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- 2 years ago
England's Conor Gallagher on Euro 2024 hopes and opening game with Serbia
Jana, Germany
Jana, Germany
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SportsTranscript
00:00It bounced out, yeah. John Cross, he's not in here, is he?
00:13Guys, welcome to this media conference with Conor Gallagher. As ever, if we keep it to three questions each in the first round, and if we have got time, we'll come back to you.
00:22And then we'll have a little embargo section at the end as well. So, Rob Dorsett, when you're ready.
00:28Hey Conor, nice to see you. I know what a special moment it was for you when you went to Qatar in your first major tournament, but you didn't actually get to play any football.
00:40Does this feel very different from your perspective? Because it does from us, we expect you to be an integral part of the squad, so I wonder whether it feels different.
00:47Yeah, it does to be fair. In Qatar I was kind of expected not to play in a way. I still loved the experience and was so honoured to be there, but I never expected to really come on or start games.
01:03Yeah, it's a couple of years on and I'm in a different position. I've developed well as a player, more experience, so I'm hoping I can help the team more on the pitch for this tournament, so I'm really looking forward to it.
01:19Again, from our perspective in the media, it feels like a straight battle between you and Trent Alexander-Arnold for that third central midfield spot with Declan Rice and Duke Bellingham. But you're both very different players. I wouldn't expect you to say, by the way, whether you think the same as this or that one, but you are very different players. How do you see your game different to his and what you can offer in a way and what he can?
01:41Yeah, first of all, Trent is a top player and everyone in the squad have their own strengths and the way they can improve the team and strengthen the team in their own way. So yeah, I'll always be ready to start games if needed or to come on from the bench.
02:05But yeah, the thing is with this squad, it's very healthy competition. Of course, everyone wants to play as much as possible, but everyone's going to be supporting each other no matter what. And yeah, we're all buzzing for the tournament to start.
02:21There's so much speculation back home about your future. You've been linked heavily with the move to Tottenham and potentially Aston Villa. Now there's speculation about you extending your Chelsea contract. How distracting is that? Because you are a human being and when your future's up in the air, you're away with England. You want to focus on a major tournament and yet that must be at the back of your mind.
02:44Yeah, well, you said it. I've just been focusing on England and this is the most important thing right now for me, for the country. And yeah, I just want to start the tournament now. Cheers.
02:59You've been captain quite a lot for Chelsea this season. I know you have the experience with Qatar, but do you think having that leadership role will be able to bring that into the England side this time?
03:10Yeah, definitely. I think I've come a long way this season. I give a lot of credit to Pochettino and what he's done for me. Gave me a responsibility and trust at Chelsea. And yeah, I think, like I said, it puts me in a better position to be a bigger part of the squad for this tournament. And yeah, I'm going to do everything I can to help the team as much as possible.
03:37As well as in centre midfield, there's been lots of debate about who will start at centre-back and someone who looks likely to play there is someone you know well in Mark Gahee. You've played with him in the academy, at Crystal Palace and for England. So if he does start, how do you think he'll deal with the pressure of playing in a major tournament?
03:54I think he'll be brilliant if he does. He's a top guy and a top player. And yeah, I couldn't be happier if he managed to start some games this tournament. He's been brilliant for Crystal Palace and for England when he's played, so he's more than ready to play for sure.
04:12Just on him again, how would you describe him as a player and how have you seen him change over the years?
04:19He's very professional, very hard-working, a great leader as well. But yeah, I think he's got everything you need to be a top defender.
04:33Hi Conor, can you just sum up what the season's been like for you? Because there's been so much noise around Chelsea all year, the highs and the lows. The guys have said speculation about your future, but your form has been just consistent all the way through and now obviously you're here with England. Can you just sum up the last year and what it's been like?
04:52Yeah, I've really enjoyed it. When I'm playing football I'm happy and I've been playing on a consistent basis this season, so I've just wanted to work as hard as possible to help Chelsea as much as I can and England when I've played.
05:08So yeah, I'll say again a lot of credit to Pochettino for giving me that opportunity to show Chelsea what I could do in the last season, so hopefully there's still room for improvement.
05:27What was your reaction to the manager leaving Chelsea?
05:31Of course, like I said, he's done so much for me, so I was sad for him and the coaching staff, but I'm really excited about the new manager coming in. Myself and everyone at Chelsea are really excited to work with him.
05:48From the way you're talking there as well, obviously you say you're focused on the Euros at the moment, but do you see yourself at Chelsea next season? Is that in your mind?
05:55Well, I'm a Chelsea player right now, and like I said, now I'm just thinking about England and the tournament.
06:02Hi Conor, lovely to see you. In terms of the partnership in centre midfield, everyone's talking about who's going to be alongside Declan Rice in particular.
06:13That performance that you gave against Bosnia, our commentary team were raving and I spoke to Gareth Southgate afterwards and suggested it was maybe your most assured performance in an England shirt. Do you feel that?
06:24I believe so, yeah. The manager actually said that to me this morning as well.
06:29It's really positive. It's always a big occasion playing for England. You want to impress and you want to do as best you can to impress the manager and the country and give yourself a better chance of playing in the next games.
06:51But yeah, I kind of just stayed calm and kept it quite simple and I managed to put in a good performance.
06:59It was a good performance. Why do you think you should be starting against Serbia on Sunday? What attributes do you have that are different to your, not rivals, team-mates?
07:10I'll always give my best for the team, on and off the ball. I'll work as hard as possible. I'm a good team player. I'm willing to do whatever the manager wants me to do.
07:24If it's starting a game, if it's coming off the bench, if it's watching from the crowd, I'll be happy and do the best job I can.
07:33Sorry to bring it back to your future again, but how difficult is it coming into a major tournament with a bit of uncertainty surrounding you?
07:41It's not difficult. I'm in a very privileged position to play for England and be at a tournament like this and I couldn't be happier with the situation I'm in.
07:52I'm curious about what's going on behind the scenes. Obviously it's a group you've known before, you've played with most of these guys before, but I'm curious about the atmosphere.
08:10How do you guys spend the time together? Who's the funniest and that kind of stuff?
08:17It's a great group. I've been part of it for a couple of years now. All the lads are very humble, very friendly. We welcome the new players in straight away and they feel at home instantly.
08:35I think that's the special thing about this group. Everyone said it before, the togetherness we've shown and the team before us has shown how well they've done in tournaments before.
08:47We understand the expectation for this tournament, but everyone is ready and really excited for it to start.
08:58How important is the mental part? To be able to relax a little bit between training and days like this where you don't have a game to watch on TV?
09:09Where we're staying at the minute is an amazing place. All the guys and girls in England have set it up for us. We feel at home, always have stuff to do.
09:24With a squad like us, there's a lot of people, a lot of new people you can talk to and make friends. The best part about it is the journey as well. Like I said before, myself and everyone are very privileged to be in this position.
09:45We're really looking forward to the tournament starting.
09:51Looking at the tournament, is there any squad you want to keep an eye on except the three teams you're going to play?
09:58We've got to look at the group right now, take it game by game. We've had a great week training up to the first game against Serbia and we're going to be more than ready to try and beat them.
10:13Thanks David. Let's pass back to Gerry Lawton.
10:16Hi Conor, just following up from that, Gerry Lawton at the start. Just wondering, in the camp, the FA have laid on everything for you, I believe. Paddle, basketball. Is there any specific thing that you're all united in? I know you're very competitive in all things. Is there any specific pastime that's caught the camp's imagination at the moment that you're all battling over?
10:37To be fair, I'm really good friends with Mark Gurhey. We've played a lot of games already to be fair. We have little competitions day to day. Table tennis. We were playing Mario Kart the other day. Darts, although I'm obviously not very good as you can see.
11:00There's a lot to do. We were enjoying the basketball net yesterday, which is also very fun.
11:08Are there any particular superstars at basketball?
11:12I've not seen any superstars yet, but I'll let you know if I do.
11:16Can I just ask you generally about the experience of Qatar? Is the mood different this time? Because obviously there's a tremendous expectation on England from all walks of life to do well. Are the nerves or is it excitement or a combination of all sorts?
11:36I'd say the mood is pretty much the same to be honest. I think in the last tournament in Qatar we had belief that we could go and win it. Obviously it didn't go our way, but we have the same feeling in this tournament. The group has so much talent and we're really excited to get started and hopefully do the country proud.
12:04Thanks Gerry. Any further questions in the live section?
12:07Hi Conor, Kieran Canning from AFP. You've mentioned Poch a couple of times already. Can you explain to us maybe something that he worked on with you, whether it was technically, tactically, mentally to improve you as a player?
12:29Yeah, he just showed his belief and trust in me, which is all a player wants to be honest. If a manager shows you a bit of love it makes you play better. Long story short, it gives you confidence and that's what he gave me.
12:45Hi Conor, just to build on that, I suppose, has Gareth done a similar job to Mircea?
12:52Absolutely. He's been brilliant with everyone and that's one of the reasons why he's a great manager. It's how he makes every player feel, fills them with confidence. He's certainly done that with me.
13:10I was just looking at some of the quotes when he picked you for Qatar and he said he liked you because you're a scurrier. I just wondered what he thought about you scurrying around the pitch. I wondered if that's a term he'd ever come across or anyone had ever said that to you before?
13:22Nah, I suppose it's a compliment. I think a part of my game is just working as hard as possible and doing everything I can for the team and I'll continue to do that for as long as I can.
13:39Rob Dorsett to finish this section.
13:41Conor, just one more. After the disappointment of the Iceland game, I just wonder how you guys in camp are feeling the importance of getting a positive result in the first game. You always have to in tournaments anyway, it makes it easier to progress.
13:54But because of the general mood and reaction of the media in this room to that defeat, and some of the players have told us they're a bit rattled by it as well, so to start well to get a big win, how important?
14:05Very important. In tournament football, just doing the first thing as well as you can, even if it's the right pass, winning your tackle, winning your headers, the second ball is just the basics to give the whole team confidence to go and win that first game.
14:24With the Iceland game, although it wasn't a good result and not the best performance, I think in a way it could be good that it happened. It was a bit of a wake-up call for us that it's not easy to win games against any country. Like I said, we're going to be more than ready to beat Serbia.
14:51Thank you.