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Kieran Trippier believes the record of “remarkable” England manager Gareth Southgate has not been fully appreciated.
England face Switzerland in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Saturday evening in Dusseldorf, a fourth consecutive appearance in the last eight of a tournament under Southgate.
The 53-year-old guided England to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and lost the Euro 2020 final on penalties to Italy, going closer than anyone to winning a first major men’s trophy since 1966.
The Switzerland clash will be Southgate’s 100th game in charge of the senior national team and his 24th match as England manager at a major tournament – nine more than anyone else in history.
However, the landmark comes while Southgate is facing a lot of criticism for England’s performances in Germany, with Trippier coming out and backing the former defender.
“If people are undervaluing his record then I think it has,” he said when asked if Southgate – who has won more knockout matches than every other manager from 1966 combined – was seeing his performance under-rated.
“I think what Gareth’s done since he took charge has been nothing but remarkable, really. When I first arrived, we had many meetings about what it means to represent England and he really installed that real togetherness in the squad from when he first took charge to now.
“You’ve seen how much he’s developed. And I think what he’s done for England is nothing but remarkable, really.
“Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, but I think Gareth certainly knows, from myself, the players, what we think of him. He is an unbelievable, unbelievable person and somebody that we all, every single person in this camp, respects.”
Victory over Switzerland – who have never won a quarter-final in a major tournament – would see England face either Turkey or Netherlands in the last four.
While plenty of voices have claimed Southgate’s side are on the easier side of the draw, with Spain to face France in the other semi-final, Trippier insists they will not be taking the Swiss lightly.
I think what Gareth's done since he took charge has been nothing but remarkable— Kieran Trippier
“(They are) A very well drilled side, organised,” the Newcastle defender told ITV Sport.
“They have got very, very good players. Obviously the 3-5-2, system, they play, they have played that for a long time. So it’s one we’ve worked on really hard this week against that press, and it’s about us delivering now.
“Of course, they’ll be going into the game with great motivation to win a quarter-final against England.
“We’ve always got to respect our opposition. We know that it’s going to be a tough game, but we’re ready. We’ve prepared well, and we’re all calm and really looking forward to the game.”
