Euro 2024 final preview from Berlin featuring exclusive Gareth Southgate interview

Euro 2024 final preview from Berlin featuring exclusive Gareth Southgate interview

[Music] we’ve um improved The credibility of English football in how it’s perceived around the world but ultimately until you win that trophy then there will always be those questions both abroad and at home about what we’ve done hi there welcome along to skysports News live from Berlin in front of the Brandenburg gate with 48 hours to go until England face Spain and gas aims to get football immortality and end 58 years of hurt we’re also going to hear live as well from OE Watkins as he tells us what the opposition is going to be like against England on Sunday okay now to a new interview now with the man who could lead England to football immortality and Gare South Gates ending 58 years of hurts he’s been speaking today he’s desperate to land the trophy the nation craze but he says the emotion of the occasion needs to be controlled by the players southgate’s future is also a talking point at the moments but the England manager wants to bat that away and focus on football with Sunday’s huge football final looming over him to have reached the first Final in 50 plus years was enormous um and yeah we’re now in a different moment as a team two tournaments on a lot more big experience so I guess there was less of a celebration perhaps less satisfaction at reaching a final um I I don’t say it becomes run-of-the-mill but it’s a little bit more normal for us and uh that statement in itself is probably a bit ridiculous given our history how would you characterize the squad under your control is is is there a way you can characterize that well each each tournament has been different um each squad has been different this squad half of them had never been to a tournament before so um yeah they they’ll be viewing it in a different way to the guys that have been with us now for four tournaments and who’ve been knocking on the door uh of winning a trophy um but that’s brought a nice dynamic because you’ve got players who know what’s been needed to get to this point and have learned how to win and you’ve got guys that just think that’s what we do anyway and they’ve got no inhibitions so uh what’s impressed me is how well they’ve come together as a new group in such a short period of time and the strength and resilience they’ve found to score the late goals to get through the penalty shootout um yeah to to get the country to the point they are now Gareth a big moment awaits for the nation you see to approve many of those pundits and fans who might have questioned you wrong with your selections and substitutions how tough is it coping with the pressure the magnitude of the occasion and as an English Patriot do you see this as trying to deliver a defining moment for the nation well definitely I took the job to try to help English football improve um I know what it would mean not only to General Public in England but particularly to people involved in English football from those that develop young players to those that run clubs to every level of the game really um I think we’ve um improved The credibility of English football in how it’s perceived around the world but ultimately until you win that trophy then there will always be those questions both abroad and at home about what we’ve done before this tournament you said that you would walk away if you didn’t win it despite all the personal toll on you and your family given the exciting players available now to you how difficult would it be to walk away especially if you win the final well nothing’s that difficult but um um emotionally it would be impossible for me to make a logical decision at the moment on any of that because my sole Focus for two years has been winning this tournament um the last five six weeks have been an absolute roller coaster so I don’t actually know where I am with anything other than um very focused on preparing the team for this game um and determined to keep leading them in the way we have over the last month carth I’ve known you a long time um and seeing you roar with that release of emotion in the in the semi-final after beating the Netherlands and saying one more seeing the way you belt out the national anthem every time before an England game I don’t think I’ve ever met a prouder Englishman than you and you know this nation will come to a standstill on Sunday night to watch you and the team do you feel those eyes on you well you’re aware of it of course um but it’s not what you think about going into the game you’ve got to keep a professional Focus um a bit of a Detachment from you the the enormity of the occasion if you like because um it would be easy to be overwhelmed by that but actually when you when you break it down into the bits that you’re in control of and the bits you have to affect and the bits you have to focus on then it’s a it’s a much simpler task the emotion will be obvious for the players and for you though won’t it it’ll be a very emotional occasion well we have to we have to make sure that we manage emotions well because um you know big matches you might not have to perform to a level you’ve never been at before you know to be able to perform at your best in big matches is is often an achievement a lot of people are inhibited in them so um we’ got to make sure we’re well prepared I think the team are improving they’ve grown in confidence they’ve definitely grown in resilience and belief from the experiences they’ve been through in this tournament and um yeah we’re looking forward to the challenge and regarding Spain um you’ve said they’re the best team in the tournament I think other people have said that as well how’d you beat them yeah we’ve got to make sure that tactically we’re in a close to perfect um they’ve been excellent with the ball but they’ve been excellent without the ball as well you know they’re a team they work for each other their pressing is very well coordinated um but every team has strengths and every team has some weaknesses and uh our job is to be prepared for their strengths and to go and exploit their weaknesses it’s interesting isn’t it it’s almost like the elephant in the room really in terms of you know what Gareth Southgate does Come What May at the end of Sunday you know win does he stay on lose does he bow with his head held high what do you think he’s going to do I think we spoke to most uh journalists who who follow the um England team around they would all say that they expect G Southgate to leave after the final now I think the curveball in that could be if England win the Euros because if Harry Kane lifts the trophy here in Berlin on Sunday day obviously then England would go home there would be Mass celebrations back in England Gareth Southgate I think would probably get a Knighthood I think Harry Kane would get one as well and then I think G Southgate would have to think long and hard about what he wants to do would he really walk away after becoming European Champions after becoming the first England manager to win a major trophy for 58 years or would he take a few days out speak to his family speak to his friends and say you know what will you Champions I think I can make England world champions as well the World Cup is in two years time USA Mexico Canada all these great young players coming through the experienced players as well uh I’ll sit down with the fa and I’ll sign a new contract because my present contract runs out in December but I think we’ve got to give Gareth the time and the space to make that decision because he said it there himself he said the last few weeks have been a real roller coaster for him he’s not in the right frame of mind to make a decision about his future but the facts are his contract runs out in December after Sunday I think England’s next game is in two months time against Ireland so he’s got some time to decide what he wants to do and The crucial thing is every single person who works at the fa wants him to stay yeah yeah so the fa will be saying please Gareth we want you to stay please sign a new contract but I think if he says no that’s it it’s time for me to leave I think of course he would go uh leave with the fa’s best wishes even if england lose on Sunday uh but I think they would respect that because they understand what he’s been through and how much this job takes out of you could this tournament potentially be like the best and worst that he’s experienced in terms of you know he’s had plastic cups thrown at him during the tournament I think that’s an all-time low that’s got to be for for G where do you how do you think he’ll reflect on it even right now if he’s reflecting on getting them to the final is he sitting there thinking this is a been a brilliant tournament or is he thinking actually it hasn’t gone to plan I think he’ll just be very very tired even if England win of course there’ll be the Euphoria of winning an incredible achievement but it takes so much out of you you know he is like carrying the hopes of you know England on his shoulders every decision he makes every starting 11 he picks every training session every substitution he makes every little thing that he does people are watching ing everyone’s got an opinion on it and now in the social media age and the digital digital age everyone is expressing that opinion and it’s very tiring for him that is why I think a lot of people think he deserves a break it’s understandable if if he has a break I still think he’s got a lot to offer football uh I think he’d be an excellent Club manager I think he’d be an excellent International manager of a different country as well but I think it would be best for English football if he stayed and signed a new contract especally Le England win on Sunday it’s that continuity isn’t it going forward I mean how impressive you he he has got a plethora of talent hasn’t he here on Sunday this is this is a team that’s that looks on paper is better than we’ve ever had before in terms of England and also the players who’ve been left out I mean some of the players who’ve been left out what are they thinking I mean I know a lot of people are saying where’s Jack greish I mean you go around Germany there are adverts for various brands with Jack’s face on it marus rashford he’s like here Marcus rashford Raheem Sterling you know Jordan Henderson U Ben White you know we all know the issues with him but what a fantastic player he is there are a lot of players at home uh who you would have to say on the balance of probability probably deserve a place in this squad as well but Gare Southgate I know it was controversial when he made some of the picks he made for his Squad but they were absolutely the right picks and you know when we’ve got opinions we are basing our opinions on what we see at games or on TV or when we spend a few minutes uh with managers and players that’s what we Bas our opinions on we don’t have all the data and information that people like G Southgate have and you know sometimes I think you just have to say I don’t know as much as he does he’s professional football a manager he’s been working in the game for what 30 40 years he knows more than I do and I think it’s fine for us to have an opinion but it’s just an opinion we are not uh we don’t own all the data and information and experience uh that people like Gare Southgate have AC Creed over years and years uh working in Top Flight football just talk us through what it’s like you know because we’ve got GIS that we’re hearing from him there and he’s been very open and very honest about raw that’s a good word that’s a good word to use he is being very raw isn’t he and and that’s that’s not something we kind of associate with England we associate the kind of closed doors of these we yeah we we were we were talking about Siege mentality is there a Siege mentality absolutely not because that interview well series of interviews because G Southgate there was talking to uh you know news organizations non- rights holders he doesn’t have to do that at all contractually G Southgate just has to speak to the media one day before games and after games as well to rights holders so that is something extra we’re getting from him why is he doing that I think because he uh recognized the fact that this is such a big game for the country and he wants to speak to everybody you know news organizations as well so he’s being very open he has been hurt he said it’s been a roller coaster for the past couple of weeks I I want to inter you there cuz he talks about this unusual environment doesn’t he he’s been quoted as saying it’s an unusual environment for these players can you elaborate on that unusual Environ is that because the the fans have almost kind of you know what I I think it’s we’re talking about the digital sphere we’re talking about the is it a podcast sphere or an audio sphere or broadcasting sphere I think that’s what we’re talking about because the environment here for Gare Southgate and his players is perfect could not be better the the reporters and the journalists who follow England around who are based here as well by and large they’re not being negative most of the columns and uh pieces I read that they’re writing and the questions that they ask they’re being very supportive there’s a fine line between being a che cheerleader and being a journalist and uh the English media are not cheerleaders at all they are journalists first and foremost when performances have been bad they’ve criticized the performance but they have in my opinion at least I haven’t read all everything that’s been written but what I’ve read has not crossed the line I think what we’re talking about when we talk about the environment has changed I think that is the noise in the digital sphere is that what you call it oh no I think Snapchat and Tik Tok and all that kind of stuff the for the kids podcasts whatever they are okay and by the way I think you make a terrible cheerleader for the record look stay with us we have plenty more coming your way we’ve heard from OE Watkins haven’t we already but we’re going to hear at length from Dean rice as well that will be coming your way uh from 700 a.m. here on Skys sports news tomorrow morning [Music]

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A Sky Sports News special broadcast from Berlin, as we approach England’s Euro 2024 final against Spain on Sunday.

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