talkSPORT’s England correspondent Faye Carruthers wouldn’t be doing her job if she didn’t ask Gareth Southgate about 1996.
But, as expected, she got a pretty emphatic answer from the England boss ahead of the last-16 clash with Germany at Euro 2020 on Tuesday night.
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Build-up to the match has been dominated by reflection on Southgate’s decisive penalty miss against the Germans at Euro ’96, when the hosts were eliminated at Wembley in the semi-finals.
Revenge would surely taste sweet for the Three Lions manager, however he insists his players really shouldn’t care.
“Good grief no, Faye! I don’t think we’ll be relying on that,” he told talkSPORT when asked about his players seeking vengeance on his behalf.
“I’ve just said to them this week ‘look, the montages have been up on half-time during matches – forget it, it’s irrelevant for you, it’s of no importance to you what’s happened’.
“I did make the point to Jude (Bellingham) what happened in 1970 is probably not high on your list of priorities.
“So, no, this is about them. This is about them having a chance to achieve something, and certainly not for me to take any shine off of that.
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“I want to get to a quarter-final just as much as anybody else does, so motivation is high, of course, but for the players they’ll have their individual motivations and the collective.
“They’ve got a very strong bond and they want to do it for each other.”
Southgate understands the focus on the famous rivalry and his Euro 96 heartache – but repeatedly underlined how the players are focused on making their own history rather than worrying about the past.
He added: “This team, I’ve said for a long time, have had so many unique achievements and my focus is on this team and helping them to succeed.
“What’s happened for me as a player is totally irrelevant in terms of tomorrow’s game, so of course I’m always motivated to want to win.
“It’s an opportunity to get to the quarter-final of a European Championship and it’s the sort of big game that we want to come out on the top side on.
“But anything other than that, it would be wrong for me to be even speaking about.
“This is about our players. This is their moment and it’s their opportunity.”
The 1970, 1990 and 2010 World Cup exits to Germany also mean little to a group who have the chance to help England record just their second European Championship knockout win.
“I mean, it’s an incredible record that, really,” said Southgate, who played in that Euro 96 quarter-final spot-kick triumph against Spain.
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“I think it’s something we’ve talked about a lot as a team for the last four years. This team has that opportunity.
“I think in previous eras we have always talked about the past, teams and their records and baggage and everything else. And there’s no reason for these boys to feel that way.
“Most weren’t born when a lot of those games happened. It’s an irrelevance for them, so I think we’re all looking forward to the game tomorrow.
“We know it’s a fantastic game to be involved in and a real opportunity for us to progress to a quarter-final.
“Big opponent with excellent pedigree and great experience, but a game we’re really looking forward to.”
England vs Germany is live on talkSPORT tonight, kick-off 5pm
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