Time for heroes

Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane have been looking ahead to a ‘fantastic game’ against Germany as EURO 2020 enters its first knockout stage.

Speaking to the media ahead of England’s round of 16 tie with Germany, manager Gareth Southgate believes his current players are unburdened by previous tournament defeats of their past. Instead, they intend to write their own history.

“It’s something we’ve talked about a lot as a team for the last four years," said Southgate, who described Joachim Loew’s team as an “excellent opponent with great pedigree.”

"In previous eras, we’ve always talked about the past baggage. There’s no reason for these boys to feel that way. Most weren’t born when a lot of those games happened. It’s an irrelevance for them.

“We’re all looking forward to the game tomorrow — a fantastic game to be involved in and real opportunity for us to progress to a quarter-final." 

Our pre-Germany press conference is off and running.

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— England (@England) June 28, 2021

His captain, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, echoed that sentiment.

“We’re obviously playing a massive team in Germany, but it’s one to look forward to,” he began.

“We feel confident; we’ve had a good start to the tournament. [There are] areas we can improve for sure, so hopefully we can take that into tomorrow night. The most important thing is that we’re winning, so that’s all the team are focused on.

"However we get it done, that’s our main objective. We’ll do everything in our power to get through.”

England have had a week to prepare for this match since their final group match — the 1-0 win over Czech Republic and Southgate has enjoyed the extra time to prepare his side for the first knockout fixture.

“We’ve got to trust in the way we train, and transferring what we do in training to the game," he added.

"Everything else outside it brings excitement and brings motivation, but it’s a game of football and an opportunity to get to a quarter-final. That’s what we’re focused on.

“It was important for a couple of days for the players to just relax. It would have been a very long lead-in otherwise. Now, we’ve been able to get a lot of work in on the training ground — some tactical work which is important for this work, in particular.

"That’s an unusual opportunity for us. It’s probably the longest period we’ve had in 12 months to work with the team.”

The England manager was clear that the test of facing Germany lends itself to his players creating memories that England fans can truly cherish.

“Every time you pull an England shirt on, you have the opportunity to score a goal that will be shown forever, or to be involved in a match that lives long in the memory," he said.

"That’s the beauty of playing for your country. It’s an opportunity that few get — these lads have earned it. I’m sure they’re going to relish that.”

The game kicks-off at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday 29 June at 5pm BST and can be watched live on BBC One in the UK.