Gareth Southgate was quite interesting on the rivalry when speaking with Mark Pougatch on ITV yesterday, responding to a question about how the players would handle the rivalry and how the staff might go about addressing its importance by pointing out that a fair number of the squad weren't even born when the big semi-finals of the 90s took place, and therefore likely don't feel the same about Germany as a footballing rival as a lot of older folk do. Gave the impression that they may be taking the dangerously sensible approach of not really concerning themselves with the significance of who the opposition are, rather just how they can win the game.
Best response though was when Pougatch asked some inane question about the "handbrake", which ITV seem to have declared their buzzword as regards England in this tournament (I genuinely lost count of the number of times Matterface and Pougatch said it throughout the coverage of the Czech game), and Southgate just deadpanned back "I don't know what you mean, Mark."
Best response though was when Pougatch asked some inane question about the "handbrake", which ITV seem to have declared their buzzword as regards England in this tournament (I genuinely lost count of the number of times Matterface and Pougatch said it throughout the coverage of the Czech game), and Southgate just deadpanned back "I don't know what you mean, Mark."
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