"Football is a simple game in which 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes - and in the end Germany always wins." No less a person than my friend, the English football icon Gary Lineker, coined this saying.

After the World Cup semi-finals in Turin in 1990.

On penalties, the Germans had defeated the Three Lions on their way to the title.

After the appearances of the national team against France and Hungary, the saying somehow looks like it did yesterday. A bit like a museum. Jogi's boys are not the ones who carry the eagle with their chest wide open. And now the strong troop comes from the island.

So England - and then at Wembley Stadium too!

Football history was made there.

In 1966, for example, when Geoff Hurst's famous Wembley goal made England world champions.

Was the ball really behind the line?

No, is my straight answer.

Or 1996: Thanks to a furious Paul Gascoigne, England dreamed of their first title since 66 at the European Championship - until Andreas Möller only converted the twelfth penalty in the semifinals and then copied the Gascoigne break.

Shortly before, Gareth had shot Southgate - of all things.

The man is now a trainer in England and could be looking for revenge.

At that time Germany made it to the final and later became European champions.

And now?

Just a huge bluff?

For me this game is completely open, because the English have been selling themselves brutally below value so far. They play for safety, are caught in tactical constraints, but they don't even need to. In my opinion, they have the greatest attack power of any team in this tournament. When I close my eyes, I see a Harry Kane in the front, then I see Phil Foden on the left and Jadon Sancho on the right. England coach Gareth Southgate has not yet used them together. They bring everything you need with them today: There is a goal hazard with Kane, there is the modern street footballer genetics with Foden and Sancho, who are always looking for one-on-one and even play dizzy in a phone booth.

The fact that Sancho has not played a role at this European Championship shows me that the Bundesliga is not noticed at all in England. That you ignore what is happening abroad. Because at Borussia Dortmund, Sancho was outstanding recently, but Southgate did not consider him twice and came on late against the Czech Republic. So either Southgate really has other plans - or the preliminary round was just a huge bluff. I know my way around the Premier League very well, watch a lot of games and go there a lot. In any case, the fans on the island don't really understand their coach: They have an offensive that makes the world lick its fingers, and then they won't really let go, the young wild ones.

Something historic is possible for England at this European Championship. The squad is great, a good mix of experienced and young, hard-working players and good technicians. The English don't even have the acute goalkeeping problem that they complained about so often in the past. Sure, Jordan Pickford plays in Everton, they are not a top club. But in 2018, at the World Cup, he was really strong, so you thought it would be the next big one. He was unable to maintain this level. Pickford is no Manuel Neuer, no one from the world class - but he has not yet conceded a goal at this European Championship.

I'm curious to see who will take over the game on Tuesday (6 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Football Championship, on ARD and on MagentaTV). Because one thing is clear: Sancho and Foden or even Sterling on the outside can really hurt the Germans. If they bring their speed to the lawn and run towards you on counterattacks, you can hardly defend yourself in the long run. Then they are a real weapon. But if the English have to play the game, if you take away their space and speed, then they haven't had any ideas either.

Southgate doesn't want to leave anything to chance and has apparently been training penalties for almost a year. Is history repeating itself? As if that would do any good! It is always said that you can train anything in football. But your nerves do what they want to you at the crucial moment. If there really is a penalty shoot-out against Germany at Wembley, I am already saying that the English will traditionally fail. Because then the old demons are there again. And you only get rid of them if you win a decisive penalty shoot-out. Greetings from Gary Lineker. . .

Lutz Pfannenstiel has played on all continents in his professional career: 25 clubs in 13 countries, read in "Unsustainable - My adventures as a world goalkeeper". He is currently preparing St. Louis City SC as sports director for the start of the MLS from the 2023 season. Previously, he was responsible for scouting at TSG Hoffenheim and was the sports director at Fortuna Düsseldorf. Pfannenstiel, 48, also works as a TV expert for ZDF, BBC and DAZN. He was an international expert at the DFB and a trainer instructor at FIFA. Pfannenstiel accompanies the European Football Championship (June 11th to July 11th) for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as an expert.