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Peter Schmeichel clashes with Simon Jordan as he admits ‘I’d hate to be an England player at Euro 2024’

talksport.com 1 day ago

For many people, being part of England's Euro 2024 squad would be an absolute dream come true.

But Peter Schmeichel is of a rather different opinion.

The former Denmark and Manchester United legend joined talkSPORT's Jim White and Simon Jordan on Euro GameDay Warm-Up ahead of England's second group game against Denmark on Thursday 20 June at 5pm, live on talkSPORT.

But Schmeichel admitted there was one thing in particular which he wouldn't enjoy as a player in the England Euro 2024 squad.

The 60-year-old was asked about his view on the Three Lions' hopes in the tournament and whether he believed they could be the eventual winner.

The former keeper told talkSPORT that it was too early to call given England have only been in action once, in their nervy 1-0 opening victory over Serbia.

And he added that putting the pressure upon Gareth Southgate's side to be the favourites was 'silly', as well as something that overlooked what he saw as the admirable achievements of the England manager in recent tournaments.

But Jordan was not in agreement about Southgate's accolades.

He explained why he believed that England needed to go one better than they did in Euro 2020.

“The consensus of opinion, among most sensible observers, is we’ve snatched defeat from the jaws of victory," Jordan said. “Eventually you have to land in the territory of winning something.

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The pair clashed over what should be reasonably expected from Southgate and co.
The pair clashed over what should be reasonably expected from Southgate and co.

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Schmeichel admitted he saw the pressure on England as a damaging factor
Schmeichel admitted he saw the pressure on England as a damaging factor

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He also praised what Southgate has achieved during his eight years as England manager
He also praised what Southgate has achieved during his eight years as England manager

"You can’t go on forever saying everything is going well and moving in the right direction and managing the media well. Fantastic.

“But when you’ve got the availability of players and talent pool you’ve got, a domestic league that is the powerhouse in Europe, and an attitude in English football that somewhere along the line you are going to want to win tournaments.

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“You get to a point where the coach has to be under some degree of expectation and expectation of pressure. Most nations when they built up, like France and Spain, they won youth tournaments, started to become more competitive in senior tournaments and then went on to win. It has to be a natural progression."

Despite admitting praise for Southgate's management of the media and his care of his players, Jordan insisted the England boss had much left to prove.

“On the field, I do think he has to be judged in this tournament," he said. "There are some factors...the landscape has slightly shifted because we are susceptible defensively because of the challenges we've got with injuries and players who haven’t been selected.

“I judge Southgate in this tournament by kicking on. We haven’t beaten anyone. This England side has not beaten anyone, on paper, in a 50/50 game or a game where potentially the balance is with the opposition.

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“We’ve beaten everyone we should beat and then when we’ve come up against someone that we potentially might have some challenges with, that’s the end of us."

But Schmeichel admitted it was this narrative and the pressure that is on England's Euro squad to come back home with the trophy that would completely put him off being part of the current squad.

“I’d hate to be a player in a country where the narrative is you must win a tournament because you now have the best league in the world," he said. “The Premier League is no doubt the best in the world, but it’s not just English players playing in that.

"To a large degree, the best player in the England squad plays in Spain.

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Schmeichel named Jude Bellingham as arguably England's greatest asset at the tournament
Schmeichel named Jude Bellingham as arguably England's greatest asset at the tournament

“I understand that emotionally you want to win something, but to actually demand it, you can't do that because you have got the other teams saying the exact same.

"And it is a competition - it comes down to the little things on the day. England losing in the final against Italy three years ago, it’s what happens on the day.

“It’s got nothing to do with Southgate being a good or bad manager. He took them there, there’s two teams left and one will win. Unfortunately for England it wasn’t their day.

“But to demand that you have to win is a bit much.”

Yet Jordan was still insistent that England had put themselves in a position where they were expected to perform to a certain standard at the competition.

“It’s not a demand, it’s an expectation," said Jordan. "It’s not an ultimatum, I'm not setting a manifesto in front of the England manager saying you must do this, it’s a reasonable expectation.

"When you've got all the best players in English football playing around the world and you've got some of the best players playing for arguably the best team in domestic football, in people like Foden. So you've got this embarrassment of riches.

"You've also got a variety of other component parts and one of them, only one of them was my mention of the Premier League, I think it's reasonable that every country that builds, that is successful in youth development and youth tournaments like England has been...the next step has got to be to win something!

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Schmeichel was amused at being called a Southgate apologist
Schmeichel was amused at being called a Southgate apologist

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His son Kasper will be looking to deny England a place in the knockout stages when the two meet in Frankfurt
His son Kasper will be looking to deny England a place in the knockout stages when the two meet in Frankfurt

"You're acting like a Southgate apologist, because when it comes down to it, a coach has to make big decisions and Southgate, Mr Schmeichel, doesn't make them."

And when asked by White if he had ever been dubbed a 'Southgate apologist before', Schmeichel could only laugh as he refuted the accusation.

"I am not!" he protested. "I'm just not looking at this from an English point of view, I'm looking at this from a tournament point of view and I see the quality that is around other teams and I don't see England as the team that absolutely must win it.

"I see England as one of the teams that absolutely can win it, but the competition is fierce."

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