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It might be tempting fate but four games in, these Euros have proved relatively plain sailing for England. They haven’t been behind, haven’t suffered a significant injury or seen a red card. But no side goes through an entire tournament without a fire to put out and, for Ukraine’s threat is being underplayed, you never know – this might be the night when the hoses are required.
Five years ago, when England were faced with a Euros knockout game they were expected to win, Iceland threw them a curveball they could not cope with and they ended up exiting in humiliating fashion.
They took an early lead through Wayne Rooney but, spooked when their unfancied opponents overturned it, they panicked and by the end had unravelled completely. Roy Hodgson resigned as manager on the back of it.
Ukraine are a superior side to Iceland and could, with a break or two, destabilise England again but the crucial difference, Harry Maguire insists, is the emergency response unit Gareth Southgate’s side has developed.
“We haven’t had a setback yet at this tournament but through past experience we have had setbacks and overcome them so we will use that to our advantage,” said Maguire.
“We want to play fearlessly and go out there and really express ourselves – to do that we can’t really be worrying about the bad scenarios – but we do speak about different scenarios.
“We have a lot of leaders in our group, a lot of experienced players as well as exceptional young talents.
“I think that’s when the leaders would have to stand up and overcome the sort of setback in a game which we have all experienced at club and international level.”
England have four Premier League captains in their squad in Manchester United’s Maguire, Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, Jack Grealish at Aston Villa and Wolves’ Conor Coady as well the official captain Harry Kane who will deliver the final gee-up in the changing room at the Olympic Stadium in Rome.
Kieran Trippier is an important voice too, as is Raheem Sterling, so England will not lack for direction in a game Southgate marked out as dangerous from the moment Germany had been defeated.
The high felt from that Wembley win continues to ripple out around the country but within the squad the reset needed to be almost immediate.
“The whole day – or call it an event – against Germany was an incredible feeling for us all, for a country. We really enjoyed it that night,” said Maguire.
“But the evening after we had a meeting and we spoke about it being time to prepare and focus on another tough game on Saturday.
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