Southgate reacts after Bellingham last minute bicycle kick against Slovakia saves his job

Hi Gareth, James Robson from AP, can you let us know what your thoughts were? It was about 30 seconds to go before Jude scores that goal. Well, I knew Ivan Tony had the hump with me for putting him on. That was the first thing. But I said to him this could be the moment. And we showed the players presentation about 1966 and how Jeff Hurst hadn't played until the quarter finals and the difficult route that the team had had. And all along the players that have come into the games have had a big impact. They've been ready, they've trained well and all of the guys that came on played important roles either in creating the goals, steadying the ship as a defending at the far post, as a left wing back for a period of it, as reconsor getting out to stop crosses, coming into the box at the end, Conor Gallagher hurling himself around to stop the ball coming into our area where everybody was out on their feet. So that's the spirit that they have and and that they've shown and it's that that's got us over the line today. Clearly in the first half we struggled to get through their pressure. We were too slow moving the ball and they were very compact in their midfield and that's not the first time we've had that problem. second-half we changed the way we built a little bit and that helped us to get through that first line of pressure a bit better. And I thought for a young team, they showed great patience at moments of the game where the encouragement would have been to get the ball forward earlier and rush decisions. You know, we created a super goal that ends up being disallowed, which is, again, a huge momentum shift at that time. The shot that hits the post. Yeah, of course, in the end, it's an old fashioned long throw that that helps us to get back in the game. And the two players that get the goals, you, you could arguably take off 15 minutes from the end because they looked out on their feet physically. But that's what they're capable of, and that's why we stuck with them. Yeah. Thank you. Hari Tatrian from Romania, Garrett, having such a team with phenomenal players, we already have seen them. How does the England show describe yourself, the game on the field during these four games England is playing? And what do you think how much the luck would be on the free Lion side during this tournament? Thank you. Yeah, look, we know that we we have a little bit of a problem with our balance without a left footed left back. But I have to say Karen Trippy has done an incredible job and he's doing an incredible job for the team. It it's that playing through the pressure in midfield that is a problem we've had for for a long time really. And we've always tried to find tactical ways of getting around that. Today that took us a while to organise, but I think it was better just after half time. And in the end when you have more of the ball and you keep probing than the the opposition tire and you start to have more territory and then you you have the chance of creating an opening like we did. So yeah, it's we want to be better. I'm not going to hide from that. But the spirit and the character was there for everybody to see. And we're still in there fighting. Hi, Gareth, apologize from the times. I was just wondering if you could speak a little bit more about the presentation about 1966 and, and what he said. I even had the hump with you. What did, what did he say to you anything as you were bringing him on or can you just explain a little bit more about that, please? I could just tell from his face what he was thinking and I could understand it. You know, I'm putting him on with a minute to go. Any player is going to think, well, you know, I've been set for the tournament and you've not used me. But what I said to him was, I know, I know this isn't a good time and I know this isn't the right how you'd like it, but there could be the moment, there could be one moment and I think his presence would have unsettled them a bit. And he had a very clever bit of play for the second goal as well. So I think he's just about forgiven me now. In terms of 66, we just wanted to highlight that tournaments take you in strange places and difficult routes. Team wasn't always flying. Team I'm sure would have been criticised at the start. So it was just a bit of perspective really. We wanted to highlight the value of the squad, the fact that some of the players that you think are going to be in like a Jimmy Greaves that ends up playing a different role and the support of players like Jimmy Armfield. So yeah, it's, it's one of the things we've done just to recognise the value of the group. And no, no, no, this was back at Saint George's before we before we started. But you know, we're always referring to these moments because that's, that's part of what creates the tournament winning team that we've we've got a long way to go. We're we're, we're quarter finals, but we're going to play against a very, very good team. Everybody, I'm sure will still quite understandably be questioning our performances. I understand that. But we've got some, some qualities that have kept us in this and that's not to be underestimated. I'm so proud of how the players have stuck together and the leadership they've shown not only on the pitch but back at the base and and that that's hugely important for us. With Lucas, Josh from Le Keep 3, the three heroes finale of this game, Bellingham, Kane and Gay who did the assist on the first game are players with difficulties until they are heroic behaviour before. What do you think of their performance of these three players, and how do you explain that that the finally they are the heroes? Did you say gay? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, he's been exceptional. You know, we obviously lose him now for the next game, but he's a young defender that we've had enormous belief in, and he's justified that with his performances in this tournament. So yeah, he was another one that was out on his feet before the start of extra time, but we managed to keep him going and he he sacrificed for the team. Harry and Jude physically with 15 minutes to go, you're looking at them thinking, should we, you know, should we be refreshing those positions? And maybe that's the bit that could make the difference. But then, you know, they're capable of the sorts of things that they did and that that's why you stick with those players. So you know, when people want changes, you've got to keep some balance to the team, you've got to make changes that you think are definitely going to improve what what you're doing, either physically or with a different sort of a problem. I think actually pretty much all the changes we've made in this tournament have had an impact. So that that's showing the value of our squad and the and the need for everybody to be ready. Hello coach Michael Gavrin from Slovakia Sportweb. Congratulations to our progression. Can me can you tell me about the game and about the Slovakia performance? If you were maybe a bit surprised of our game? Thank you. We weren't surprised at all. We have a very good team, well coached, they play well. We knew that to get pressure was going to be difficult. We did that reasonably well getting pressure on, but we then didn't defend a couple of the longer balls and the transitions as well as we'd have liked. The high pressure has is something that has caused us a problem before. You know, the five across midfield and, and the centre forward. I mean they worked unbelievably hard to close the gaps, close the passes through, through the lines. The route through was wide and then around and we were too slow to do that in the first half. We changed a little bit after half time, dropping rice a bit lower to to make a four, which was a little bit harder for them to press. And I think that gave us, you know, certainly at the start where we got the goal that was disallowed that that helped us to to do that. And then we had to take chances with putting Saka to left back and a couple of other changes, but we knew they'd had to work unbelievably hard. So and we also knew that one goal changes the whole atmosphere in the ground. So I had belief right the way through that we would get that goal. I didn't think it would be as late as it was, but I it was a night where I wasn't I wasn't prepared, you know, I wasn't ready to go home yet. And clearly the players felt the same. Hi Gareth, Jacob Steinberg from the Guardian. After everything that's happened in the last few weeks, do you hope that the kind of emotion of what's going on tonight can carry the players into the quarter final, sort of lift some of the the tension that seems to be hanging over them? Or is it for you more the moment to be cold and analyse some of the things that are that are going wrong from the start of the games? Well, obviously as as the manager, I'll, I'll do all of those things. You know, you build on the spirit that they've shown, the belief that they'll have gained from that. And equally, we're not naive. We're going into play a team that have looked outstanding, not just in this tournament, but for for quite a while as well. So that's going to be a big tactical challenge for us. We know that the level of our game will need to be higher. But there there was a spirit and you know, there was a togetherness that has been building. We've had a lot of, you know, problems to solve through this whole lead into the camp, through the tournament. We're we're, we're putting a plaster over different things and giving young players opportunities. And we're, we're, you know, we're, we're somehow finding a way. I, I can imagine how everybody is going to react to that, even though we've won, but we're still in there. And I don't think that, you know, the one thing that can't be questioned is the desire, the commitment, the character. Congratulations Gareth. You were supported on the bench in extra time by Kane and Bellingham, who did a bit of coaching. Is their involvement a good sign? Well, they couldn't run anymore, so they used their voices instead. Look, I think you'll have seen with those two, with Trupia, the the spirit that's there and they knew that we we had to take them off. They they'd run their race. We needed freshness. We needed to alter the shape a little bit to give ourselves the best chance of getting through the game with unbalanced team by the time we'd got the equalizer. And yeah, they, you know, they, they were both prepared to sacrifice that for for the group so that they had done their job. They're then, of course, in the hands of the rest of the squad. But that's actually a really powerful moment for a team because it's one thing to win games when all your star players are on the pitch, but when actually all the changes are delivering and it's a critical moment of the game and they feel that they're trusted in those moments or they've played a huge part in the result, then that's brilliant for the spirit of the group. It's from Norwegian Norwegi Belle Gambols here explained his celebration scream and said that people are talking a lot rubbish. Can you describe the pressure that's been put on him during this tournament? And how is it for you and your team to perform when the criticism obviously has reached your camp? Yeah, look, I've, I've said for a long, long time, he was 21 yesterday and you know, he's, he's doing unbelievably well. I understand his world better than a lot of people. I think his world is different to pretty much every other 21 year old in in the world. He's had an incredible impact on his clubs, his national team already. But he's still a young man and he is going to say things, react to things in a way that young people will. So. But what he can provide us are these moments where he grabs things by the scruff of the neck and his character and his personality creates moments that can change a big game. And you know, that's what he has given to us again today. Two hugely important goals for us in this tournament already. Yeah, he's a he's a a great boy. He's super to work with, wants to do well. And also I think he knows that we're trying to help him through all, all of these challenges and hurdles that the different environment of the national team brings because it is a different environment. Hi, Gareth. Oliver Holt from the Daily Mail. Just a couple of quick things. One was, I remember in the aftermath of of the 1999 Champions League finals when United obviously losing for a large part of that, Sherlock Ferguson said that he'd started to think about how he had to lose with dignity. He wanted to be dignified in defeat. Had you started at all? I know you're busy with other things, but you started at all to think about the aftermath and being dignified or whatever. And the other thing is a bit more simple. Do we have to play better to beat Switzerland? Well, yes, is the obvious answer to the second part. The first part, no. Look, you always know when you leave the hotel in a knockout game that there's two possible parts and you, you just don't know how that's going to end up. You know, it's knockout football and anything is possible. But while the game was going on, we were just trying to make the best decisions possible, make changes that gave us a chance of scoring, but didn't leave us completely unbalanced and wide open to to counter attacks. Then when we've got the goal, OK, we probably need to change the shape because we're a bit of a mess in terms of how many attacking players on the pitch. So, so really you're just constantly thinking through, trying to think as clearly as possible in those moments. And as I said, the the players that came on did a fantastic job with and without the ball to to make the difference. Hi Gareth, James Ollish from ESPN, John Stones has just said in a Flash interview that he feels we can take the handbrake off now and show ourselves. Do you sense there's still a bit of inhibition maybe within the players and, and, and if so, can a comeback win like that sort of freedom from it? Well, tonight was an example of cup football. You know, sometimes cup football is about character, is about heart, is about spirit. Yeah, we we didn't defend well at the start. And, and as I've said, we we didn't play through their press, which was really well organised and we struggled to break that first line of pressure. So that that wasn't handbrake, that was, we had a problem that we couldn't solve getting the ball into the second line of the pitch. And there's a big difference. So yeah, I think that the the game against the Swiss will throw completely different tactical problems just as difficult, just as complex and and a different solution to solve. But as I said, we've got a few days to recover and that that's going to be important because the energy levels that were required the whether we've got any injuries we need to assess. Obviously we lose Mark for the next game as well. So yeah, plenty for us to think about. Trips had yeah, he he's obviously had a lot of football, but we we just wanted to to go with Bukaya at that moment and go go with another attacking player basically. Siren Pete from PA Congratulations and good luck in the paddle final this week. It's obviously a long leading to this game so how's it going to look in terms of rest and recovery and making sure the players have a break mentally? And following on from that, Luke Shaw was obviously wasn't brought on this evening. Are you confident he will be fit to be involved against Switzerland? Yeah, I think that's I think that's got a chance. I mean, we could have put him on, but he's done so little full team training that that would have been a huge risk. And yeah, a bit more training, a little bit more evidence for us of the the level that he's at will be helpful. Yeah, the week, we'll definitely need more recovery time now, but that's fine because, you know, you don't you don't need four day leading to work on things. The players need to get this game out of their head and, you know, enjoy some time together. And yeah, we'll, we'll plan the week from here now.