“Saka is EVERYTHING you want in a player!” | England Post Match Analysis | #EURO2024 | ITV Sport

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two more games two more wins it really is as simple as that g isn’t it it is I mean it’s an unbelievable position for us to be in um we haven’t been absolute sparkling best but a lot of the countries that are in the semi-finals apart from probably Spain are in a similar position and the confidence is growing and we’ve got a good group of players in the sense that they know how to get to this stage of a competition they got to the semi they got to the final last time obviously in England so happy for Saka his smile is just radiates joy and uh obviously what he went through four years ago was uh something difficult and I’ve seen many players go through it and not return from it not with the same confidence but he’s a brilliant player Gabriel ask him whether or not every player enjoys penalties I’m sure he enjoys them a lot more now after that penalty shootout that’s the best feeling when it’s over and You’ scored and you through but I have to Echo what Gary said there you know even there his interviews he’s trying to tell the audience a lesson of like might not go right for you but you step up you come back I have the confidence I have the belief you know he just a p is what he’s just incredible he smiles he’s happy he’s courageous he you’re just buzzing for him the one person that would be feeling really down in the dumps is Manuel aangi took the first penalty for Switzerland and obviously a big save for Jordan pford and then everything fell into place for for England after that yeah devastating for aeni personally um but again when we see him that the penalty he looks nervous he’s his frame of his body he narrow run up um he’s he’s telegraphed where he’s taking it um but great save you’re going to see in some of the images there Jordan pitford is obviously aware of where each player goes and and the strategy he should take but again it’s a great save I mean the the aangi run up is similar to this type of runup almost like a sort of a a confidence to it but aandi is not taking penalties every single week like Ian told I mean he’s amazing honestly I even looked at the ball it’s Fierce it’s like brilliant I I love the way in which he takes and this was a big M massive moment WS it I was pleased for him because even in his interview said it’s a massive moment for the country for the team it’s a massive moment for him as an individual to score a winning penalty in a knockout of a tournament so pleased for he he’s had a tough England career just generally you know just trying to establish himself in the position that obviously he plays for his Club trying to then establish himself as a Midfield player and he may have thought that he might not got many more minutes at all in this tournament so for him to be in this position tonight is a brilliant moment for him they did it all without Harry Kane as well and there’s something in that too because of the Reliance on Harry Kane and and the reluctance as well I think for for him to be subbed off but G Southgate eventually did make some Brave decisions tonight well when you go a goal down he immediately responded bought three Subs on and then that gave us the impetus and I actually thought we would have won it in 90 minutes we got the goal back I thought we could have gone on but we kind of went back to England retreated back and we were a bit like frustrated with that we had them on the ropes go for it but look we got we got there in the end and the substitutes obviously were a massive impact and in the penalties I thought I think was it b or someone said that our players take penalties in the Premier League week in week out so it’s repetitive it’s they’re used to it they’re used to the pressure there’s a couple of differences I mean I think there’s a lot of the sort of traits of this England team in this tournament where you say we sit back too deep why do we do that and then obviously when we actually concede a goal we then go for it and then soon as we score a goal we sit back again deep that’s what we used to do but the big difference is that this team are getting over the line the better penalty takers the better prepared they’ve got a strategy that you can see not just actually the penalty takers but the goalkeeper and like all that matters at this stage in the competition is getting over the line I wish they were playing better cuz I think they can I thought today they were better balanced though they were a lot better in the shape penalties obviously take a fair bit of prep and especially if you are Jordan pford yeah obviously to memorize every penalty taker or potential penalty taker will take a lot but you can see again they spoke about the prep of the players that are taking him but for him here he’s recognized that where players dived the delayed approach that he must take and and I think it’s a Ki one he says dive to your left so again they don’t always work but they’ve obviously worked enough today for us to go through to the semi-final it’s worked in the past for him as well hasn’t it we’ve seen it before we’ve seen him before in competitions like this we’ve seen him writing his water bottle it’s obviously a tried and tested method for him and we should give him his flowers because more often than not Jordan pford comes up Trump it’s amazing really and so simple and I I I don’t know if I actually went and I look back at all the penalty shootouts that I lost in our goalkeeper would was given that level of information about the penalties that have been taken but it’s what you mean think something wasn’t footage when you was playing 194 1943 oh my goodness we are here to talk about uh sacka and how brilliant his performance was today um playing in the right wing back position at the beginning of the game I want your initial thoughts on when you saw him play in there because it wasn’t for everyone but what did you make of his overall contribution he was a huge threat um we thought he was going to play left wing back to bring that balance on that left hand side it didn’t happen it was surprised for us to see him on the right but he had that side to himself he really did um Dominate and he was the biggest threat for England by a long way and there you go he’s saying stop talking blah blah blah that’s to us to you he was a constant thre sorry he was so positive driving at the the defender had him on toast all game and again he used the runs of the players going in between him but when he faced one V1 he was willing to go on the outside as well and use his weakest side so yeah all around positive performance from B it was bright spark it was creating so much and sometimes there just weren’t players on the end of it car yeah sometimes I think cuz this one I liked because Dean rice goes and takes a player away and it’s probably the first time in the game where B was One V one and had the space when he come inside to do this just that extra yard to get the shot off and that was the moment then that was the Catalyst that got us back into the game cheeky smile from him and it was like right here we go we step up and we go and then this was his penalty and we were all just so happy for him so happy as was his manager there was almost a point where you didn’t really doubt him despite what’s been in the past that you can almost read them sometimes Gary no and I said you think about all those Lads that were stepping up they were all under pressure ofly score the penalties but all under pressure for different reasons you know sacka just generally because of what happened four years ago and the abuse that he took but I don’t know there are many players who transcend sort of Club rivalry but he’s one of them he’s one of those players that I think he’s just enjoyed by every every fan from every Club you look at him and just think he’s a joy he’s just got all that happiness and that spirit in his game he’s a fighter he keeps going right to there end he always wants the ball everything you’d want in a football player as it’s meant to be as a kid yeah the next question is will there be any changes for the Netherlands do you think I mean um we were chatting off air then because it was the first time he’s actually changed shape and was that because we needed it or was it because we matched them so it’ll be interesting to see what he does against the nein because they play with a back for it’s a little bit of a hybrid isn’t it so will he match him or will he keep it the same so again um I don’t care Laura we’re will G will gay come back in for I anticipate K was amazing Fant yeah but Mark has been amazing as well and I think that the kind of to not put him back in um I think would be devastating for him yeah Will England win yes yes way more confident than Gary WR no I think honestly I think there’s an element of what what’s happening in this tournament that you would say it’s written in the stars something’s happening you know everything that could fall we we’ve not won a game in 90 we’ve won one game in 90 minutes out of five so you think things are happening for us so okay well we will see