‘Seize The Day’, says England’s Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard has urged England’s stars to boldly grab glory by beating Italy tonight.

He wants them to be like Rome’s Julius Caesar — whose motto was: “Seize the day.”

He said: “It’s important we seize this opportunity and this moment. That we grasp it and don’t go home with any regrets.

“This is a fantastic moment for this team and this group of players.

“Quarter-finals don’t come around very often so it’s important we show our critics and doubters that we are capable of performing at this level.”

Gerrard said England, who will meet Germany in the Euro 2012 semis if they beat Italy, will use the “hurt and pain” of previous disappointments to fire themselves up in Kiev tonight.

England have lost five quarter-finals in major tournaments since winning the World Cup in 1966 with Gerrard suffering the agony of playing in two of them.

Liverpool star Gerrard said: “It hurts so much and because of the hurt and pain I’ve been through before, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to try and make it different this time.

“In previous tournaments we just haven’t shown what we are capable of. But our performances are getting stronger in this competition.

“That is what gives me the belief and confidence that we can end this hoodoo that people talk about.”

by Terence Johns

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