According to Spanish newspaper AS, England manager Gareth Southgate has expressed his thoughts on the team’s preparations and the advantages of their upcoming European Championship final opponents, Spain. He complained about Spain having an extra day of rest compared to England. This disadvantage was a factor in the 2020 European Championship final when England faced Italy, and it is again a key concern for this match.
Southgate emphasized the importance of substitutes in the team’s overall performance: “Sometimes, the turning point of a match comes from heroes on the bench. The key is to make sure every player is ready at any time. Even though we can only start with 11 players, the remaining 15 must maintain high morale. I have been working closely with the players, and they have shown great professionalism. While easing pressure, players like Watkins can play an important role in the frontcourt, he excels at high-pressing and creating opportunities for the team. Now is the perfect time to try new strategies.”
He expressed satisfaction with the team’s overall performance: “Foden almost scored with a shot, but it was blocked; Saka’s performance was excellent, his impact was significant. In terms of data, we looked like we were playing away, but the crowd was full of our fans.”
Speaking about the match against the Netherlands, Southgate said: “I hope our fans enjoyed a fantastic game. These kinds of matches are always full of suspense, especially when the decisive goal comes before the final whistle. My goal has always been to elevate the status of English football on the international stage. We came to Germany to win, and now we’re facing the strongest team in this tournament. We’ve reached this stage, and we still have a chance to win.”
However, he also expressed concerns about Spain’s physical advantage: “Spain has one more day of rest than us, which worries us. It’s been a problem in past games and shouldn’t be overlooked.”
In Southgate’s view, England lost to Italy in the 2020 European Championship final because they had less time to recover than their opponents and ultimately lost in a penalty shootout.
Southgate promised that England would give their all despite the challenges: “Spain’s pressing tactic is excellent, and we must be at our best in terms of ball possession and organization. We will give the players ample time to recover so that they can demonstrate excellent attacking capabilities in the match against Spain. We want to play offensively. It won’t be an easy match, but we’re ready to fight.”
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