Joe Cole says 'time is now' for England as he makes Euro 2024 prediction

Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole is feeling optimistic about England's chances in the upcoming Euro 2024. He thinks that «the time is now» for the team to shine.

Gareth Southgate, who has led the team to the World Cup semi-finals and quarter-finals as well as the 2020 Euro final, is getting ready for his fourth and possibly last major tournament with the Three Lions.

The painful memory of England's penalty shoot-out loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final is still fresh, but it has only fuelled the squad's ambition to do better in Germany.

Cole, who played for West Ham and Liverpool as well as the Blues, is hopeful that these shared experiences will lead to «a real positive summer». He is excited about what Southgate's team can achieve.

«Listen, they were penalty kicks away from winning a tournament,» he told the PA news agency. «There's been semi-finals, quarter-finals, the experience is there now. They have got young players in the squad, but they're so experienced and so knowledgeable, as a team and as a group. You know, I think the time is now.

»The only difference going into this tournament is there's a little bit more expectation on them and it's how do they cope with that, but I think they've got the right manager for that. I think Gareth will manage the anxieties of the squad, of the team and just keep them focused on the task in hand.

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«I think Gareth is in the right place. Very, very good character in that situation. I think it actually sort of would benefit to have someone of his character there.»

Cole, who has represented England 56 times and has been working as a pundit in the