During the Group Stages of the Euro 2020, the English display had been shaky and even though they won the Round of 16 at Wembley against their old enemy – Germany, it all happened because they were able to exploit the moments that the Germans couldn’t. Against Ukraine, the English boys were at their brutal best and stormed into the semifinal in style.
The tactics of English coach Gareth Southgate had been criticized, but right now, it seems, his moves during the critical junctures of the knockout stages proved clinical.
Now, the dazzling Danes would be waiting for them at Wembley.
Southgate hopes that playing in front of a 60,000 crowd at Wembley against Denmark will give his side added motivation as they attempt to reach England’s first European Championship final.
“It’s great to be coming back now,” Southgate said in an interview published at The Guardian.
“To go and have that different environment, preparation, the focus was definitely helpful. But now to be coming back to Wembley is a great thing for us. It’s not for me to tell the fans how to be or what to be.
“They found a pretty good way of doing that in the last game. So just be as they have been really and in the end, the responsibility is on us to play well and affect the emotions in the stadium. But without a doubt, the two things feed off each other in the last game. That can only be helpful for the team.”
England and semifinal heartbreaks are simultaneous.
“We’ve knocked off so many hoodoos or perceived barriers already and I feel like this group of players will feel this is just the next challenge,” the manager said.
“I guess the interesting part for us is we won’t feel totally satisfied if it’s just a semi-final for us whereas maybe three years ago, although there was a massive disappointment, there was a feeling we’d come a long way.”
“Now we’ve replicated what we did there, but that won’t be enough to fulfil the group. That’s a positive sign. The other thing that is so positive, these young players, they’re getting more experiences that are positive and enjoyable.”
