Guardiola backs England for Euro 2024 glory
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has backed England to win Euro 2024, if they follow his club’s route to continental glory.
Guardiola finally guided City to their first Champions League crown last season after several near misses earlier in his reign.
The Spaniard feels Gareth Southgate, England’s manager, can do the same with England following their painful failures on the brink of silverware.
England were beaten in the European Championship final by Italy on penalties at Wembley in 2021, lost the World Cup semifinal against Croatia in 2018 and were beaten by France in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals.
“They are really good. It’s not just the talent of the strikers, it’s the whole package, the whole group and Gareth knows perfectly what he has to do,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
“So I have the feeling, everyone has the feeling, that the England national team, [from] the last events – the World Cup and European Championship – they make steps, they are on the verge, they are really close. They lost a final, got to a semifinal.
“When you arrive at these stages every two years, it’s going to happen. It’s quite similar to us; we were close, and in the end, we lifted it.”
Guardiola believes the English passion for football, which has often weighed heavily on their players at tournaments, will prove a more uplifting factor this time.
“I see the reaction when they play European Cups or World Cups, people go crazy on the streets. They go crazy for the national team,” Guardiola said.
“That proves how proud they are and, at the end of the day, as a football player, that is the best, your country is proud of what you are doing for your country, and the way you are playing, reaching the last stages.