The Three Lions have been criticised ahead of what is seen as their most difficult Euro 2016 qualifier on Monday but the new captain is confident that they can get a result
England captain Wayne Rooney is confident that his side are ready to get a result away against Switzerland in their first Euro 2016 qualifier.
Monday’s match is seen by many as the Three Lions’ toughest test in the group but the team have again come under pressure after an unimpressive display to beat Norway 1-0 in a friendly on Wednesday, with the new skipper scoring the only goal from the penalty spot.
“There is the determination [to succeed],” the Manchester United man told reporters. “We’re a tight-knit group and we’re working hard together to get the best out of each other.
“We’ve got a lot of quality in the team and it’s about that quality coming together.
“It’s a nice game to play in. It’s probably the most difficult game of the group and we want to do well and come out of it with a good result. We are ready.
“We’ve had a bit more time through the week to prepare for the game and we’re excited. It’s going to be big test but we feel we have the quality to do well.
“The whole team, if we get a positive result, it will give everyone a lot of confidence to go on and do well in the group.”
The two sides last met during the qualification phase for Euro 2012 when England left Switzerland with a 3-1 win, before drawing 2-2 at home.
Rooney, though, was quick to insist that such results will have absolutely no relevance on Monday, with the respective squads looking significantly different.
“Four years ago was a long time ago,” he argued. “It was a completely different team and we have to look to the future. There’s no point looking back – it was a good result and good performance four years ago but we’re focused on [Monday] and that game is irrelevant.”
