'England will lift a major trophy soon - but I don't want to wait any more'

My life ambition arsenic a subordinate was ever to triumph a awesome tourney pinch England. We sewage very close, but it did not rather happen.

Now it is nan aforesaid successful broadcasting. I person ever wanted to utter those words and opportunity an England's men's squad has won a World Cup aliases European Championship - and I americium hoping Sunday is nan time it yet happens.

It is going to beryllium tough, of course. They are playing a very bully Spain squad pinch a mates of existent superstars and 1 emerging phenomenon, but I still consciousness for illustration they've sewage a bully chance.

England went very adjacent astatine nan past Euros - losing a last connected penalties is arsenic adjacent arsenic you tin get without winning - and that acquisition will thief them now. Since then, I person been saying that this squad will do it and triumph something, and I still judge that.

If it is not connected Sunday nighttime past it mightiness beryllium successful 2 years, aliases four, aliases six... but it will hap because this England broadside is only going to get amended and, if you support banging connected nan door, yet it will open.

I don't want to wait, though. I conscionable dream it happens connected Sunday.

It is unusual that we person ended up playing Spain successful nan last because I was talking to Cesc Fabregas earlier astatine these Euros and he said he saw similarities pinch this England squad and nan Spain broadside of 2008, erstwhile they had ne'er won a modern-day tournament.

Like us, their men's squad had won 1 before, nan 1964 European Championship, but again for illustration america and nan 1966 World Cup, that was connected location soil.

On apical of that, Cesc said Spain benignant of fudged their measurement done nan early portion of Euro 2008 and past kept improving. They had truthful overmuch talent, things conscionable had to travel together. When it did, a World Cup followed 2 years later, and past different European Championship successful 2012.

Gareth Southgate's broadside made a very slow commencement here, too, but for illustration Spain successful 2008 they person that talent now - they conscionable person not won thing yet. It would beryllium unthinkable if they tin emulate them by lifting their first trophy present successful Germany.

This is nan first clip England's men person been successful a last connected overseas soil, and nary England squad has ever won a tourney abroad, truthful they person sewage footballing immortality astatine their fingertips.

If they tin triumph Sunday's final, they will beryllium heroes forever. It is going to beryllium very tight and it could spell agelong - into other clip and beyond - but contempt being fresh for that I americium still softly confident, moreover if I don't want to person excessively overmuch hope, because we cognize what that does.

Let's beryllium honorable astir it, England are successful nan last contempt not playing very good erstwhile nan tourney started.

It feels for illustration a batch has been made of nan BBC's study of nan team, and peculiarly Harry Kane, erstwhile that was happening, but each we did was opportunity what we thought.

We were captious of nan first fewer performances, but everyone was. And moreover nan England players and head person said since past that location was thing incorrect successful nan group games, but they are complete it now and they person been improving.

On nan BBC, we were fundamentally conscionable saying that too. There were ne'er immoderate individual attacks astatine all, connected Harry aliases anyone else, because that is not our style - but we do person to beryllium honorable astir what we see.

I deliberation Harry would beryllium nan first to work together that he was not astatine his champion but I consciousness for illustration we person been adjacent connected him and nan team.

The only clip I person talked astir him myself was from a tactical and method constituent of view, speaking arsenic a erstwhile striker, astir really he does not really tally successful down truthful you person sewage to get different players to do that.

If those players are not doing it either, England person sewage a really bully replacement successful Ollie Watkins, who plays an wholly different crippled to Harry moreover though they are some number nines.

Harry is nan type of subordinate who likes to drift into midfield, driblet heavy and get connected nan shot - he's a superb passer of nan shot - but he has still sewage 3 goals successful this tournament.

I don't deliberation I've been captious of him astatine all, actually. I've only ever talked astir his strengths and, not needfully weaknesses, but nan things he does and doesn't do successful his game.

He mightiness not person been astatine his absolute champion but he is still nan champion finisher that I deliberation England person ever had, because he conscionable does not miss, and he is simply a changeless threat from beautiful overmuch anywhere.

All we were trying to do arsenic a sheet connected TV was measure each of that, but sometimes newspaper journalists usage pundits to inquire their questions for them, because they person not really sewage nan courageousness to opportunity it themselves.

Instead, they will spell "Gary Lineker says you weren’t very good", which is not precisely existent and I ever deliberation "Well, opportunity it yourself, if that is really you feel".

We are utilized to that though, and I conjecture it is simply a compliment really, but past erstwhile England person started playing good present we past get told "Oh you are being excessively favourable, you person gone complete nan top".

You can't win, basically, but I deliberation nan public, erstwhile you spot their response, work together that England did not play good successful their first games, and they are playing good now.

So, I deliberation astir group get wherever we are coming from. It is our occupation to beryllium critical, to beryllium analytical and to opportunity precisely what we think, and I deliberation we've done that, and done it successful a very adjacent way.

It is not conscionable Kane who has not been moving down defences, by nan way. The improvement of nan number 9 domiciled is 1 of nan trends that person emerged astatine these Euros, and astir of them did it a batch less.

I deliberation what is happening is that we are not getting galore awesome number nines successful nan crippled now, and a batch of nan existing ones for illustration to driblet heavy for illustration Harry aliases Spain’s Alvaro Morata, for example, who is getting a batch of instrumentality for his performances too.

Leading nan statement and trying to play precocious up nan transportation has almost go a somewhat sacrificial domiciled successful a way, and what is emerging is that guardant players now don't want to beryllium doing that arsenic a nine. Instead, they want to beryllium nan ones connected either broadside - not accepted wingers because they are inverted - who are called forwards now.

So, I deliberation astir players who are coming through, nan really apical talents for illustration Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams aliases Bukayo Saka, want to play wide because erstwhile they get nan shot they are often facing towards goal, whereas nan nine's occupation now is overmuch harder.

You are playing pinch your backmost to goal, pinch group thumping you around, you don't get overmuch of nan ball, but you person to make runs each nan clip and still mightiness not get nan pass.

Someone for illustration Erling Haaland, who is not astatine this tournament, would beryllium doing each that and stretching defences for illustration Watkins is, but I don't cognize if they are a dying breed aliases if nan domiciled is changing because of tactical shifts, truthful that you are much of a figurehead - conscionable allowing group to tally successful down you alternatively than making that activity yourself.

Just for illustration successful my day, strikers still get accused of getting each nan glory, because they people tons of nan goals - that's partially true, because Harry has still done that for England, but it is nan remainder of nan occupation that is demanding, truthful I tin understand why kids want to play successful those wide roles alternatively than my aged position.

More than anyone successful those roles, number nines are reliant connected nan squad playing well. If you are not getting retired of your half, really tin you people goals?

So I tin spot why Harry did not get connected nan shot successful nan early games, erstwhile I besides don’t deliberation he was rather arsenic crisp arsenic he has been successful caller years.

For immoderate reason, though, he has looked amended and amended arsenic nan tourney has gone connected and of people he has to commencement connected Sunday because he is England's captain, their champion goalscorer and 1 of nan champion finishers successful world football.

If it is not rather moving for him against Spain, though, Southgate now knows he tin spot Watkins, and he tin make that switch.

That's different point that has changed successful shot - you tin return your skipper and your talisman disconnected aft 70 minutes without it being an issue, because it is simply a squad crippled now.

That is 1 of nan advantages for England because of nan extent of talent they person and, arsenic agelong arsenic personification gets nan victor connected Sunday, it doesn't matter who it is.

Gary Lineker was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan successful Berlin.