Guardiola backs England for Euro 2024 glory

LONDON, MAY 4: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has backed England to win Euro 2024 if they follow his clubs route to continental glory.

Guardiola finally guided City to their first Champions League crown last season after a number of near misses earlier in his reign.

The Spaniard feels Gareth Southgate can do the same with England following their own 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 semi-final against Croatia in 2018 and were beaten by France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.

"They are really good. Its not just the talent of the strikers, its 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 semi-final.

"When you arrive at these stages every two years, its going to happen. Its 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.    —AFP