Now anything is possible
By ALAN SHEARER
Published: 20th May 2012
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I believe what Manchester City and Chelsea have achieved this season could have a real knock-on effect for England.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart will go into those Championships feeling 10 feet tall as will Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry and James Milner.
Now, we have the heroics of Ashley Cole, Gary Cahill and, not least, Frank Lampard to throw into the mix.
John Terry will still get a boost from lifting the trophy even if he didn’t play.
Hart, Cole, Cahill and Terry will make up most of England’s the back four.
Lampard will be at the centre of midfield and I’m convinced Barry and Milner will also play a big part.
They will all go into the tournament believing that with belief and determination anything is possible.
City’s players showed that in the closing moments of a season that will never be forgotten and Chelsea’s after the most spirited Champions League triumph by an English team ever.
What they did in coming back against Napoli, beating Barcelona and winning on penalties against Bayern, on the German side’s own turf, has been truly remarkable.
I know Cole was at fault for their goal but otherwise he was fantastic. What a penalty in the shootout too. If every Englishman could have hit one like that over the years what could we have done?
Centre-back Cahill was immense from the word go. To think he was struggling with a hamstring problem.
While Lampard — a player former boss Andre Villas-Boas felt they could do without — showed in Munich that on the biggest stage he has a presence that can inspire.
The longer the game went on, the weaker Bayern became and the more Lampard hauled Chelsea back into it.
Now what of the manager Roberto Di Matteo, who accepted his team’s limitations and played to its strengths?
One big call was putting Ryan Bertrand ahead of Cole in an effort to nullify the forward runs of Philip Lahm from full-back — and it worked.
At the end of it all Terry stepped up and lifted the trophy with Lampard — a move that has split opinion.
I don’t have a problem with it because Terry had served his punishment.
Despite being involved in the celebrations he will always know that he did not take part on the big night because of his own stupidity against Barcelona.
Didier Drogba took his chance at redemption in style but Terry never had the chance and no pictures with the trophy will replace that.
He was not the only one left with huge regrets on the night. No player will be feeling the pain more than Bayern’s Arjen Robben.
I have no problem with a player missing a penalty, as he did in extra-time.
But to then not put himself forward to take one in the shootout is quite something else — something he has to live with.
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