England centre back John Stonesspoke at a press conference two days before Gareth Southgate’s team’s match against Switzerland, as reported by BBCstarting by reassuring everyone about the obvious bandage shown on his leg in training: “I’m fine. With the bandage it looks worse than it actually is.”
On the effects of the victory over Slovakia in the round of 16, he explained: “I think the way we managed the time, especially after the game, is significant in understanding how demanding the coach realized it was for everyone: we spent a very nice afternoon with our families and then went back to training. Once you overcome such a big obstacle, you want to go back and put things back in order.”
Now, on with the Swiss: “The way they’ve played this tournament has been fantastic, and they’ve got some great players. Now it’s up to us. Playing against people like Manu (Manchester City teammate Manuel Akanji), who is an exceptional player, is not going to be easy. They’ve got some great players and it’s going to be a really good game for us and a good test.”
In the homeland the debate regarding Pep is taking place Guardiola and the influence he has on European football, including at the Euros themselves: “One of the most important things for me is to think about what I knew about football before I played with Pep and what I knew after. I quickly realised that I really knew nothing. The way Pep sees the game and how he wants us to play football has had a big effect on those who have worked with him. I think Pep is the greatest coach of all time. To use some of his ideas and tactics in the national team? It’s been a positive thing over the years. It’s difficult to do that when you don’t have time, but over the years we’ve introduced things little by little.”