You cannot overestimate how important Sunday could be to the future of English football. For generations to come, young boys and girls will be inspired to play. This team has the chance to show the whole country ‘here we are’.
Spain are very good – maybe the best team in the tournament – but in a final that does not matter. England can win.
I said in my first column that England would improve over time, and I was right. To be honest, I had said to myself they cannot go on playing such bad football with all these star names.
Against the Netherlands, England finally relaxed. They woke up and played some excellent football in the first half and it is the first time we have seen it in the tournament. They were playing to their strengths. They stepped up.
If you look at the players up front – Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka – they are world class. They have good defenders and have only conceded four goals so far. So they are the complete team. At the European Championship in 2004 we had a very good squad but we did not have the depth. If players were missing, you really felt it. Even if this team misses one or two through injury, they have the quality.
‘I never thought I would see the day when England were so good at penalties’
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 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. At Euro 2004, we lost against Portugal on penalties and then to them again at the 2006 World Cup.
It felt like the pressure on every player was just too high. It was like a mental block.
One of my biggest regrets as England manager is that I did not appoint a psychologist to deal with that. I thought we were grown up and could handle the pressure of penalties but unfortunately it was not like that.
Gareth is very good with the mental side of dealing with footballers and is doing a great job of man management. But football is ever so strange – in one minute, or even just 10 seconds, everything changes.