Keep him at bay
England manager Gareth Southgate says he is not about to change his team’s approach for today’s World Cup semi-final against Croatia, saying he wants the “same again” from his young side. But he is certainly well aware of the threat that Croatia pose in the centre of the field. Croatia possess arguably the best central midfield pairing in the tournament in the shape of Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic.
SHEFFIELD: Football fever is sweeping England as its young team prepares for a World Cup semi-final showdown against Croatia, and nowhere more so than in Sheffield, the proclaimed birthplace of the modern game.
Around 240km north of London, the city has a rich football history that continues today.
Three players in the current squad – quarter-final goal-scoring hero Harry Maguire, defender Kyle Walker and forward Jamie Vardy – were raised there.
The English flag, known as the St George’s Cross, is omnipresent, flying from flats, cars and businesses throughout the formerly industrial so-called Steel City.
“It makes us feel proud of Sheffield knowing they come from here,” said Fitsroy Turner, 43, a construction worker.
Even a local priest is getting in on the enthusiasm, sporting a waistcoat – which England manager Gareth Southgate has made famous by wearing for every match – during Sunday mass.
For the first time in this tournament, the local council will show today’s semi-final on a 43-square-metre screen in the city centre with room for up to 10,000 fans.
The city will be celebrating its local heroes at the fan-zone under the banner “Made in Sheffield”, Richard Eyre, its head of major events, told AFP.
Software developer Jonas Bezzubovas, 24, said every England victory so far had been marked by hours of revelry, but today promises to be the biggest yet.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime match,” he said. “I feel like the heat and the football have gone to people’s heads – it’s been madness here,” he added, referring to weeks of uninterrupted sunshine that has been warming usually rain-sodden English spirits.
England’s progress into the latter stages of the World Cup has been accompanied by ever-increasing chants of “It’s coming home” – the country’s resurrected theme song from the 1996 European Championships it hosted.
In this part of the world, home means Sheffield. — AFP