Gareth Southgate calls special meeting to prime players before Denmark test

Gareth Southgate has told his young England squad to shut out all criticism, as they held a specific meeting over excessive scrutiny before the second Euro 2024 fixture against Denmark.

With 12 of the players experiencing their first ever tournament, the manager wanted to make them conscious of how the focus is very different to the club game and ensure they know how to handle it.

England opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over Serbia, although the restrained nature of the performance did receive criticism. The aim is to ensure they are further focussed for the game in Frankfurt against Denmark.

“There’s going to be a narrative around a player, a couple of players, after every England game,” Southgate said. “This is a different world to the one you experience at clubs. The players as a collective recognise that now after the last couple of days. We talked with them about it. It’s very rare at their club they’d win a game and experience what they’ve experienced over the last couple of days.

“I have to make sure I can guide them through that, let them understand it and recognise it’s the reality of our world but that we shouldn’t be thrown off track by it. We’re in a good position, we know we want to play better, there are a lot of things we did really well and we move towards tomorrow’s game. “

A senior player in Kyle Walker exemplified the approach that Southgate spoke about, as he freely spoke of how he pays no attention to any discussion around a tournament.

“He had a brief talk with us last night, and normally there are 20 other Premier League teams to write about and fill columns about. Now all eyes are on us boys over here representing our country and we are all coming together as one.

“So obviously there is going to be a massive scrutiny in certain performances or certain things we do, but I think we cannot take away that we came away from there with three points on the board, a clean sheet and in a good stead for this game against Denmark.

“I don’t look at anything. Because I feel I’m in here and this is the only little bubble. I feel when you concentrate not on two games or three games time but just one game at a time, I feel that’s when you get the best out of each other. When you start listening to outside noise, or good press and bad press, it affects different people in different ways.

“If you were to write good things or bad things about me, if I don’t read it I don’t react and don’t change my opinion on what I’m going to approach a game like.

“I approach a game as a team game, I approach a game to go and win the game at all costs, and that’s all I care about really.”

Walker did joke with media afterwards, stating: “Cheers lads. Keep writing though. Keep writing – I just don’t read it. But you’re doing well.”

On a different note, Southgate expressed his appreciation for Denmark’s Christian Eriksen. The Manchester United midfielder scored in his side’s own opening 1-1 draw against Slovenia, three years after suffering cardiac arrest in a match against Iceland in Euro 2020.

“He is a top quality player and he is probably going to be playing a little bit higher than the types of players that dictate the whole tempo of a game but you know that the quality of his passing, his ability to score goals, the quality of his set plays is exceptional, absolutely exceptional. It is a real strength for Denmark. He is a player I have huge admiration for.

“Of course, on a human level, I am delighted to see him back playing. We were watching that game three years ago and it is really heart-warming to see him come back and score. It was almost written but it is only written if you have the mentality and the desire to get back and play and play at the level he has.”