England manager Gareth Southgate and midfielder Jordan Henderson spoke to the media ahead of the Three Lions’ World Cup semi-final against Croatia.
Here are five talking points from the press conference in Moscow:
England enjoys
It’s not just the fans back home who are enjoying England’s historic run to the last four; the players and staff are equally exuberant.
Southgate explained: “We are enjoying the journey. We came here to enjoy our football.
“The age of the players, the improvement in the players and the hunger of the players has been apparent for everybody to see.
“We are really proud with the style of our play, the intelligence of our play and that we have performed under pressure.
“We have made several pieces of history in the tournament and we’re just looking to keep breaking those barriers down.
“Yes, we’re going into a semi-final but to us it’s the next step along the journey.
“We’ve approached every game in the same way, our preparation for all the matches has been the same and we feel we’re in a good place.”
#WaistcoatWednesday
For every England match in Russia, Southgate has donned a waistcoat provided by Marks and Spencer, the official tailor to the England team.
Sales of said waistcoat have rocketed as fans stock up on this summer’s must-have item. So much so that tomorrow is already being referred to as #WaistcoatWednesday.
“I wasn’t a renowned fashion icon throughout my playing career [so] it’s rather strange to feel that way now,” said Southgate, England’s latest style guru.
“We are really proud of the support that we are receiving. We can feel the energy and feel the support from home and that’s a very special feeling. It’s a privilege for us.”
Croatia’s middle class
In Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, Croatia boast two of the finest midfielders in world football, a fact not lost on fellow schemer Henderson.
But Zlatko Dalic’s side have quality in every area of the pitch, from Danijel Subasic in goal to Mario Mandukic up front.
Henderson said of England’s semi-final opponents: “They have got some fantastic players.
”They are a fantastic team, they work for each other. That’s obviously why they are in the semi-final of a World Cup.
“I’ve played against Modric a few times and he’s a world-class player, probably one of the best I’ve played against.
“Hopefully he’ll have a quiet game tomorrow and we’ll do our best to keep him quiet.”
Southgate added: “For a country whose population is small they have produced some incredible footballers.
“We know the quality of their players and the spirit they have as a nation.
“It’s a huge test for us but we’re in the semi-final of a World Cup, we wouldn’t expect it to be any different.”
Similarities with ‘96
Southgate was in the squad the last time England reached the semi-finals of a major tournament; Euro ‘96.
And he can see similarities between the two groups of players.
He said: “The feel of this group of players is very similar to the players we had then.
“But that team [in 1996] was a lot more experienced in terms of its age and experience of big matches. We’ve got emerging leaders [in Russia], at that time that team had six club captains so there was a lot of leadership within the group.
“But we approached the tournament in the same way; we were a group of guys having a lot of fun, enjoying our football, learning and improving all the time, and that’s what these lads have done.”
The future’s bright
England are the holders of the FIFA U17 World Cup and FIFA U20 World Cup – and are just two wins away from making it a unique hat-trick.
But regardless of how things pan out over the next five days, Southgate and Henderson are certain that more good times lay ahead.
Southgate explained: “Our younger teams having the success they have had has been hugely rewarding. Our academies at club level are producing really good players.
“We made lots of changes that have helped us be successful. We have to constantly evolve and improve.
“The milestones [the players] have hit [in Russia] are a great reference point moving forward. The more big games we’re involved and the more they come out successful in, the more belief it will build.
“We’ve got a core group of young players in this squad that we believe can take us forward and there are obviously others coming through our age group teams with good experiences who have belief that they can win.
“All of that work is great but you really have to achieve at senior level for all of that to be fulfilled and we’ve got a great opportunity now to reach the final.”
Henderson added: “It’s very exciting for English football.
“There are some fantastic players coming through. Hopefully they can continue to grow and learn on the biggest stage.
“It’s definitely looking bright. Even if you look at our squad now, it’s very young, very talented and this experience can give so much confidence to the group.
“I just hope we can use this experience to keep going, keep improving and win some trophies along the way.”
