On July 11th at 3:00 AM, the Netherlands will face England in the European Championship semi-final. Ahead of the match, England manager Gareth Southgate held a press conference.
Regarding the referee
“Everyone knows how I treat referees, I have complete respect for every referee. The two officials who are in charge of refereeing for UEFA also respect the way we do things. I’m not worried, I’m not concerned about who the referee is, I know he’s going to be a top-quality referee because that’s how UEFA make these decisions.”
Regarding Luke Shaw
“Shaw has been injured for four months, he’s only been available to play in the last game and has made a good contribution. We have to decide whether he’s ready to start but we’re really pleased to have him back. He gives us a balance but Trippier has done so well as well. He’s been with us through many big nights over the past seven or eight years. He’s been excellent for the team and we’re very fortunate to have someone of his quality in our squad.”
Regarding substitutions
“Every time you make a change there’s a different reason. We were pleased with the performance of the team in the previous games but we made a change at half-time which wasn’t pre-planned. You’re always thinking about the energy and balance of the team and whether a change will improve that. But all the players are in good form. The game takes you in a direction and that’ll guide us to make the decisions we make.”
Possible Dutch fan dominance
“One of the great things about this tournament is the atmosphere in the stadiums and our players have felt a difference compared to the previous three tournaments. It brings a different feel to the game, a different intensity. I’m sure our supporters will make their voices heard. I have very strong memories of playing against Holland in an orange sea, those are the kind of matches you want to be involved in. You live for these tournaments, that’s where you get to showcase yourself.”
Regarding criticism from the outside
“One of our strengths over the years has been a lack of fear, less constraint but in the early stages of the tournament the expectation was so high, the criticism from the outside was louder than ever before. We didn’t quite get ourselves into the right rhythm. Ultimately it’s been impressive how we’ve stayed with it and found a way to win. I think the Switzerland game changed things, you saw a freer version of ourselves on the pitch.”
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