‘NOW REACH FOR THE TOP’
THE BIG Q&A: CHRIS COLEMAN
CHRIS Coleman has told his Wales team to reach for the stars after the most magical day possible in Euro 2016. Wales sit proudly at the top of Group B as a result of strikes by Gareth Bale and Hal Robson-Kanu that stunned Slovakia on a history-inthe-making occasion in Bordeaux.
Their position as leaders was cemented when England failed to overcome Russia in Marseille in the evening, Roy Hodgson’s men pegged back by a 90th-minute equaliser.
The results ensure what was already going to be a titanic Battle of Britain showdown between Wales and England in Lens on Thursday takes on even more significance.
Wales will go into the match knowing they can afford to draw and still have the edge over their oldest football rivals.
Bale struck his 20th international goal with a trademark free-kick after 10 minutes and substitute Robson-Kanu fired home the winner nine minutes from time to hand Wales the perfect boost before the mouth-watering England clash.
“We’ll enjoy these moments in this competition if we keep on doing what we did against Slovakia,” beamed Coleman.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, even if sometimes you are afraid of the unknown.
“We are the underdogs, England are a top 10 team, and they are used to high pressure situations.
“But that could work to our advantage, and if we are ourselves it can be enough to get what we want.”
Coleman said of talisman Bale: “You can see his passion and how much he feeds off our supporters - and that’s why three million people love him to pieces.
“We got the three points which is fantastic, but more importantly was the performance.
“When our supporters are like that - when you see that sea of red and hear them singing like that - it’s so important we give our very best, because after that there are no complaints.”
Slovakia coach Jan Kozak said Wales had put themselves in a strong position to make the knockout stages.
“The result for them is great, to get three points in the opening game is a great boost for confidence,” said Kozak. “They next have a derby and that is a great motivation for them.”
Match report and analysis:
CONGRATULATIONS, WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE THOUGHTS? COLEMAN: Well, just what an experience.
I thought this would be our biggest test in two years as a group. The support was incredible and to be 1-0 up was fantastic.
We sank too deep and invited them on, but to come back and win the way we did was very courageous.
I thought the support we had deserved nothing less than three points, nothing less than everything against a good Slovakia team – and they did that. It was a fantastic game and a big result and a great experience. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE EMOTIONS YOU WENT THROUGH? COLEMAN: You have experiences in football that make you think you might not be able to top that.
It happened against Belgium at home when all our supporters sang the anthem.
We walked out today and seeing the sea of red here and then hearing the anthem was incredible, absolutely incredible. You have to keep your focus, almost detach yourself a little, and keep it cold in your head, but it’s very difficult because it was unbelievable.
I’m so delighted for our supporters, I really am. We’ve waited a long time – that performance and result was what they deserved and I hope they enjoy it. YOU SPOKE BEFOREHAND ABOUT WANTING YOUR PLAYERS TO DO THEMSELVES JUSTICE. DO YOU THINK YOU GOT THAT? COLEMAN: I said before the game it didn’t matter about whether we had three points, one point or none because you’re not guaranteed anything after one game.
In tournament football you can go home unbeaten. We got the three points which is fantastic, but more importantly was the performance.
When our supporters are like that it’s so important we give our very best because after that there’s no complaints.
That’s what we had. They gave everything they had, even to the extent we had to make some changes because they had nothing else. Overall, every one of them was fantastic you can’t ask for more than everything, which is what they gave. YOU LOST YOUR GOALKEEPER BEFORE KICK-OFF, HOW MUCH OF A BLOW WAS WAYNE HENNESSEY’S INJURY AND WILL HE BE FIT FOR THE ENGLAND GAME? COLEMAN: It was such a blow for Wayne. We always talk about Joe Al- len, Baleo, Rambo, and others, but we don’t concentrate on the goalkeeper for some reason.
But Wayne is a huge reason why we’re here and he’s missed the first game, he’s pretty low, he was devastated. He wasn’t even in a position where we could take a chance with him. He tweaked his back and was in no condition to play.
He’s had it before and has recovered quite quickly, so over the next 24-48 hours we will monitor it and hopefully he can play Thursday.
Danny Ward stepped up after two caps and for him to come into that atmosphere and perform like that was outstanding. HOW DOES THE RESULT AFFECT THE WAY YOU APPROACH THE ENGLAND GAME? DOES IT CHANGE IT AT ALL? COLEMAN: No. When we’re at our best and give our very best then we don’t need to be concerned who the opposition is. We just concern ourselves with ourselves because we know we can give anyone a game.
If we bring our best for the next chal- lenge, we will do what we have been doing.
I won’t play mind games, I won’t toy about the formation, Roy’s too experienced to fall for any of that nonsense.
We will stick with what we believe in and there’s no need for us to change. We’ll do what we’ve been doing for the last two years. It’s a big challenge and a big test, but it’s one we’ll be ready for. YOU SAID YOU HAVEN’T COME HERE JUST TO HAVE FUN AND YOU MAY WELL HAVE DONE ENOUGH ALREADY TO QUALIFY, BUT IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THE COMPETITION YOU WILL WANT THE MESSAGE TO BE TO KICK ON NOW? COLEMAN: Yes. We’ll enjoy these moments if we do what we did today. That’s what it’s about.
It’s not coming here and enjoying it and going home having not performed and making excuses about it being our first tournament. There’s nothing to be afraid of, we just have to go about our business. If we do that in the next game and the one after that, we will be ok.
We are underdogs, they are a top 10 team, playing tournament football for a lot longer than we have, they are used to high-pressure situations, they have been there before.
We haven’t but that could work to our advantage. We need to concentrate on Wales, we don’t need to fear anybody. If we are ourselves it can be enough to get what we want. HE WILL GET THE HEADLINES AGAIN AFTER THE FREE-KICK, BUT CAN YOU SUM UP THE IMPORTANCE OF BALE? COLEMAN: Everyone will look at his goal, and how fast and powerful he is, but some of his best moments were at the end of the game at 2-1 and he used his intelligence.
He was basically heading the ball out of play to waste time. It wasn’t pretty but he gave everything for the win for Wales. He knew it wasn’t about Gareth Bale, it is about Wales.
You can see his passion and how much he feeds off our supporters. He knows what we need from him, he’s understands what it’s about and that’s why three million people love him to pieces. He deserves all that.