{"id":296959,"date":"2023-12-03T08:28:38","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T08:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=296959"},"modified":"2023-12-03T08:28:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T08:28:38","slug":"the-stars-aligning-for-england-after-comfortable-euro-2024-draw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/soccer\/the-stars-aligning-for-england-after-comfortable-euro-2024-draw\/","title":{"rendered":"The stars aligning for England after comfortable Euro 2024 draw"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> SAMI MOKBEL: The stars are aligning for England as they bid for immortality after comfortable Euro 2024 draw&#8230; Gareth Southgate&#8217;s players are at the peak of their powers. Failing to qualify from this group would be a calamity<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pressure on England is growing after being handed favourable Euro 2024 draw\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The stars are aligning for Three Lions but failing to qualify would be a disaster\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be Erik ten Hag&#8217;s biggest threat &#8211; Listen to why on It&#8217;s All Kicking Off\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The gleaming Elbphilharmonie, setting for Saturday&#8217;s Euro 2024 draw, was the brainchild of Swiss architectural firm Herzog &amp; de Meuron, who were also responsible for creating Beijing\u2019s Olympic Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>When Gareth Southgate returns to Germany next summer, only a gold medal will suffice.<\/p>\n<p>Here at the \u20ac860million concert venue &#8211; once described as a \u2018crystalline palace for music in the air\u2019 &#8211; the 10 former footballers tasked with the draw played a tune very much to Southgate\u2019s liking.<\/p>\n<p>Group matches against Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia is as comfortable as it gets, though speaking after the draw Southgate was at his diplomatic best.<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u2018When Denmark came out first you think \u201cokay, interesting\u201d. Of course everyone was thinking about Italy in the lower pots and Croatia.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/20\/78508965-0-image-a-19_1701549769632.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Gareth Southgate knows only triumph will suffice when he takes his England to Euro 2024<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/20\/78508975-0-image-a-20_1701549807763.jpg\" height=\"456\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>His Three Lions side have been given a comfortable draw and the stars look to be aligning<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018But I have to say Serbia are a very dangerous opponent and Slovenia takes me back to one of my first games as manager where but for Joe Hart plucking out one of the best saves I\u2019ve ever seen, I wouldn\u2019t be standing here and I would probably still be a caretaker but at something else.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You can look at it on paper but the games aren\u2019t played on paper. There are one or two teams you are glad to avoid, certainly in pot three and pot four but all the teams we play are more than capable.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I was really relaxed about all of it. The advantage we have got is having been in a few tournaments you know the format, you know the next objective is to get out of the group and you try and build from there really.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Denmark will likely pose England the biggest threat in Group C. Inspired by the heart ache of their Euro 2020 semi-final loss to England, the Danes won\u2019t be pushovers.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I still wake up at night thinking about that match,\u2019 said Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/20\/78508987-0-image-a-22_1701549836011.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>England avoided the most worrying teams in their group as they bid for immortality\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/20\/78508983-0-image-a-21_1701549833284.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>England expects after the draw &#8211; but Southgate insists his side can handle the expectation<\/p>\n<h3>ENGLAND EURO 2024 FIXTURES<\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Match 1: Sunday June 16 &#8211; England vs Serbia (Gelsenkirchen)<\/p>\n<p>Match 2: Thursday June 20 &#8211; England vs Denmark (Frankfurt)<\/p>\n<p>Match 3: Tuesday June 25 &#8211; England vs Slovenia (Cologne)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Obviously, when you are that close, I think it is something you will always remember and will always carry with you when you are that close to a final.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;So, that one hurts. Really, really, a lot. We will now see if we can do it better in Frankfurt.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We haven\u2019t forgotten what happened at Wembley but England are a great team, they have a great manager.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Yet with all that said, not to qualify out of this group would mark one of the greatest calamities in the history of English football &#8211; and there\u2019s been a few.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, after Saturday\u2019s draw the sense that England are on the cusp of immortality will merely intensify. The stars are aligning.<\/p>\n<p>The draw is favourable. Harry Kane, John Stones and Kyle Walker are at the very peak of their powers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/20\/78509021-12818419-image-a-23_1701549973073.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>England are full of star players at the peak of their powers &#8211; failing to qualify would be a calamity<\/p>\n<p>Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are exceptional young footballers destined to lead England into the present and future.<\/p>\n<p>England expects. Even more so after yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>Only a spate of injuries to key players can quell the burgeoning levels of expectation. Losing Kane for a tournament remains a taboo subject.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He&#8217;s a fabulous player, nobody needs to tell us to have Harry Kane in our team,\u2019 effused Southgate.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He\u2019s a very, very special player, he&#8217;s won so many games for us. Not just with his goals, which are an obvious factor, but his play, his passing ability, the way he leads the line, we&#8217;re fortunate to have to have him.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Equally, you fear how the defence would hold up without Stones, whose season has been beset by injury problems.<\/p>\n<p>England\u2019s midfield would lose its X-factor without Bellingham.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/20\/78509095-12818419-image-a-43_1701550401694.jpg\" height=\"520\" width=\"306\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/20\/78509105-12818419-image-m-42_1701550395026.jpg\" height=\"520\" width=\"306\"><\/p>\n<p>England boast Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane but if either are missing the team would lose some of its X-factor<\/p>\n<p>Dragan Stojkovic, head coach of Serbia, was particularly gushing about England\u2019s 20-year-old sensation.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018At the moment he is very close to being the best (player in the world), and he is going to be the best,\u2019 said Stojkovic.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He made a good choice to go to Real Madrid to get the Golden Ball [Ballon d\u2019Or] as the best player, only at Real Madrid can he do that.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The guy is amazing, absolutely fantastic and he\u2019s only 20-years-old. If England goes to the final and wins the championship he\u2019s going to be the best player of Europe, definitely.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018England are one of the best teams in Europe \u2013 England, France, Spain\u2026 England is one of the very, very serious candidates to get the trophy.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/20\/78509131-12818419-image-a-44_1701550530859.jpg\" height=\"389\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The agony of losing the Euro 2020 final is still etched into the memories of some England stars<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Let\u2019s be honest, it has fantastic potential with a great coach and players and mentality.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Stojkovic is right. With a clean bill of health, England will be favourites.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s a mantle they should embrace. Thrive on the expectancy to deliver, use it as fuel.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the message Southgate has drummed into his players.<\/p>\n<p>The national team\u2019s record in European Championships, by and large, has been inadequate.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/02\/21\/78509387-12818419-image-a-45_1701551585169.jpg\" height=\"435\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>England have a real opportunity to banish those painful memories in Germany next summer\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the euphoria of 2021 and England\u2019s eventual final heartbreak to Italy will live long in the memory.<\/p>\n<p>But the opportunity for England\u2019s players to erase the pain of that fateful night at Wembley is fast approaching.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When other managers tell you nice things it\u2019s what they think you want to hear, so I&#8217;m not always seduced by what they say,\u2019 added Southgate.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It&#8217;s nice, we have a team that&#8217;s respected around Europe. People will see the results, people will see the performances.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>And here, in the most dazzling of architectural venues plotted on the picturesque Grasbrook peninsula of the Elbe River &#8211; in a city Kevin Keegan once called home &#8211; England\u2019s route to glory received a major boost.<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off\u00a0is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12818419\/SAMI-MOKBEL-stars-aligning-England-bid-immortality-comfortable-Euro-2024-draw-Gareth-Southgates-players-peak-powers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>SAMI MOKBEL: The stars are aligning for England as they bid for immortality after comfortable Euro 2024 draw&#8230; Gareth Southgate&#8217;s players are at the peak <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/soccer\/the-stars-aligning-for-england-after-comfortable-euro-2024-draw\/\" title=\"The stars aligning for England after comfortable Euro 2024 draw\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The stars aligning for England after comfortable Euro 2024 draw - Sportstoft<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/soccer\/the-stars-aligning-for-england-after-comfortable-euro-2024-draw\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The stars aligning for England after comfortable Euro 2024 draw - Sportstoft\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SAMI MOKBEL: The stars are aligning for England as they bid for immortality after comfortable Euro 2024 draw&#8230; 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