Gareth Barry: England must not get carried away ahead of Euro 2012

Gareth Barry has warned that England should not get carried away ahead of next summer's European Championship after the 1-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday at Wembley followed the same result against Spain, the world champions, on Saturday, at the same venue. Barry's 22nd-minute header was deflected off Daniel Majstorovic for England's 2,000th goal which ended 43 years without a victory over Sweden. But the midfielder, who played in the 4-1 defeat by Germany that knocked England out of the last World Cup, said: "Everyone knows the way we qualified last time [for South Africa 2010], the expectations went through the roof. We flew through the group, didn't concede many goals and played some great stuff. When it comes to the business end, the tournament, that is where you need to perform and get that winning habit. At the minute we've got that, but we've got to try and take that all the way to the tournament." Despite the two wins, Barry believes there will be no exaggerated hopes for Euro 2012. "I don't think so," he said. "Everyone knows football. The way the game went against Spain shows they are beatable on the day but they are a fantastic team. They kept the ball and showed they are probably a step above us in terms of quality. "But the way the game went, means the expectations aren't going to go through the roof. We've not outplayed Spain. They've dominated, but the important thing is we proved we can beat them and that could be important for the future." Barry is untroubled that England will not enter the tournament next summer among the favourites. He said: "You can look at it very deeply and say Spain are a better team. We can't say we are going into it as the best team in the tournament because we probably know we are not. On our day, we can beat them." England finish 2011 unbeaten from their nine matches, the first time they have achieved this since 1994. But with Holland the next opponents in February, Barry is clear that England have to maintain this form. "It will be another tough game, they are number two or three in the world at the moment," he said. "They were World Cup runners-up. It will be another fantastic test for us against real quality players, exactly what we will need at that stage of the season." The outing against the Dutch is the last occasion Capello can gauge who he should select for his 23-man squad for Poland and Ukraine. Barry said: "That is why it was so important the manager looked at so many things [in these two friendlies]. One more game is not too much. It is up to the players now to perform for their clubs. That is what everyone has got to try and do. "You are probably looking at 30 to 35 players who have got a realistic chance of coming in. With the way these games have gone, no one has let themselves down." Of the new players against Sweden, Jack Rodwell, Kyle Walker and Phil Jones impressed, particularly before the break, and Barry picked out the Manchester United defender who was comfortable in a holding midfield role. "Probably you've got to look at Phil Jones, playing out of position, he looked as if he has played there all his career – it is not his natural game," said Barry. "The players coming through are there now. There are more options. The manager has got to be very pleased with the way these two games have gone and the way the players have adapted. The younger players have come in and shown great confidence. The confidence is there. The momentum is there. But we've got to keep it going because there are tougher tests ahead. "Spain was a completely different game to Sweden but we got over the line in both of them. The way you adapt and play against different teams and different styles is going to be important. It was great we did do that."