Fabio Capello insists the England team must be fresh if they are to rectify their World Cup disappointment with success at Euro 2012.
Capello, who learned on Friday he will remain at the helm of the Three Lions despite their failure in South Africa, will take charge of their European Championship qualifying campaign which gets underway against Bulgaria at Wembley on September 3.
The Italian will be looking to redevelop the side, but is wary of entering the tournament with players still weary from taxing club campaigns.
"If we arrive at the next tournament fresh, yes, we have a chance," he said. "If we arrive tired, no.
"We have to try and understand what happened but in my experience, it is not only the body that is tired, but also the mind. The mind burns more energy than when you run.
"Possibly you need more time on holiday between the end of the Premier League and the finals. When Denmark won the European Championships in 1992, they were on the beach when they got told to play, although the pressure on Denmark is not the same as it is on England."
Reflecting on the World Cup, Capello admits his pre-tournament plans, which involved two altitude training camps in Austria and a couple of friendlies close to their opening game against the United States, were extreme.
"Yes, I probably regret that now," he added. "You could change this in the future but it is too easy to say these things after the event."
England's woeful campaign in South Africa is a sharp contrast to that of old rivals Germany, who reached the semi-finals on Saturday with a commanding 4-0 victory over Argentina.
And Capello believes their superiority is partly a result of the country's larger population.
"Germany did not produce good players for a long time but now these players have come from the Under-21s and are playing very well," he said.
"They are good technically and physically. We hope to find the same players in England, but you have to understand there are 70 million people in Germany, compared to 49 million in England.
"And in England only 38% of players are English. This is one of the reasons."
