Euro 2012: England aim to finally deliver on European stage, insists determined captain Steven Gerrard "I think it comes more from the tournaments and not performing in them," he explained. We've gone out on penalties at the quarter-finals of two World Cups, when we've been a penalty kick away from getting to the last four. If we had done, people's perceptions would have been a lot different. We've qualified comfortably and proved we are a good team. Now the challenge is can we do it on the real stage? And the real stage is these tournaments. Can we be consistent, in a short space of time, in difficult conditions against good teams? It sounded like an internal debate within the squad - and probably also one involving Hodgson, who is negotiating that fine line between awareness of the weight of history and a desire to lift some of that by reminding the players to enjoy themselves. That, also, according to Gerrard, needs to be done "collectively." "It's no point one or two of you turning up or you'll go home early," he said. You've got to have everyone right at it and performing well. I think it's important after this first game that if we win we don't get carried away and think we're going to win it [the tournament] and if we lose the game it's not suicide. There are still two games to recover. It's a big game. It's very important, we need the right result but it's not the end of the world whichever way it goes. Although undoubtedly true, defeat would not only severely hamper England's chances of progressing but would prick the sense of feel-good factor, as well as sobriety, that Hodgson has worked hard to foster in his 40 days in charge. To gain a positive result, England will have to play far better than in their friendlies against Norway and Belgium. Key to that - and combating the heat - will be more possession. "Against the top sides in this competition we have to be better at keeping the ball," Gerrard said. It will make the job an awful lot easier. That's the challenge.