson] and England” in the Euro 2024 final.

For the second consecutive European Championships, England booked a place in the final after beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

In Euro 2020, the Three Lions lost 3-2 on penalties to Italy after playing out a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes. This year, they will face Spain in the showcase match in Berlin on Sunday.

England have never won the Euros, with their last major tournament win coming in the 1966 World Cup.

Eriksson took charge of the national team between 2001 and 2006 and was in charge of their so-called ‘golden generation’, though they failed to make it past the quarter-finals of either the World Cup or the Euros while he was in charge.

With England now one match away from ending a 58-year wait for a trophy, Eriksson has backed Southgate to get his hands on the trophy.

“Gareth, do it for me, Sir Bobby and England,” Eriksson told The Telegraph.

“The job of England manager brings with it a beautiful pressure. You hear so much about 1966 and what Sir Alf Ramsey’s team did, and you know how much expectation there is on you to end all those years of hurt.

“I felt it. Sir Bobby Robson felt it. Every one of the 13 managers since Sir Alf [Ramsey] will have felt it. None of us succeeded, but no one has come closer than Gareth Southgate.

ONE MORE. pic.twitter.com/Zp0dGR4L6x

— England (@England) July 11, 2024

“Gareth is certainly the best English coach since Sir Alf. Win in Berlin on Sunday and I believe he should be considered better.

“Gareth has learnt from the mistakes we made – handling the mental block of penalties, in particular – and has gone further than any of us ever did.

“Now he, his players and the entire nation must know England can win. If you believe in something, it can happen, and that includes beating Spain in the final.”

In Eriksson’s final tournament in charge of England, the 2006 World Cup, the team lost 3-1 on penalties to Portugal.

Under Southgate, England have only lost one of their three shootouts – the final in 2021 – but stayed perfect from the spot as they overcame Switzerland in the quarter-finals last week.

Eriksson admits he should have prepared the team better during his tenure, but is proud of how the current manager has addressed the problem.

“One of my biggest regrets as England manager is that I did not appoint a psychologist to deal with that,” Eriksson added. “I thought we were grown up and could handle the pressure of penalties, but unfortunately, it was not like that.

5/5 – England scored all five of their penalties against Switzerland, just the second time in 10 major tournament shootouts that England have scored 100% of their penalties, also doing so at EURO 96 vs Spain (4/4). Nerve. pic.twitter.com/vAkDL5U7NZ

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 6, 2024

“I never thought I would see the day when England were so good at penalties. During my time, before it, and even a little bit after it, we were not good at them.

“I still hope the final does not go to penalties like the Italy match and is settled in normal or extra time. If there are penalties, though, there is absolutely no fear.

“I would love to see England win. So would every one of the managers who has tried and failed to win a major trophy since 1966. Come on, Gareth. Do what we never could.”