James Milner: "I think there is a lot of a different feel around the squad now than before.
"I think maybe the squad had a lot of players in it who had been to a lot of major tournaments before and maybe had suffered the expectations and the disappointments.
"I think maybe it does wear you down. Now we have that mix of younger players who haven't gone through that time and time again.
"They haven't gone through the unlucky parts of tournament football you are going to get, the decisions that go against you, like the Frank Lampard 'goal' not given against Germany in the World Cup.
"It does wear down on you and they are going into it fresh and, if you like, don't have those negative thoughts or memories in their head going into the tournament.
"The squad has changed massively since I've come into the squad. You see faces that maybe you played in the Under-21s with coming through.
"It's massively important you have the experienced players the Steven Gerrards, John Terrys, Gareth Barrys, Ashley Coles who have been there and played loads of football.
"But you've got the younger players who are going into it wide eyed and don't have that experience.
"They are two different approaches and you can see the pluses and minuses for both.
"But with the amount of games a lot of the lads have had this season, to give them five or six days' rest was a positive thing.
"Maybe I feel fresher this time. We kept going in Austria and didn't take our foot off the gas. If you keep going until you are knocked out, you don't have the chance to feel tired.
"On the other hand, the lads have had a bit of rest and a bit of sun and, when you go away to a tournament for a month, it is a long time to be away and maybe that can kick in.
"Maybe having the shorter spells - and we have two days after the Norway game to go home again - is a positive thing."
Source: FOOTYMAD
