Onuoha only looking forward
Alex Shaw
Thursday, 25 June, 2009
Nedum Onuoha is determined to lay Euro 2007 to rest.
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Nedum Onuoha has told his England team-mates to forget about the pain of the past and focus on making it to the Euro 2009 Final.
Manchester City defender Onuoha was part of The Three Lions side that lost 13-12 on penalties in the semi-finals of Euro 2007 but this time around he is intent on going one better.
Ahead of Friday's showdown with Sweden, he said: "What happened in 2007 is a totally separate event, a separate tournament. We are not thinking about the past now, we are looking towards the future.
"I think we have got more confident the longer the tournament has gone on. We are in a great position, we can definitely win against Sweden but we must take one game at a time."
In Euro 2007, Onuoha learned he had achieved three As in his A-Levels and now the 22-year-old is intent on bringing his 'A-game' again.
"We have been working very hard and putting some honest work in training. The time has flown by [since we drew against Germany] but we had a quiz to pass the time last night - my team came second!
"We need to bring our A-game against Sweden because it is going to be tough.
"Sweden's strike force is a big threat because they score lots of goals but their midfield works hard too and they have a good team ethic."
Stuart Pearce's men will face fierce home support against the Swedes in Gothenburg but Onuoha reckons England have the temperament to battle against the partisan crowd.
"The crowds have been very good," he added. "We have to focus on our game. It has not hindered us. We have really enjoyed it out here and the hospitality has been great.
"Obviously Sweden will have the support but in our first game against Finland it was like a Finnish stadium, so we are used to it."
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