England manager Gareth Southgate and captain Harry Kane preview their UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final with Netherlands
Dortmund, Germany
UEFA
09/07/2024
Dortmund, Germany
UEFA
09/07/2024
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to the Measure Day Minus One press conference of England
00:05with coach Gerd Southgate and Harry Kane.
00:08Simultaneous translation is provided in German, English and Dutch.
00:13To ask your question, please raise your hand,
00:16state your name and your media house
00:18and let us know to whom the question is directed to.
00:22Can I have a show of hands, please?
00:25Let's start up front here. Thank you.
00:29Hi, it's Kave Solakol from Sky Sports.
00:31Gareth, your players have been speaking in glowing terms about you this week.
00:36Do you sense that they want to win tomorrow,
00:39not just for their country but also for you?
00:44Look, I'm very fortunate to have a fabulous group of players
00:48and I think we work as a team, we always have.
00:53Whenever we're talking about the games,
00:57how we've done, it's always reviewed
01:02in terms of what we could do better as a coaching team
01:05as well as what the players might do better.
01:07We have very open dialogue about that.
01:10The special thing about this group of players
01:13has been the way that the 26 have really bonded over the last few weeks.
01:18A lot of new players in,
01:21a lot of players with no tournament experience, half the squad.
01:26The contributions coming into the game have been so important.
01:30We've managed to get 21 of the players on the pitch
01:33and none of those have been a dead rubber
01:37or ten minutes that weren't important.
01:40I think that has made people even more connected
01:43and has helped the experience of all of the squad.
01:50Hi, Harry. Hi, Gareth. Good luck tomorrow.
01:53Henry Winter from World Soccer.
01:55Harry, with the change in formation that we saw the other day
01:58and with Phil and Jude slightly more central,
02:01does that keep you higher up the pitch?
02:03Does it change your game in any way?
02:05Not specifically.
02:07I think there's times where just the rhythm of the game,
02:11maybe Jude or Phil might end up being in the middle.
02:14I might drift out to maybe the left-hand.
02:17There's different examples where, of course, as the striker,
02:20you want to try and give as much space as possible to your midfielders,
02:23to the number 10s.
02:25But then there's times where you want to drag defenders out
02:28into spaces they might not want to come either.
02:31Like I've said with my game always,
02:34I try and see how the game evolves, what the team needs from me,
02:38and I try and exploit those situations.
02:41There will be times tomorrow, of course,
02:43where I'll need to be more of a focal point and be in the box more
02:46and make sharper movements in the box.
02:49And there'll be times where I'll drop deep
02:51and try and make it uncomfortable for the defenders
02:53coming into maybe areas they don't want to be in.
02:58Hi, Jarrett. It's me.
03:00Bailey from TRT Sports.
03:02Since the beginning of the tournament, in the last five matches you started,
03:06you preferred to start with Trippier and left-back,
03:10not with Lukso, whose original position is left-back.
03:13What were the reasons that you started with Trippier?
03:16And is there a possibility in that match
03:18to start with Lukso against Holland?
03:21Yeah, Luke has been injured for four months,
03:25so it wasn't a possibility for him to play until the last match.
03:33He made a good contribution to the game.
03:36So that's the decision we have to make,
03:38whether he's ready to start,
03:40whether that's the best way to use him.
03:43But we're very happy to have him back.
03:45He obviously gives us a different balance with the team.
03:49But also Kieran has done a fantastic job.
03:53He's played in so many important nights for us.
03:57We've had a lot of big nights over the last seven or eight years.
04:01He's been so important in those occasions,
04:05but also around the squad,
04:07how he is with the rest of the players and the staff.
04:11We're very fortunate to have players like him in our squad.
04:16Questions to Harry.
04:18As a striker yourself,
04:20how do you look at the Dutch strikers Memphis and Wout Weghorst as well?
04:25Yeah, obviously they're two totally different strikers.
04:28Obviously whoever plays, or if they both play tomorrow,
04:31they both bring something different to the Dutch team.
04:36So, yeah, from our point of view,
04:38we'll always analyse the other team and where they can hurt us
04:41and where we need to be careful.
04:43They're two really good strikers.
04:45They're playing at a high, high level.
04:47And, of course, being in the semi-final of the European Championships
04:50means they're doing something well.
04:52So, yeah, hopefully we'll keep them quiet tomorrow,
04:55but it'll be a difficult task for sure.
04:58But, yeah, we're focused on what we can do to hurt them as well.
05:02And, yeah, that's what we've been preparing for.
05:06Netanel Ziegler, Sport1 Israel.
05:08Harry, after Slovakia, Jude talked about you.
05:11Harry, after Slovakia, Jude talked about the big pressure
05:14from the crowd and from the media.
05:16How do you deal with it?
05:18And if the players speak about it in the dressing room,
05:20about the big pressure?
05:23No, I don't think we really speak about it in the dressing room, I think.
05:27Definitely the ones who have had more experience in tournaments
05:30know what it's like to play for England in major tournaments.
05:33And, of course, as we've been doing better and getting better in the tournaments,
05:38the expectation gets higher, and that's been no different.
05:40So, yeah, I think people will use it in different ways.
05:43Some will use it as motivation to up their game and up their level.
05:47Some will just block it out and focus on what they need to do.
05:50So everyone's different in that sense.
05:52From a team point of view, we know what we're trying to achieve.
05:55We set out from the start what we've been trying to achieve,
05:58and we're close to doing that.
06:00We have a really important game tomorrow night,
06:02a really tough game, which we need to be ready for.
06:05And, yeah, we're prepared for that.
06:07So, from our point of view, nothing changes.
06:11A question for Gareth.
06:12Gareth, it's Mike Keegan from the Daily Mail.
06:14I just wondered if you were aware of the well-publicised background
06:17of the referee for the game tomorrow night
06:19and the issues with Jude a couple of years ago.
06:22Whether that caused you any concerns
06:24and whether it was anything that you've spoken to Jude about ahead of the game?
06:27No.
06:29I think everybody knows how I deal with referees.
06:34I have complete respect for every referee.
06:37I know the two guys at UEFA, Roberto and Bjorn,
06:43who've been running the referees' programme,
06:46and I think they appreciate the respect we've shown as a team
06:50to officials over eight years.
06:52I think there's a right way to conduct yourself towards officials.
06:56I think that's very important for the image of the game.
07:00So, no, I'm not concerned about who the referee is.
07:05He will be at a very high standard
07:08because that's the way that UEFA make those decisions
07:11and the way they monitor the games that are played during the tournament.
07:16So, for me, it's not even a consideration.
07:21Hello, Harry.
07:22Dani Quintana for Real Madrid Squadra from Spain.
07:25What do you think about one team like Spain
07:29and young players like Lamine Jamal and Nico Williams
07:33for a possible final?
07:36Yeah, obviously Spain have had a fantastic tournament.
07:41They look like their players are playing with a lot of freedom
07:45and a lot of young players who are just going out there
07:48and enjoying the occasion and getting on the ball.
07:51But Spain have been a top team for many years now,
07:56so it's no surprise that they're in a semi-final.
07:59They've obviously got a tough game tonight,
08:02so I'm sure it will be a good one to watch.
08:05But, yeah, fantastic players.
08:07We're in the final four of this European Championship now.
08:10Every team is going to have a really good squad.
08:15Spain are no different to France, us or Holland when we play tomorrow.
08:23Hi, it's Mareike Zeck for German Radio.
08:25I would like to know both your opinions on the debate
08:28about having extra time or not.
08:30Should we get rid of it the next tournament?
08:36Yeah, that's not really for me to...
08:38You have to run around.
08:39I know, yeah.
08:42It's a good question.
08:43I'm not quite sure, to be honest.
08:45Of course, there's been some great moments in extra time
08:48where teams find a goal, just like Spain did in the last minute.
08:54And there's times where you can see both teams are really tired
08:57and they're probably both waiting for penalties
08:59and then taking their opportunity from that point of view.
09:04Yeah, I don't mind extra time.
09:07It always feels amazing when you come through it.
09:10And whether that's the end of extra time or penalties,
09:13you really give everything that you've got in those moments.
09:17So there's something special about coming through those moments
09:20and building that togetherness from that.
09:22But, yeah, ultimately, it's not in my hands.
09:26So I'm sure whoever makes those decisions will make the right one.
09:30Question from the very back.
09:31Hi, Gareth.
09:32Karl Matchett from the Independents.
09:34You spoke after the Switzerland game about several players being very much exhausted
09:38and Harry was basically out on his feet when he came off
09:41and due before penalties as well.
09:44You only made one sub against Slovakia before the 84th minute
09:48and none against Switzerland before the 78th.
09:50So just wondering if that is either a concern for you
09:53or part of your plan for those both games
09:55and going forward as well?
09:56Obviously you didn't make the sixth extra time sub either.
10:00Yeah, I mean, I think there are different reasons for making changes.
10:06We were happy with the way the team were playing in a couple of those games.
10:11There was a game we made a substitution at half-time
10:14so we don't have a preconditioned way of operating.
10:19You're always looking at the physical freshness of the team,
10:22the balance of the team, how the team are performing individually,
10:27whether changes are actually going to improve what we're doing or not.
10:31So they're the assessments that you're always making.
10:34Clearly now it's a strange thing in the biggest games.
10:38You get less time to prepare, less time to recover.
10:41So you would assume the biggest matches you have the best preparation
10:44but we haven't really been able to get on the training pitch.
10:47You're just walking through things or covering things in meetings.
10:51So there is a different physical aspect now.
10:55But all of the players are going into this game in good condition, recovered well.
11:02Over the next 24 hours we keep assessing people
11:07and the game will take us in a certain direction tomorrow
11:10that will make those decisions for us.
11:14Hello, this is Erik from NRK in Norway.
11:16Question to Gareth.
11:18Marcelo Bielsa said that football is becoming less attractive
11:22and that players who deserve to be watched will be less
11:25because football will benefit the business.
11:27What is your opinion on that?
11:31It's difficult for me to say because I don't know the context to his comments.
11:40I don't know what he was asked and why he made the observations that he did.
11:47Another question.
11:49Hi Gareth, Joe Rawson, Sky News.
11:52It could be a rare occasion where the Dutch fans outnumber England fans in the stadium tomorrow.
11:59What have you done to prepare for what's promising to be such an intense atmosphere?
12:06I think our players are used to it.
12:10One of the great things about this tournament has been the atmosphere in the stadium.
12:15The fact that so many supporters of every team...
12:20It's been a different feeling for our players compared to the last two World Cups
12:26and of course the last Euros was affected by restricted attendances.
12:33So it's definitely added a different feel to the games,
12:36a different intensity to the games.
12:39But our fans, whether there are more or less, will make themselves heard I'm sure
12:44and it will be a brilliant, colourful occasion
12:46because my memories of playing against Holland with the orange in the stadium are really vivid.
12:54In the end, the players want to play in those sorts of occasions.
12:59These are the matches we want to be involved in.
13:01It's why we're involved in football and particularly international football.
13:06You live for the tournaments.
13:07That's where we step up and we're looking forward to that occasion.
13:15Hi, both. James Olly from ESPN. Good luck tomorrow.
13:18Gareth, you mentioned earlier that the squad you felt has bonded in recent weeks.
13:22Do you feel now they're in the right mindset to peak at the end of this tournament
13:26and how do you help them do that?
13:29It's been a definite shift.
13:31I was really interested.
13:34As a coach, sometimes you take a step back and you observe.
13:39One of the strengths of us over the last seven or eight years
13:42has been less fear, less inhibition.
13:47But I think at the beginning of the tournament, the expectation weighed quite heavily
13:52and of course the external noise was louder than it's ever been.
13:56So I felt we couldn't quite get ourselves in the right place.
14:04In the end, what was impressive was that the players ground it out.
14:08They ground results out and found ways to win.
14:12I felt that shifted once we got into the knockout stage
14:15and definitely in the quarter-final.
14:17I thought we saw a better version of us with the ball, freer.
14:25I'm not sure any of the messaging changed, but I just felt the group changed
14:30and you're now into that moment in the tournament where it's what's possible,
14:36what's achievable, rather than what might go wrong.
14:39That's different for a player, for an athlete.
14:44This is now the chance to make history, which we've enjoyed doing that.
14:52The chance to get to the first final, not held in England.
14:57The first time England will have ever done that.
15:00We're trying to break new ground.
15:02That's difficult and it's complicated, but the players have responded brilliantly.
15:08The resilience that's been built, you can bond.
15:12We've been very fortunate.
15:13We've had Ed Sheeran in to sing and it was great.
15:16The players had a couple of beers before the last game.
15:20You can bond in that way, but when you're having to head the ball out of your box
15:24in the 92nd minute and you're having to find a goal in the 96th minute,
15:29there's nothing stronger than that for building the spirit of a team.
15:35Hi, Gareth. Dan Kilpatrick, Evening Standard.
15:37I just wondered what kind of game you're expecting tomorrow.
15:40Do you expect it to be more open or are you expecting the Dutch to sit in
15:44and make it difficult for you like the other teams have done?
15:48That wouldn't be normal for the way Dutch teams play.
15:55It's not what we've seen from them.
15:58Equally, Ronald's an experienced coach.
16:02He could approach the game in a very different way to the games they've played already.
16:06We're prepared for anything.
16:09I think it will be an exciting game.
16:13You've got a lot of very good players on the pitch.
16:15A lot of good forward players on both teams.
16:18We've got to be another step from what we showed in the last game.
16:23It's another step up in terms of the quality of some of the opponents.
16:27We have to be ready for that.
16:33Maybe you heard already the story about the Dutch team being a little bit delayed.
16:40A little bit of more delay because they travel by train,
16:44it's not possible and they have to take a plane.
16:46Do you think it has some influence on their preparation
16:49and what would your reaction be if it happened to you?
16:53We would be calm, control what we can affect.
16:58We don't play until nine o'clock tomorrow, so there's plenty of time.
17:03I'm sure they'll still get dinner when they arrive.
17:09I don't see that having any impact on the game, really.
17:13Thank you.
17:14Hi, Mitch Phillips from Reuters.
17:16A question for Harry.
17:17Could you talk about the difference in mentality for you
17:20and some of the players around you from 2018,
17:24when that was a first semi-final and now you're looking at a third.
17:28This is becoming a routine, if you like.
17:30Is it a different mindset for you, the way you're going into this game now?
17:34I think you just use the past experiences to help you.
17:38We've got a lot of players who have experienced big games
17:42on an international level and also big games at a club level.
17:45You try and use all that experience over the course of your career
17:49to prepare you in the best way possible
17:51and to control the nerves and control the excitement.
17:55Tomorrow night will be no different.
17:58Like I touched on earlier, we had a goal and we had a target
18:01of where we want to be and what we think is achievable.
18:04Step by step, we've been getting closer to that target.
18:09We prepared tomorrow like we prepare in the other game.
18:13I just think during the game you lean on experiences,
18:16you lean on the leaders in the team who have been there and done that
18:19to help maybe some of the players who haven't.
18:21But ultimately, it's about going out there
18:23and taking the opportunity with both hands.
18:25We've put ourselves in a great spot.
18:28We've got a big game tomorrow to reach back-to-back finals
18:32in the European Championships.
18:34It'll be an amazing achievement.
18:36We have the opportunity to go and do that.
18:38We'll take three last questions. Thank you.
18:40Harry, it's Oliver Cage from The Athletic.
18:43When the manager's talking about the noise that there was
18:46at the start of the tournament, in the group stage especially,
18:49and the pressure, expectation, did you as players,
18:53and as captain in particular, did you do anything different?
18:56Did you have meetings and grab them all together,
18:58especially the younger players, and spell out
19:01any different message to help them through it?
19:04No, there wasn't no meetings.
19:06I think as one of the leaders, as the captain in the team,
19:09you're always talking to your players,
19:11especially the newer players.
19:13They're always asking you questions about experiences, etc.
19:17I think we do a pretty good job of preparing all the players
19:20before the tournament of what tournament football is like.
19:23Because, of course, you have to go out there on the pitch
19:26and perform well and do that side of it.
19:30But tournament football, there's a lot that goes into it.
19:33There's a long time away from each other,
19:35a lot of preparation, a lot of time in the hotel.
19:38There's a lot of media attention.
19:40So it's about dealing with all that.
19:42I think over the years, since Gareth's been here
19:45and since I've been captain, we've handled that really well.
19:49This tournament has been no different.
19:51The expectation has maybe been a little bit different from the start,
19:54and maybe the noise has been a bit louder.
19:56But I think we've all handled that really well.
19:58Like I said, some players will use it as motivation,
20:01some players will block it out.
20:03Ultimately, it's just down to what we want to achieve.
20:06We have a really close togetherness, not just players, but staff as well.
20:10We've all been in the same direction for a while now,
20:14and that's what we're thinking about.
20:19Hi, Eric Peters from Germany.
20:21A question to both of you.
20:23You're trying to learn a bit of German, how is it going?
20:26Do you already know the German word for European champion?
20:31I don't.
20:34Strangely, it wasn't one I looked for either.
20:37I know how to turn right at the underground station,
20:41but that's about it, I'm afraid.
20:44Thank you.
20:45Last question over here, please.
20:48Hi, Harry, Marcel, Dutch Telegraph.
20:51What kind of battles have you had over the years with Virgil van Dijk?
20:55Can you describe them a bit, what sort of duels you had?
20:59Are you actually happy to play him tomorrow,
21:02or would you rather have had Matthijs de Ligt,
21:05who you have known a little bit more now?
21:09Of course, Matthijs has been a team-mate of mine now for the last year.
21:14A fantastic player, a fantastic guy, obviously.
21:17I'm not sure if he's going to start tomorrow or not,
21:20but if he does, we've had a lot of battles in training,
21:23so I'm sure tomorrow will be no different.
21:26In terms of Virgil, we've had some really good battles over the year,
21:29from when he was at Southampton, at Liverpool.
21:33A lot of tough games, a lot of big games.
21:36Sometimes he's won that battle, sometimes I've won that battle.
21:40Tomorrow night will be a tough game.
21:43Whoever plays will be tough opponents.
21:47I'll always prepare in the same way,
21:50trying to make their life as uncomfortable as possible,
21:53but I'm sure he'll try and do the same to me.
21:56I enjoy playing against the best players in the world.
22:00That's what you play football for, that's why you want to play these games,
22:03and I'm looking forward to that challenge tomorrow.
22:06Thank you very much.