With just over 24 hours to go before they face Senegal (this Sunday, at 8:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time) in the round of 16 of the World Cup, their “greatest challenge” -in the words of Declan Rice-, Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane spoke at a press conference. A moment that the coach and the captain of the England team took advantage of to review the news about the team, send a message of encouragement to Pelé and defend Harry Maguire…
About Senegal: “Senegal has impressed us a lot. We know that they are champions of Africa, that they are very proud and that they have great spirit and confidence in their team. They have some great players who can cause problems, but also a good structure. Cisse has done a fantastic job. They were very unlucky to qualify from the Russian group and this time they have deservedly done so. We know the magnitude of the work ahead of us.”
If the presence of so many Senegalese in the Premier benefits the English team: “I am sure that there are few surprises for the players who play in England. We have had several Senegalese players over the years. The players who play in England now, even those in the Championship, are Premier League players. They have definitely enriched our league, we are lucky that our league is so strong.”
Mane’s absence: “He is an incredible player and every team would like to have him, but Senegal have grown strong in his absence and have shown great spirit by losing him. We know that this does not change the level of the game. We have to be prepared and give our best to win the match”.
The good role of Asian teams: “All the teams have been tactically aware and have played with great energy. They all have special players. There is a very good combination. Japan has not surprised me; We have seen her before the tournament because she had played against the United States recently and we could see the level of the team. We were not surprised at all by his team.”
Improve set pieces: “We still haven’t been as effective on set pieces as we would have liked, so there is room for improvement. We follow the same processes for each opponent, to try to find areas to exploit, but of course each team is looking at what they didn’t do so well and trying to make those adjustments. Set pieces, even throw-ins, now you have to fight to put the ball on the field. All those little details, all the teams in the world are trying to improve all the time.
Harry Maguire: “He is a good player. He knows that we fully trust him. He has had great performances for England in two tournaments where we have made a lot of progress as a country. He has had a bit of bad luck with changes in coaching and philosophy and an injury at a difficult time. He has wasted time. But, as with most players of that quality, it’s all about confidence. That shows when he plays on our team. We play in a way that suits you. He feels the love of the fans, that was clear in the stadium the other night, and it was brilliant to see him, because he hasn’t always been like that in recent months with England. He has put those things in place for him and has helped build a really important foundation for our team.”
Harry Kane: “We send our best wishes to Pelé”
Pele’s state of health: “First of all, we send our best wishes to him and also to his family. An inspiration among our game. He is an incredible footballer, an incredible person. Hearing those words from him back then was special to me, I always feel like I’m learning and he hit the nail on the head with his advice. We are very saddened by the news that he is sick, but we wish him the best ”.
Your foot injury: “First of all, my foot feels good, it has been improving day by day. I’m at a point where I hardly feel it, so it’s great. Regarding the form, I feel that I have played well. The goals are what will judge me the most, but as always I am a calm person and I focus on what I can do best for the team. If the goals come it will be great and, as a striker, I always want to score goals. We’ll have to see how tomorrow’s game develops, it’s going to be a very tough game, but I hope I can try to come out on top”.
