Gareth Southgate is refusing to back down and has no regrets at Euro 2024, as England prepare for their first knockout test against Slovakia on Sunday.
The Three Lions entered the competition in Germany among the pre-tournament favourites, subsequently topping Group C to make it into the round of 16.
Yet their pole position belies the performance levels of their first three games, with drab draws against Denmark and Slovenia following a narrow 1-0 win over Serbia in the opener.
Jude Bellingham scored in that opening victory, while Harry Kane netted in the 1-1 draw with Denmark that preceded a disappointing goalless outing against Slovenia.
With such a depth of attacking talent available, some have questioned Southgate's ability to get the best out of the likes of Bellingham, Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden.
However, the England manager has no doubts over his side, nor any interest in the external noise from critics.
"I won't be backing away from anything," Southgate said. "Whatever the feeling is towards me, you've got to get behind the team, and that's crucial.
"Players have loved playing for England the last six or seven years, we've got to keep that – we have to keep that.
"If we don't, then I understand the feeling towards me, but back the players."
The left-back situation has also been a topical point of discussion, with Kieran Trippier operating as a makeshift full-back while Luke Shaw continues to be unfit.
Southgate said after the Slovenia draw that Shaw, who has not featured for club or country since February, could be available for the "next game".
Selection issues aside, England will be looking to reach the quarter-final stage of consecutive European Championship tournaments for the first time in history.
Standing in their way is a Slovakia side that edged through Group E, progressing on goal difference as Romania, Belgium and Ukraine all finished level on four points.
Slovakia head coach Matjaz Kek is wary of England's quality going into this one, too.
"We are playing against one of the favourites, if not the favourite, for the tournament," Kek said. "We respect England very much. We know their strengths and their individuals.
"The Euros have just started, and I see them as one of the favourites to win the tournament. I don't know why I would question England, be it the individuals or the team in general."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
ENGLAND – HARRY KANE
Kane has come under some scrutiny for his ability to lead England's frontline, with questions over his pressing and speed up top.
Yet, the England captain has scored six goals in his last six appearances in the knockout stages of major international tournaments (two in two at the 2022 World Cup, four in four at Euro 2020).
His seven goals in the knockout stages overall are also the most of any Three Lions player, a tally he will hope to add to in Gelsenkirchen.
SLOVAKIA – MILAN SKRINIAR
Milan Skriniar and the Slovakia defence will be tasked with stopping the prolific Kane on Sunday, though the centre-back has impressed in other aspects of the game at Euro 2024.
Only Germany's Toni Kroos (130) played more forward passes in the group stage than Skriniar (92), whose 203 successful passes so far are the most ever by a Slovakian player in a single edition of a major tournament.
MATCH PREDICTION: ENGLAND WIN
It is hard to look past anything other than an England win here, with Southgate's side winning 65% of pre-match simulations in Opta's data-led predictions.
That favourable probability owes to a strong head-to-head record as England have won five of their six games against Slovakia.
However, England's one failure to win this fixture was at Euro 2016 in their only previous major tournament meeting, a goalless draw in Saint-Etienne, where the Three Lions had their most shots (29) in a European Championship match on record (since 1980).
Expect Slovakia to fly out the blocks, too, as they have scored first in three of their six clashes with England, yet they went on to lose each of those games 2-1: in both Euro 2004 qualifiers and a 2018 World Cup qualifier in September 2017.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
England – 65%
Draw – 20.6%
Slovakia – 14.4%
Juve must play at their limits against in-form Lille, warns Motta
Thiago Motta stressed the importance of Juventus playing at their very best when they face Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Juve face a tough task against a side who have already upset Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in this season's competition.
This will be the first ever meeting between these teams.
However, Juve have lost three of their last four Champions League matches against French opponents (W1), including both against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2022-23 campaign. and Motta warned against any complacency.
"All matches are important. We, as Juventus, always want to win. The most important thing is always trying to improve," Motta told reporters on Monday.
"Lille are very confident, and we want to face them in optimal condition. We aim to give more than our maximum.
"There are no favourites in a match. It's a beautiful game, in a beautiful stadium, and we hope the pitch will be in good condition tomorrow. We can only talk tomorrow about who played better."
Motta will have midfielder Douglas Luiz from injury, but is still without a glut of players.
"He's [Luiz] one more player who can help the team. We’ll be missing Arek [Arkadiusz Milik], Gleison [Bremer] and [Nicolas Gonzalez]."
Lille boss Bruno Genesio knows Juve will present a stern test for his team, despite their shock wins over the Madrid clubs this term.
"Every Champions League match is different, but there is one essential parameter to get a result - commitment," he said.
"Like all Italian teams, Juventus are very well organised, very difficult to play against. Having already achieved two big results in this competition, we are going to give it our all again and we have our fans who will give us strength."
Jonathan David will be one of the standout Lille players Juve have to keep a close eye on.
The Canada international has scored six goals in his last eight Champions League appearances for Lille.
Lille have won all five games he has scored in but have not won any of the six games he has featured in without scoring (D2 L4).
Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss
Marcus Smith does not blame England's narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday on George Ford, despite his late missed kicks.
Ford replaced Smith, who had scored 17 points and set up England's only try in their 24-22 loss, hitting a potential match-winning penalty against the post before narrowly missing a drop goal.
England had held an eight-point advantage when Smith left the field, but Mark Tele'a's 76th-minute try before Damian McKenzie added five late points proved enough to get the All Blacks over the line.
The hosts' autumn series got off to a losing start as Ford struggled to find his clinical edge in the dying moments, but Smith does not lay any blame at his team-mate's feet.
"Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith.
"I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.
"It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.
"We practise [drop-goals] as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."
Saturday marked a third consecutive narrow loss to New Zealand for England, with their last win an emphatic victory over Japan in June.
Despite that run, Smith remains confident that England can take lessons from these defeats to set themselves up for success in the future.
"International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing now are very painful, but we'll be better for them," Smith added.
"Keep the faith. We've fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we'll learn from it 100%.
"These experiences will tighten us as a group, and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it."
Gyokeres rated above Haaland by Sporting captain Hjulmand
Sporting CP captain Morten Hjulmand hailed his team-mate Viktor Gyokeres as a superior striker to Erling Haaland ahead of Tuesday's clash with Manchester City.
Sporting, who will lose head coach Ruben Amorim to Manchester United next week, face the Red Devils' fierce rivals in their fourth Champions League game of the season.
That contest will pit two in-form Scandinavian strikers against one another as Sweden international Gyokeres takes on Norway superstar Haaland.
Gyokeres has been a revelation since swapping Coventry City for Sporting last season, scoring 34 goals in the Portuguese top flight this calendar year.
That is more than double the figure managed by the competition's next-most prolific player, with Porto's Galeno netting 16 times.
Gyokeres' haul has come from an expected goals (xG) figure of 28.17, while his shot conversion rate of 27.9% also dwarfs that of nearest rival Galeno (19.5%) and he has scored 31 of 47 big chances in 2024.
His 61.2% big-chance conversion rate is the second-best of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues, behind Jan Kliment, who has managed a 75% ratio for Czech side Sigma Olomouc.
As Gyokeres prepares to do battle with Haaland, who has 11 goals in 10 Premier League games this term, he has received a glowing endorsement from his skipper.
Asked which striker was the better player at Monday's pre-match press conference, Hjulmand said: "Gyokeres, because he plays for Sporting."
Outgoing boss Amorim, meanwhile, knows Sporting's financial position means they will one day cash in on the Swede, who has been linked with several Premier League clubs.
"I don't know Sporting's plans, but if the right offer arrives they will have to sell," Amorim said on Monday.
"He is an athlete who is at his peak and can give a lot, both in terms of money to his club, and income to the future club".
Gyokeres already has 16 league goals for Sporting this season, the most of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues ahead of Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, who has 14.
Haaland is tied for third place, alongside Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Atalanta's Mateo Retegui.
Gyokeres has also been directly involved in 10 goals in 12 appearances for Sporting in European competitions (seven goals, three assists), scoring on all four of his European starts at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
He still has some way to go to match the Champions League exploits of Haaland, though.
The City talisman has been directly involved in 49 goals in 42 appearances in the competition (44 goals, five assists).
If he scores or assists on Tuesday, he will become the fastest player to 50 goal contributions in the competition's history (43), overtaking Ruud van Nistelrooy for fewest appearances to reach that figure (45).
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