• 6 months ago
Denmark's HJULMAND and Kasper SCHMEICHEL on England game

19/06/2024

Frankfurt Arena, Germany
Transcript
00:00In the last three games you have had control of the game. Do you expect to do the same tomorrow and is it a goal?
00:18We expect it to be a game about the ball, because that is what England really want. They have great qualities in controlling the game on the ball and working well on the ball.
00:30It is a game about that, but we have a strong intention to play along. In the games we have played against England we have had good periods where we have been on the ball and we can attack.
00:42It is definitely an intention to be brave and try to do something for where we are best, but we won't get that. We have to play and fight for that, but it is definitely an intention.
01:12Do you think they got better and stronger now than they were three years ago?
01:18I think England were a world-class side. They got to a final of a major championship. They were definitely a world-class side when we met them.
01:28When you look at some of the additions that have come in and the experience they have gained over time, I think they are probably a better side now than ever, at least in the time I have been playing against them.
01:40You look at them all over the pitch, they have world-class talent. They are a very good side and we are going to have to be on top of our game to beat them.
01:50Kasper Juhlman, do you think there will be any changes tomorrow?
02:00We will have to see. I am worried.
02:20What do you remember of your time playing with him all those years ago and how has he changed as a player in these years since?
02:29I remember a very hungry guy coming in the door at Leicester. Someone who really wanted to prove himself. Someone who worked really hard.
02:42He was very much like a sponge in terms of taking information from some of the players around him as well. Incredibly hard-working.
02:51What can you say about Harry? He is a world-class striker. He is one of the best strikers in the world. He is second now in the list of highest goalscorers ever in the Premier League and highest ever scorer for England.
03:05I do not think there are many words that can be said that have not been said about Harry.
03:11Mikkel Lundby from Ritau. This is your first game against England since the European Championship semi-final three years ago. Is there a particular desire to get revenge that you and the team are aiming for tomorrow?
03:24As far as I know, no. It is a new game. It is not a game that I have spent a lot of time on. It did hurt enough in the pre-season, so it was just about trying to get through as quickly as possible.
03:41It is a new game tomorrow. I am not thinking back on it in that way.
03:49Martin Schmidt from Bold. You have been in England for a year or two. What does England mean to you? Do you miss English football?
04:01Yes, I have been in England for a year or two. English football is the ultimate for me. I love to play in England. It is the type of football that I grew up with.
04:19It is the type of football that I still watch. It is the type of football that I love to be a part of. So yes, there is no doubt that English football has a big place in my heart.
04:28Yes, it is a place that I still miss to play. Who knows, maybe I will end up there again one day.
04:36Hi, Olof Lund, TV4 Sverige. I have a question for you both, Kasper and Kasper. Petter Møller is talking about Denmark winning gold. How do you see that? Does it put extra pressure on you to talk about gold?
04:52For me, the words are about Denmark dreaming about winning again, as we did in Sweden in 1992. And if you don't dream about it when you compete, then I think there is something wrong.
05:08Are we favourites? No. Is it a fiasco if you don't win the European Championship? No, I don't think so.
05:14But I think you should have the dream and the ambition, because it sets some standards for how you work every day. When you come home from one final round after the other,
05:23and every day we train, when we build infrastructure in the country, when we have ambitions about how far we can go with football, then it sets some standards.
05:31So if you don't dream about it when you compete in a championship, then I think there is something wrong. So I think that is what is meant.
05:38I can't agree more. I don't think there is anyone who goes into a tournament and doesn't hope to win gold. As Kasper said, there is something wrong.
05:51It's a funny thing with dreams. As a country, we have done it before, and it is something that inspires. At least my generation has been inspired by it.
06:01And it sets the bar high, and it has to be. It is very important to have dreams in life. If we don't have them, then it can be a difficult life to live.
06:21You said Kasper that you were struggling to find a pair of gloves that was suitable for that kind of ball. Have you found that now, and what challenges does this pose for a goalkeeper?
06:32I think any football for these tournaments aren't exactly made with goalkeepers in mind. Having said that, it is a really good ball. It is a ball that is a pleasure to strike.
06:44You can get good distance on it. It is a very clean ball. In terms of the grip, I think every goalkeeper will say the same. The balls that you have at the tournaments are certainly not made for the grip of the goalkeepers.
06:59I would like to know what you think about the season of Jude Bellingham, and if you have thought about how to stop him.
07:15What a fantastic season. I don't think a lot of people have seen that Jude Bellingham should score that amount of goals. The way it has been structured, the way he has entered Real Madrid, the way he gets laid in the box, the way he uses offensive qualities has been outstanding.
07:34To see a player at that age shine so much in the Champions League winners is just a fantastic first season. He is 20. Both the way he carries himself on the pitch, but also the character he has as a person. It is a great player. He will be very, very good when he is 23.
08:04Jonas from BT. This is for you, Kasper Jumann. The European Championship semi-final in 2021. The way it was decided, and the way Denmark was so far in the tournament. How much has it affected you?
08:34Defeated in a semi-final, where we were so close, and there were little things in the game that made a difference. It took a long time. It took a long time for me. It took a long time. It sat in me. It was a turning point.
08:52I have no doubt about that. But at the same time, those games also give fuel. At the same time, it is fuel for us to say, hey, let's do this. And when we were so close, on their own home court, what can we do if we really hit it?
09:09If we go after it and strive for it, it gives fuel at the same time. I think those defeats are also what gives the most fuel. So it's both. It's both a huge disappointment, but also fuel. So both. It hurts, but it gives fuel.
09:40Will it be more of a Leven playing field as a result tomorrow?
09:46I think, obviously, anytime you play at your home stadium, you're going to have a slight advantage. But I think there were a lot of COVID rules as well back then that meant that we couldn't really get any of 6,000 of our fans there.
09:59Obviously, when you have a full stadium cheering for one team, it's going to make a slight difference. But I expect kind of the same tomorrow. Both teams are going to bring a lot of fans, and I haven't really thought about whether there's any advantage in that.
10:15Mathias Blom from Kampo to you, Kasper Julemann. You have let us know that you're going to win tomorrow. You have the advantage of seeing what happens in the second game. Is there a scenario where Denmark can be satisfied with a draw?
10:30If we've played well, and we've done our absolute best, and we've had a few days, then it's like that. But all of our approach to football is that we want to win the game.
10:40If we've played well, and we've done everything we could, and there's a cross on the board, then it's like that. I don't think about how the second game will go, in relation to what can be okay for us.
10:52We start the games and keep going with the mindset that we're going to win the game.
10:59John Murray from the BBC. I know since the very point the draw was made, that a lot was made of the circumstances of the semi-final and the sense of grievance that you had about the penalty.
11:12Now that we're here, is that something that you can use to your advantage, the sense of grievance?
11:18I don't think so. I'm not really looking into that. I think we're looking at a football match out of the front window.
11:25We have a great team in front of us. I'm not using that as anything. Maybe some of the players. I don't know.
11:35But I'm looking at it as a new football game. Another place, three years later.
11:42Maybe some of the players can find something in that. I think we're very different as people.
11:49For me, it's all about a new game and trying to win it with the players we have in front of us.
11:54Personally, no. I'm not the type of person that's going to be looking back three years to a game and something that happened there to have motivation.
12:05I think the biggest motivating factor for myself is the fact that we're playing another Euros with Denmark.
12:12That's certainly something we should never take for granted, that we've got 16,000 fans of our own joining us.
12:18I think the biggest motivating factor is the image in my own head of celebrating with them after a win and giving them that after travelling all that way.
12:27So I think that's for me, personally, how I'm going to motivate myself and what happens in the past.
12:36A question for you, Kasper Smeichel. King Frederik has announced his arrival tomorrow.
12:40What does his support and the King's House's support mean for you in the final round?
12:44Well, I think it's a great honour. I'm a big fan of the Danish King's House. I think it's a fantastic thing for the country.
12:56I think they give us an incredible amount of support, not just at home, but also abroad.
13:02So that we get support from the King himself, who's coming to see us play, is something that's been discussed in the players' group.
13:11It's a great honour that he's coming, and hopefully we can deliver a victory for him.
13:19Morten Broen TV2. Kasper Smeichel, you say that you feel that England is stronger now than they were three years ago.
13:26How do you feel about our team compared to three years ago?
13:29A question for both of you.
13:33Well, I always think that one of the things that's so important, especially in the final round of football, is experience.
13:41We have a lot of experience, so at that point we're also stronger.
13:49Momentum is a huge thing in football, and we had a bit of a, let's call it a hard start at the European Championship in 2021.
13:59And we were able to build some momentum, which carried us through tough periods down in Baku.
14:07We were pushed to the limit until the very end, where this belief, this momentum, carried us through.
14:13So it's about using that experience, using the things we've learned from that tournament, and carrying it on.
14:22And then building that momentum, because in my experience it's a huge thing in football.
14:30We will now take the last two questions, starting here.
14:33To Kasper Juhlmann, you said it was too early against Slovenia with Simon Kerr. What's his status here before the England game?
14:41He's come four days closer, so he's in the game to be brought on the pitch.
14:50It's looking better and better. He's had a fantastic training.
14:53He's had two fantastic training sessions, where he looked really good. The numbers were good, and he looked strong.
14:59So he's coming closer, and it's looking good.
15:05Kasper Juhlmann, is it easier or harder to face a coach you know so well in Southgate, where you also discuss football outside of training?
15:17If you think football is primarily about the two coaches out there, you're wrong.
15:26It's about the players on the pitch. The game belongs to the players.
15:32And what happens in there, that's what matters.
15:36But I would say that we know Slovenia just as well.
15:39It's very clear what they're doing.
15:43I don't think so. I know Gareth really well, and he knows me.
15:48We know each other's team, so there's nothing that comes between us.
15:51The game belongs to the players.
15:54They're the ones who have to be set free, and that's where it happens.
15:58Then we can have all kinds of tactical moves, and think we're decisive in all situations, or the opposite.
16:06But the most important thing is that the players have a frame to play in, and that they can set themselves free.
16:13And I've always meant the game to happen on the pitch.
16:17And it's the players who own the game.
16:36There's two balls on the pitch.
18:06TORONTO 2015 PAN AM GAMES
18:36TORONTO 2015 PAN AM GAMES

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