Gibson: Lads 'itching' to get back on the pitch

The Three Lions began their campaign in Czech Republic with a 1-0 defeat against Portugal on Thursday.

But they’re quickly back in action again on Sunday afternoon when they face Sweden in Olomouc and Gibson revealed the game can’t come quick enough as Gareth Southgate’s men look to get their campaign back up and running.

"The lads are itching to get back out on the pitch in competitive action," said the Middlesbrough defender.

"There has been almost three weeks of preparation and we couldn’t wait for the games to start.

"So it was great to get it underway on Thursday, despite the result not being the way we planned or felt it was going to go.

"We took one step back, but we now have to take two steps forward on Sunday and in this tournament, games come thick and fast so we can’t get too down at the Portugal result."

England’s disappointment at Thursday’s result in Uherske Hradiste was quickly forgotten by the Three Lions, who now know they need to win their remaining two group games if they want to progress into the semi-final.

But Gibson and his squad-mates aren’t panicking, with confidence among the group still high.

Gibson says the squad spirit is good ahead of Sunday's clash with Sweden

"We have to go into the Sweden game, play the way we always have done and react in the way that we have done in the past and win the game," he added in his exclusive diary for Vauxhall England.

"We did a bit of training on every group team in our sessions at St. George’s Park last week, so that was really productive and we’ve got an idea of what they will do.

"But to be honest, it’s more about us with the qualities that we possess and we know if we hit our levels, no team will be able to cope with us.

"We had a good look at Sweden yesterday and will be doing the same today.

"They’ve had a good start to the competition and will no doubt be buzzing as they come into this match on Sunday, so we’ve got to go into the game, ready to prove a point."

You can read all of Gibson’s Euro diary entries on the Vauxhall England website here.