On the eve of the finals, Southgate’s interview with German newspaper Bild was published, with the England manager saying he would be likely to leave his position if his team did not go one better than the last Euros and win the trophy.
His attack has failed to click during three matches so far but he reminded players in the hours before the Slovenia game of the achievement of making it to the knockout stage of the finals.
“I have to keep the players right on track,” he said. “On the day of the game I showed them pictures of Italy celebrating their qualification with their fans, of Hungary celebrating when they didn’t even know if they were through. Denmark celebrating a draw against us and they were on two points.”
John Stones was among the players to back Southgate after his fourth major tournament reaching the knockout stage. He and other players went over to the England end after the final whistle in Cologne when the beer cups were thrown at the manager.
“We can feel the tension from the small minority in the stands and that is to be expected,” Stones said. “We want to win games as well and we are fighting for each other and fighting for the shirt, trying to live everyone’s dream through us and we know we have to improve and do better.
“He (Southgate) is a great character, he controls everything (and) his emotions. We can’t control the outside pressure, that is something we shouldn’t get involved in.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
