There are few more talked-about coaches in this Euro Cup than Gareth Southgate, who nevertheless holds the record of being the first to sneak into two consecutive finals, both in England.
After losing the 2020 edition at Wembley, it is time to experience a complex match against Spain, acknowledged by the ‘pross’ coach, who, in addition to his respect, showed his belief that England can win the first Everyone’s Euro Cup.
How is the team: “Everything is in good shape, which is unusual for a final. This is good news. We are excited to take on this challenge tomorrow. Obviously the team has improved and shown a lot of resilience. We prove it every day. I see the whole team very committed, working hard. “We have good experience to achieve our goal tomorrow.”
Message to players: “We didn’t have much time in training, but we met a few times. We tried to analyze our opponent, see the best way to play against them, but the message hasn’t changed. We have a long-term view that we always break it down little by little We played very important games and did not have to say things to the players. “Decision-making is very important. It’s not just about going out and playing, you have to do more.”
Overflowing emotions: “When you try to create dreams you have to be very clear about what you will see at the end of it. I have a vision, a goal, but these are the details that I have to execute to make it come true. There are people who take it in a certain way.” that lights a fire within, but each one is different. I know what it means for us as a team, not individually at home. We have a lot of work, players who have been with us for more than 6 years. “I would love to give everyone a very special night.”
If you believe in destiny: “I’m not the most famous Englishman in Berlin (laughs). I don’t believe in fairy tales, but I believe in dreams. We felt the need and importance of those beautiful dreams, but we had to make them come true. Destiny , the streak we have, goals at the last moment… It doesn’t affect that, it’s our moment and tomorrow we have to perform well “We have a historical opportunity.”
The biggest concerns against Spain: “I will not talk about concern, but the observations are that they have a very clear game plan, a very stable team, that presses very well, a great intensity… Like all the Spaniards, they is exceptional in having the ball. The ball is very good, but we also know how to have the ball and we have achieved it in the last games.
Changing perspective after the Netherlands: “We had to find a different way of playing as the tournament progressed, especially at the back. Many players lacked the rhythm of the competition. Stones became exceptional, some were injured at the end of the season… So there was We tried to achieve the perfect mix. We also need to fix the problems in attack, we have a lot of talent but a lot of players playing in similar positions. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game.”
The improvement of penalties: “Many people do this. I think it’s a mix of skill, that you have to practice under pressure and improve. We’ve tried to improve those processes. Obviously it helps that this time we have more players taking penalties with their clubs 3 of the last 4, we have already won the penalty shoot-out… Many people have done it and we are very satisfied with the improvement that hopefully when the time comes tomorrow we will do well.”
The match against Spain in 1996: “I played well. A goalless draw, the dream of every defender. Obviously we won the match on penalties. Nadal comes to mind in that match, maybe Kiko and I don’t know as well as Luis Enrique. It was a very difficult match, Spain probably won, but this is a very important day for England is always a difficult opponent, they have not had the victories they have now, but we have faced many finals, we know the -development of their players we followed the project closely, but our lower categories improved and reached the senior level.
Improved stability under Southgate: “I think sometimes you have to go through difficult nights as a team. We tried to change the mentality from the beginning. Be more honest about what our level is as a country. We went to World Cups and European Championships watching games on the big screen and we are not playing, we have to change that, there are high expectations but we are still not at that level, but we have shown more consistency in the last tournaments to know how to win those game like this, we experienced many important nights, lost many records, but we know in the end what we have to do is win the game to earn the respect of the football world.
Your feelings after failures: “I can’t say about my feelings in the last three weeks, that I will tell you about the last three years. These difficult nights made me realize that football can change a lot. The difference between winning and losing is Great. There are more important things than football, but it has given me an incredible life, valuable experiences, making a living doing the things I love to do… I can’t think of anything more more important than being a player and leading my country as a coach, I’m not afraid of what happens, I’m not afraid of losing, I’m really looking forward to it to thank everyone. We’re looking forward to that final step.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
