England boss Gareth Southgate and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford preview their UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-final clash with Switzerland
Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
UEFA
05/07/2024
Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
UEFA
05/07/2024
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Good evening, and welcome to the press conference with England manager Gareth Southgate.
00:29and player Jordan Pickford. Simultaneous translation is available in English, German, French and Italian through the Interpify app.
00:38So please keep your question to one of those four languages.
00:42Please raise your hand if you wish to ask a question and a microphone will be brought to you.
00:47Please state your name, your media organisation and who the question is for.
00:53And remember it is just one question per person.
00:56I will now hand the floor to England press officer Andy.
01:00Thanks. We'll start here with Carvey Solicol, please.
01:07It's Carvey Solicol from Sky Sports.
01:10Just a question for each of you, first of all for Gareth.
01:13Jude Benningham has been cleared to play tomorrow.
01:17As expected, he's just got a fine, but he's also got a suspended ban.
01:23What did you make of UEFA's decision?
01:26And also, will you be speaking to Jude to make sure that he stays on his best behaviour?
01:32Because obviously he could get a ban if there's any repeat of what happened.
01:36And also, just for Jordan, you're obviously one of the most vocal members of the England squad.
01:41What did you make of what Jude did?
01:44Do you feel that you will need to speak to him as well before the game against Switzerland?
01:49Do you want me to give you some time to think about that?
01:53I don't need to come for that.
01:56I thought it was a common sense decision.
02:00Clearly, when you score a goal of the quality that he did,
02:06at the moment that he did, at the age that he is,
02:10you're going to have an incredible rush of adrenaline.
02:14I think there was no intent in the gesture towards anybody
02:20other than the communication he has with his family.
02:26So, from our perspective, we thought it was a sensible outcome, really.
02:33Will you be speaking to him at all?
02:36I speak to players all the time.
02:39I don't feel a particular need to spend additional time with Jude on that.
02:45I think he is aware of the investigation and he's an intelligent guy.
02:54I don't think I need to tell him anything, really, do I, to be honest?
02:58Just let him play his football and enjoy it.
03:03Hi, Henry Winter, World Soccer.
03:05Jordan, one for you, if I may.
03:07Jude actually said he is who else.
03:10That was obviously a celebration of his ability to change the game.
03:14But is tomorrow one of those games where, we've seen your commitment,
03:18but is it one of those games where everyone has to step forward?
03:22Yes, we're a team of 26 and everyone's got to be ready to go for the game tomorrow.
03:28Whoever's ready to play, be ready.
03:31We've prepared well all week.
03:34Anyone who's ready to step up and do the job for the badge.
03:38We're all passionate people as well.
03:41We're ready for tomorrow.
03:49Hi, Rob Harris from Sky News.
03:51Gareth, congratulations on your 100th game tomorrow.
03:54How do you reflect now on your 100 matches,
03:57obviously knowing that you're heading towards the end of this tournament as well,
04:01hoping you're going all the way?
04:04I'm very proud, but it's the least important statistic of the week.
04:10The only thing that matters is that it's a quarter-final
04:15and my complete focus is on trying to get my country into another semi-final.
04:21I'm sure in years to come I'll look back on that and reflect with great pride,
04:28but at the moment it's the last thing on my mind really.
04:34Gareth, on your left.
04:35Jeremy Talbot from AFP.
04:38Phil Foden has a fantastic season with Man City,
04:42but he didn't reach the same level of performance during the Euros.
04:47Will you try something different tomorrow to get the best out of him?
04:52Thank you.
04:53Phil has done a fantastic job for the team.
04:58He's had to adapt his game a little bit.
05:00Obviously when you're playing at a club every week
05:05you know the movements of every player
05:08and you know the links, a very clear way of playing.
05:14You're doing things without thinking so often.
05:18With the national team that's not possible.
05:21You don't have the same cohesion.
05:23There is a change in the dynamic,
05:26but we're very happy with what he's done with us.
05:29He was unfortunate with the disallowed goal.
05:33He was unfortunate with the goal that he nearly created in the match before that.
05:39Also the amount of work he does for the team with his pressing
05:45and the intelligence of that was very, very important for us
05:50in all of the matches that we've had.
05:53I know he would like a goal.
05:56We're not concerned by his performances,
06:02but we'd also love a goal that is allowed as well.
06:05Let's see if he can deliver that tomorrow.
06:08James Olly from ESPN.
06:11Good luck to you both tomorrow.
06:13There's been a lot of focus on England needing to play better,
06:16maybe entertain a bit more,
06:18but is that really a requirement in tournament football?
06:21Knockout football, ultimately the result is the only thing that matters
06:24rather than playing well.
06:26You obviously want to play well as a team.
06:30Your ambition is to play as well as you possibly can.
06:33Every team wants to excite.
06:35Every team wants to score goals.
06:38We've played opponents who have made it very, very difficult for us.
06:45As we've seen in some of the results they've had in subsequent games,
06:49they've given other teams problems as well.
06:54There's been a lot of expectation on the team
06:58in the early part of the tournament especially.
07:00I feel that the team, even in training now,
07:03look in a different place mentally.
07:06They look more fluid.
07:08I'm expecting us to play well tomorrow.
07:12Mr Southgate, Sebastian Riedel, 20 Minutes Switzerland.
07:16After the Italian match I had a clash with Baletti
07:20because I compared Switzerland and Italy with two cars,
07:24Fiat Panda and Ferrari.
07:26Now the question to you,
07:28if we look at the market value and the performance so far,
07:33what would you say is England big, heavy, maybe slow Rolls-Royce
07:39and Switzerland fast Mini Cooper?
07:43Switzerland have been excellent.
07:45There's no doubt that they have a great spirit.
07:49They have some very good players.
07:53They have a clear way of playing
07:55that has caused a lot of problems for other teams.
08:00Of course the valuation on English players is always high
08:06because our league is the only one that can afford to pay that sort of money.
08:12So there's a different valuation.
08:14Football matches aren't played on balance sheets or by data.
08:19They're played on graphs by human beings
08:21and it's about what you do on the day.
08:26We know what we're capable of.
08:29We know that in the last couple of games
08:31there's been signs that that's coming.
08:33To go behind in the game against Slovakia was a really enormous test.
08:38In tournaments there's a different emphasis when you're behind.
08:43There was an anxiety coming from the stadium
08:46and you've got to be really brave to use the ball as our players did
08:50right the way until the end of the game.
08:53I was full of admiration for the way they kept their nerve,
08:56the way they kept playing, trying to create good opportunities.
09:02In years gone by we might have gone really direct in those moments,
09:05lost our composure.
09:07So they stayed with the game.
09:09In the end I think we deserved a draw in the 90 minutes.
09:13We had 70% of the ball.
09:15We'd like to have created more clear chances.
09:20To get the goal early and extra time,
09:22I thought we saw the game through really well.
09:26We know we have to be better.
09:30Your Mini Cooper has been excellent.
09:33We've got to find another level.
09:40Is it possible that you will change the system tomorrow?
09:44If you do, what are the merits from playing a different formation,
09:49five at the back for instance?
09:53We're always considering the best way to approach a game.
09:58In modern football you build and you defend in different ways quite often.
10:06Switzerland themselves spend time building the game in a back four at times.
10:12They're very fluid in their formation.
10:15It's a good example of the way the modern game is played.
10:18You write a formation on a piece of paper,
10:21but the team are rarely in that shape at any given moment.
10:24At any given moment, if you pause the action.
10:30We're always preparing the team for trying to give the opponent
10:35the most problems we can, but also respecting their strengths.
10:40Obviously the Swiss have a lot of strengths at the moment.
10:47At the risk of spoiling the politics-free Zoan camp,
10:50you've outlasted four British Prime Ministers
10:53and are on to your fifth.
10:55At least he is a football fan.
10:57Do you have any advice for Zakir Starmer?
10:59Do you ever wonder who has the harder job?
11:04I'm not envious of his job.
11:07No, I don't have any advice.
11:10I think when you're in a position of responsibility, as I am,
11:17you realise that advice comes from every direction.
11:20He has a simple solution to complex problems,
11:23so I'm sure he's going to be inundated with that sort of feel.
11:29Having been in the role I have, the one thing I would do
11:32is not be offering any additional issues for him
11:37by speaking publicly about anything.
11:41I wish him well. We want a strong country.
11:45We all want the best possible conditions in the UK.
11:50Whoever is in charge, whichever government is in charge,
11:54that's what we all desire.
12:00Hi, Gareth.
12:01Kieran Canning from AFP.
12:03You mentioned after the Salahkia game,
12:05you really stressed the importance of the impact
12:08that the subs have made throughout the whole tournament.
12:10I think it's ten of the eleven
12:12have started every single game.
12:14Is that especially what happened against Salahkia
12:17giving you food for thought
12:18in terms of making more changes tomorrow to freshen it up?
12:22Physically, the team are in good condition.
12:25We obviously lose Mark suspended.
12:29Again, there's that balance of continuity,
12:34but players who are coming into the game having a good impact,
12:37you want your substitutions to make a difference.
12:40I think in every game our substitutions have.
12:43That's great credit to the players, their mentality,
12:46the way all of them are training.
12:48They're all ready to come into the game.
12:52When you win a game with the two goalscorers off the pitch,
12:55but with a lot of the rest of the squad on the pitch,
12:59it's massive for building the bond
13:01and the feeling that everybody has of contributing to the cause.
13:06We've definitely felt that in the camp this week.
13:12Ibrahim, from BeInSports,
13:14Jordan, Mark Gahy played every minute
13:17from the beginning of the tournament in front of you.
13:20Any impact of missing him in this game?
13:24What do you make of it?
13:25No, I think he's been brilliant since he came in,
13:27but it's an opportunity for somebody else to come in and take the role.
13:32Like I said earlier, everyone's here.
13:34I'm here on merit because I've had a great season with the club.
13:37Whoever's ready to play tomorrow,
13:40they're going to be ready to take the challenge on.
13:46Frida Fagerlund, Aftonbladet, Sweden.
13:49A question for Jordan.
13:51Obviously you and your team-mates don't have that much time together,
13:57you play under different types of managers
14:00with different philosophies and styles of play.
14:03Would you say it's been more challenging
14:05to find your identity on the pitch this time around in this tournament?
14:10And if yes, why would you say that is?
14:13No, I don't think so.
14:14Me as a goalkeeper, you've got to keep your own identity
14:20in the shape of the manager and the staff
14:22and the way we want to play.
14:24I've got to adapt to that and so does the rest of the team.
14:28So whatever's given to me,
14:30I'm ready to take the challenge on
14:32and I can learn every day.
14:34I want to get better every day as a goalkeeper.
14:37Whatever gets put in front of me,
14:39I'll keep working harder to get better.
14:44Hi, Gareth. Etienne Riemer from Switzerland, CH Media.
14:47A question for you.
14:49How is it for you personal that people in England
14:52and journalists are talking about
14:54who could be the future manager of the England squad?
14:58How do you handle this situation?
15:02It's a fact of life.
15:04If you're in one of the most high-profile jobs
15:12in world football,
15:13then there's always going to be speculation.
15:15There's always going to be assessment of what's going on.
15:23I'm not worried.
15:24When I was a young manager,
15:27you're trying to forge a career
15:29and you're worried that if the first job doesn't go well,
15:32you'll never get another job.
15:34So you worry about failing
15:36and you worry about getting the sack
15:38and you worry about all those things.
15:40When you're older, I'm 53,
15:43I'm not worried about losing.
15:45I'm not worried about what might go wrong.
15:48We have an opportunity tomorrow to get to another semi-final.
15:52It's a positive challenge and that's how I view it.
15:57The downside for me is irrelevant.
16:01It's about going for it now.
16:03That's been my mindset for quite a while
16:06and certainly it's been my mindset through this tournament
16:09because you know that there's always going to be reaction
16:14to how we play as well as the result.
16:16It's the nature of the role that I have.
16:22Just a question for Jordan.
16:24You've played in lots of different systems over the years with England.
16:27What's the difference, from a technical point of view,
16:30as a goalkeeper between playing three at the back and a back four?
16:35I don't think there's much difference, to be honest,
16:37like the manager said earlier.
16:40No-one's in that exact position at the right time.
16:43It's just about us being balanced no matter what formation you play,
16:47being in the right positions.
16:49But as a goalkeeper, it's a bit different.
16:51I don't have to worry as much.
16:53If it's back three or back four,
16:55the shape's going to be roughly the same anyway.
16:58Jack Pitbrook.
17:00Hi, Gareth. Jack Pitbrook from The Athletic.
17:02You said that you saw an improvement in training this week.
17:05Would that have been just a boost from the Slovakia game,
17:09or something technical or tactical, or something else?
17:13I just think the longer the players are here,
17:16the more belief they have,
17:19the less they're being affected by what's outside.
17:25They can see the opportunity.
17:27They can see, on the one hand,
17:30we talked about being here or being in camp for 45 days when we met.
17:36Now that has to be just 10,
17:39so that feels much closer.
17:42But at the same time, I said to them this morning,
17:44it's still a million miles away,
17:46because every game can take you on a journey
17:51like the game did the other night.
17:53You can't, for one minute, be thinking of what's next.
17:58It's all about tomorrow.
18:00We have to deliver tomorrow.
18:01We have to be ready to go until the very last minute again.
18:05Dig deep in the moments that you have to,
18:08to win these big matches.
18:11But they're highly motivated guys,
18:15and they can see the possibility of a semi-final.
18:18So, understandably, there's a buzz about them,
18:21and they're excited to take that challenge on.
18:26Hi, Jordan. Mark Van Brynsford, PA.
18:28You've got seven clean sheets in Euros games now.
18:31I think it's only Casillas, van der Sar and Buffon have only got more than that.
18:38How does it feel to be in that kind of company,
18:41and what is it about tournament football you think brings the best out of you as a goalkeeper?
18:45I like the pressure.
18:46I like the pressure of the big games, the big-game moments.
18:49But also, I've got them clean sheets, but it's not just me.
18:54It's a full 11, all the lads coming off the bench,
18:56and I'll never take the full applaud.
18:58I'm there to do my job, but the rest of the side's there to do the defensive job as well.
19:03It's a team effort, and if I can help the team and keep a clean sheet,
19:06with the ability we've got going forward, it's always going to give us a chance.
19:11Dan Rowan, BBC News.
19:13Gareth, you're just two wins away now from the first final
19:17England have ever played in a major tournament overseas.
19:20The last time you played a quarter-final in the World Cup,
19:23you had France to contend with.
19:25This time, the draw, most people would agree, has been a bit kinder to England.
19:29After Switzerland, as we know, Netherlands or Turkey are waiting in the semi-final.
19:34I know you don't want to get too far ahead,
19:36but have you said to the players,
19:37these opportunities may not come around for you again?
19:40This is a chance that you have to seize.
19:46I would say that's a classic example of the sort of entitlement we have as a nation
19:51that creates drama and annoys our opponents.
19:58We're playing a really strong football nation,
20:01who have played exceptionally well,
20:05well-prepared, have enormous pride.
20:09Our focus is on how do we win this game
20:12and how do we play to the best of our ability.
20:16As you rightly said, we've never been to a final outside England.
20:20We've only had two finals in our history,
20:24three semi-finals,
20:26so lots of nations who we might perceive as English people to be smaller
20:35have had far better records than us in terms of winning things,
20:38in terms of getting to the latter stages of finals.
20:41It's half the problem we have.
20:45But we're ready for tomorrow.
20:48As a team, we definitely have huge respect for our opponents
20:52and we know we've got to be at our very best to be able to win the game.
20:57Good evening, everybody.
20:58Question for Jordan.
20:59Would you like to have a penalty shoot-out tomorrow,
21:02maybe to win the award, or rather not?
21:05No, whatever it takes for us to win the game.
21:08If it's 90 minutes, that'll be ideal,
21:10but like the manager said, we're against a very tough opponent
21:14and we'll do anything to get the result.
21:17If that means going to a penalty shoot-out, it may be it,
21:20but we're prepared for anything for tomorrow.
21:24No further hands raised.
21:26Just one back to Carvey to finish then.
21:32Gareth, I just want to ask you,
21:34left-back position has obviously been a bit of a concern during this tournament.
21:38Luke Shaw's back in full training.
21:41Is he fit to start the game tomorrow
21:44and how much of a risk would it be for him to start the game,
21:47considering he hasn't played since February?
21:50And if he doesn't play, what are your other options tomorrow?
21:55Well, Kieran Trippie has been absolutely outstanding for us,
21:58so Luke is available.
22:01He's available to start.
22:04But Kieran has also done a brilliant job for the team.
22:09He obviously doesn't give us that balance that a natural left-footer can give you,
22:14but his leadership, his communication on the pitch,
22:20if you ask any of the wingers that play with him
22:23or the players that play alongside him,
22:26his talking is phenomenal and it helps them to play the game.
22:33It's a much undervalued quality and it's a bit of a dying art, really.
22:37Good talkers on the pitch, you can't have enough of them.
22:44He has exceptional qualities in that area,
22:47as well as some quality on the ball.
22:50He's adapted and done a brilliant, brilliant job for us.
22:55OK, we'll conclude it there.
22:56We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
22:57Thank you.
22:58Thank you.
22:59Cheers.
23:14Thank you very much.