Stuart Pearce insists England are ‘as good as anyone’ as they prepare to get their hotly-anticipated Euro 2024 campaign underway.
The Three Lions face Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday hoping to put their dismal defeat against Iceland firmly behind them. Striving to go one better than Euro 2020 - where they fell to an agonising loss on penalties against Italy in the final at Wembley - it may well be silverware or nothing for boss Gareth Southgate, who could be about to embark on his final major tournament in charge.
But former England captain Pearce, who racked up 78 caps between 1987 and 1999, is confident that his country can go all the way and get the job done. "I'm always buoyant. I'm an eternal optimist as far as England are concerned, so I certainly hope we'll go all the way," said Pearce, speaking at Enfield Town as an official ambassador of Pitching In.
“It'll be important that he [Southgate] gets the balance right within the team. But I see no reason [why England can’t win the Euros]. I think we're as good as anyone. I don't think there's a standout team, to be honest, so we've got as good a chance as any.”
England’s quality was far from on show in their send off fixture before jetting off to Germany, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Iceland in front of a deflated Wembley crowd. With Iceland - who infamously knocked England out of Euro 2016 - threatening to spark the capitulation of yet another of Euros campaign, Pearce is eager for the players to put the game behind them and set their sights on what truly matters.
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“That game in isolation was a poor game, there's no doubt about that,” he added. “We were all disappointed on Friday night, but I've been there before. I played in those games.
“You're so desperate not to get injured, so desperate to conserve energy for the big kick-off on Sunday. So, it was understandable in some ways. I think Gareth learnt a little bit more about the team. He's had two good games this week, one at Newcastle and obviously this one at Wembley.
Stuart Pearce, 62, is an official ambassador of Pitching In, a multi-million-pound investment programme designed to support and promote grassroots sports“The real game starts on Sunday. He’s got a tough game against the Serbs and I think it’ll be a great game.” Much debate has surrounded who will be England’s third midfielder on Sunday, slotting in alongside guaranteed starters Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher, Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton all at Southgate's disposal, Pearce believes rotation will be key to getting the most out of everyone.
“I think it's almost horses for courses,” Pearce said. “You almost could pick a team and it not be that important because you've got five subs to interchange. I think it's really important that you do interchange quicker rather than waiting until late in the second half to do so.
“The beauty of it is different players have got different qualities. Trent Alexander-Arnold can find a pass from 60 yards, whereas [Adam] Wharton is more of a defensive-minded and is sort of a shield.
“[Kobbie] Mainoo is a different type of player once again. [Conor] Gallagher's a full-of-energy type player, so the beauty of it is they've all got different strengths. They all play their part over the tournament.”
Ladbrokes, with the support of its owner Entain, has launched a multi-million-pound investment programme, Pitching In, designed to support and promote grassroots sports. For more details see: https://www.entaingroup.com/sustainability-esg/entain-foundation/pitching-in/
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