Watch again as Gareth Southgate gave a team update on Saturday (29 June) ahead of England’s match against Slovakia at Euro 2024.
Under-fire Southgate says he is enjoying the “ultimate challenge” of trying to steer the England “juggernaut” to Euros glory as attention turns to improvements and knockout progress.
The road to Berlin has begun in unconvincing fashion for the Euro 2020 runners-up, with boos greeting the end of the 1-1 draw with Denmark and Tuesday’s 0-0 stalemate with Slovenia.
But England won Group C having started with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Serbia at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, where they return for their first knockout match on Sunday.
Slovakia, who are ranked 45th in the world, stand in Southgate’s side way in the round of 16 – a stage they have progressed from in all three previous tournaments under the former defender.
England are favourites for Sunday’s match but need a positive performance on top of progress to lift the mood around the team.
There has been widespread criticism and scrutiny of their stuttering displays in Germany, where the spotlight has focused largely on manager Southgate.
