Steven Gerrard has sounded England’s European Championship battle cry by urging his team-mates to ‘grasp the moment’ and put an end to the country’s dismal record in international tournaments.

The England skipper, desperate to beat Italy to claim a semi-final place against Germany, insisted: ‘Since I made my England debut I’ve dreamt of doing well in these major tournaments. Up to now, that hasn’t happened.

‘There’s another chance here to do it and because of the hurt and pain I’ve been through before, I’m hoping it will be different this time. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.

Steven Gerrard will lead England against Italy

‘The players have been involved in big games throughout their careers, even those who haven’t played in a quarter-final. They’re all aware how big the game is.

‘The atmosphere is superb in the squad. It’s important all the players seize this opportunity and this moment. They don’t come around very often. It’s important we leave everything out there and show to our critics and doubters that we are capable of performing at this level.’

England have not managed to get past the quarter-finals of a major tournament since they reached the semis of Euro 96. Now Italy, a team they have not beaten in a competitive match since 1977, stand in the way of Roy Hodgson’s team repeating that achievement tonight in the vast Olympic Stadium.

And there will be no shortage of optimism in the England dressing room, with Gerrard declaring: ‘The reason for the confidence and self-belief in the team is because of how we’ve performed in the tournament.

‘We’ve shown how together we are, how prepared we are to fight for each other and, at the right times, we’ve provided the bit of class or skill that you need to come through on top of the group.

‘It’s so far so good, but we also realise the level of teams goes up a notch, so you need to raise your own game. Maybe we need to perform better than we have done so far.’

« Previous12345Next »