Gary Neville likens England to a Premier League team who won the Champions League 'against all the odds' as he claims Gareth Southgate's under-par side CAN win Euro 2024

Gary Neville believes that England tin spell each nan measurement astatine Euro 2024 contempt their unimpressive performances truthful far.

The Three Lions were conscionable seconds from elimination against Slovakia successful nan information of 16 earlier Jude Bellingham equalised pinch a stunning bicycle footwear from his team's first changeable connected target.

Harry Kane past netted from England's only different on-target effort to seal a 2-1 triumph aft other clip and group up a quarter-final conflict pinch Switzerland.

That triumph followed a dismal 0-0 tie pinch Slovenia successful England's last group game.

Gareth Southgate's broadside had earlier crushed retired a 1-0 triumph complete Serbia earlier being held 1-1 by Denmark successful different lifeless showing.

In his newsletter for The Overlap, Neville - who featured successful 85 elder world games for nan Three Lions betwixt 1995 and 2007 - said that 'England played their worst shot of nan Gareth Southgate era connected Sunday night.'

However, Neville believes that nan mode of nan triumph will person done wonders for nan assurance and togetherness of nan England camp.

He added: 'Emotionally it changes everything.

'England were 1 infinitesimal and 20 six seconds distant from possibly their worst conclusion successful history, surely up location pinch Iceland 2016 and nan USA successful nan 1950 World Cup. What happened successful nan adjacent 2 minutes of play defied study based connected nan 118 minutes of shot either side.

'Belief is for illustration an injection of adrenaline into nan veins of footballers. When we commencement talking astir destiny, thing typical happening, nan sanction being connected nan cup, and erstwhile players and opponents commencement believing it, past thing transformative happens.

'Let's beryllium clear, England execute for illustration they did against Slovakia erstwhile they play Switzerland connected Saturday and they will beryllium good and genuinely beaten. Switzerland are a overmuch amended broadside than anyone they person faced, pinch Serie A, Premier League and Bundesliga winners astatine nan bosom of their statement up. Crucially they person thing England intelligibly lack, which is simply a clear strategy everyone buys into.

'But belief comes successful different ways. Sometimes it comes for illustration it has for Spain, from playing beautiful, passing, possession shot pinch incisive wingers. Sometimes it is honed from sheer cussedness, a refusal to die.'

Neville past went connected to comparison this existent England broadside to nan Chelsea squad that defied nan likelihood to beryllium crowned champions of Europe successful 2012 - nan aforesaid twelvemonth that they vanished sixth successful nan Premier League.

'I past felt for illustration this erstwhile Chelsea had a tally to nan Champions League last and won it successful 2012,' Neville continued. 'It was against each nan odds. On 1 level, they didn't merit it successful that they weren't nan champion squad successful galore of nan games.

'Yet sometimes shot brings together a weird operation of fates, beryllium it a spot of bully fortune, aliases moments coming together, aliases nan spot of characteristic successful typical individuals, whereby thing conscionable falls into your way for illustration it was meant to be. Words can't explicate it. Sometimes a squad conscionable won't dishonesty down and judge their destiny and garbage to capitulate to nan shame awaiting them.

After claiming that losing to Slovakia would person been moreover much embarrassing than England's infamous conclusion by Iceland successful 2016 - erstwhile Neville was a personnel of his country's coaching unit - nan erstwhile correct backmost said that his bosom and his caput were successful disagreement complete really acold Southgate's men mightiness spell this summer.

He explained: 'My caput tells maine capacity matters, that yet you tally retired of roadworthy successful a tourney erstwhile you're not creating chances. England aren't gelling, we're not seeing immoderate coached patterns of play, they're passive connected nan transportation and passive disconnected it, successful nan deficiency of substitutions and interventions Gareth Southgate is making.

'But thing happened. Results matter. Whatever you opportunity astir Southgate's subs – and no-one could understand it – Bellingham and Harry Kane were connected nan transportation to deliver. Is this nan near-miss arena that jolts them to their senses?

'At nan extremity of a fortnight, they still person 1 of nan champion squads present and a crippled to make nan semi finals. They stay wrong rubbing region of history. Of destiny. My bosom is over-riding my head. This tin still happen.'

Chelsea came apical of a group that included Bayer Leverkusen, Valencia and Genk astatine nan commencement of their unthinkable European run of 2011-12.

The Blues past overcame a 3-1 first-leg conclusion by Napoli to prevail 5-4 connected aggregate successful nan information of 16.

That was followed by a 3-1 triumph against Benfica complete 2 legs earlier Chelsea famously hit Lionel Messi's Barcelona 3-2 successful nan semis, contempt playing for an hr pinch conscionable 10 men successful nan 2nd leg.

In nan final, Chelsea needed an 88th-minute equaliser against Bayern Munich to unit other time, during which Arjen Robben saw a punishment footwear saved by Petr Cech.

Chelsea yet prevailed connected penalties.

If England are to spell each nan measurement successful Germany this summer, spot kicks could good beryllium important again.