World Cup: England Wave Off Suggestions Of Playing 'Weak' Teams

England players celebrating their penalty shoot-out win over Colombia. Credit: independent.co.uk

English midfielder Eric Dier has said every team the side has met at the 2018 World Cup were “very hard” as they prepare to play Croatia at the semi-final on Wednesday.

Several fans and pundits believe the Three Lions have been meeting “weak” teams at the competition but Dier said there is a “lot of quality here, in every team.”

He also said the players want to serve as inspiration to the future English side when they look at them.

“It means a lot to us,” the Tottenham player told ESPN. “This is only the third time that England have reached the semifinals, and the first time in 28 years.

“I want this to be an inspiration for future generations of English footballers. I hope that, when they look at us, they know that everything is possible and that they can also go far.”

He added that, “All the matches here at the World Cup are very hard.

“Since the beginning of the tournament, we’ve seen the big teams struggling against other teams that some considered to be weak.

“However, there is no such thing as a weak team in a World Cup. There’s a lot of quality here, in every team. We experienced that against Sweden. It was a really tough game.

“Our great triumph is our unity. We have a really great bond between the 23 players and the staff. We’re ready to fight for each other and we have a very strong mentality.

“Everyone has been able to see this since the beginning of the World Cup, and now we expect to be here until the last day.”





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