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The Southgate team are big favorites to progress from the quarter-finals in Rome, but the English coach is keen to avoid a loss of concentration after the emotional high of Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to former German rivals.
England win at ecstatic Wembley was their first against the Germans in the knockout stage of a major tournament in 55 years, ending decades of angst against Die Mannschaft. This triumph offered England a golden opportunity to win their first senior international trophy since the 1966 World Cup, with the outsider Ukraine stands in the way of a semi-final at Wembley against Denmark or the Czech Republic.
“From the final whistle the other day, the players were already talking about the next game and prepare for it, ”Southgate told reporters on Friday. “They recognized that while they loved the experience of the last game, you are moving quickly through the tournaments and we haven’t reached where we want to be yet. It was not too difficult to refocus people. The opportunity is there, the confidence is there. They can’t wait to take on the challenge. “
After being greeted as hero by 40,000 jubilant England fans On Tuesday, the Southgate team will experience a more subdued atmosphere in Rome. Only expats based in Italy will be able to support England in the stadium as coronavirus restrictions have prevented the Football Association from selling tickets to fans in Britain. But Southgate thinks it could be a good thing because a quieter environment could keep its players on an equal emotional footing.
“It’s good to get out of Wembley now. It would have been difficult to reproduce the atmosphere we had the other day three days later. Having a different focus, a different environment is good for us, “he said.” It will be more like the crowds we had for the first three group matches, but with fewer English fans. Our players are used to playing Premier League games all season without fans. It doesn’t matter too much to us. You need good leaders in this situation and we have a lot of them. “
“A range of offensive talents”
One of the concerns regarding England’s trip to Italy – their first game away from Wembley in the tournament – is the potentially stifling heat. “Although we’re not right in the middle, the heat will be a factor by the end of the game I think,” Southgate said.
Southgate is embarrassed for wealth in the attacking zones as he considers his side to face Ukraine. Raheem Sterling has scored three of England’s four goals, while Jack Grealish played a key role in Germany’s victory after coming off the bench.
Southgate has revealed that an injury to Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka – who started against Germany before being replaced by Grealish – is his only fitness issue heading into the quarter-final. “We need to check on Bukayo’s condition he received a slight hit today but other than that everyone is available,” Southgate said. “We just have such a range of attacking talent. It’s impossible to keep everyone happy.
“Raheem was on fire, his goals made it harder for others to enter from the left side they prefer.” Southgate has also denied claims he could rest Phil Foden, Harry Maguire, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips to prevent them from winning a booking that would exclude them from the semi-finals.
“I can’t think of a country in the world that would do that, especially not a country that has only participated in three semi-finals in its history,” he said. “We will not make any decisions on the basis of yellow cards. It would be a big mistake and an insult to Ukraine.”
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