Dimitar Berbatov

Berbatov backing Three Lions at Euros

Saturday 06 July 2024 09:21

Dimitar Berbatov is rooting for England at Euro 2024 but believes they need to show a lot of improvement to beat Switzerland in Saturday’s quarter-final.

Berbatov, who will be a part of the Manchester United squad for the Legends match with Celtic in September, predicted Gareth Southgate’s side would win the tournament before it kicked off in mid-June.

With Bulgaria not involved in Germany, Berba has been supporting the Three Lions but was a nervous onlooker for the narrow last-16 victory over Slovakia.

Jude Bellingham’s 95th-minute equaliser was reminiscent of Berbatov’s overhead kick against Liverpool in 2010, before Harry Kane secured victory in extra-time.

“Well, I was screaming and sweating, you know? I'm not going to repeat what I was saying watching the game,” Berbatov said, in an interview to preview the Legends encounter.

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“Sometimes football can be like this, man. It gives you hope. Then it crushes that hope and then you're in despair. I wanted to break the TV and then it's 95 minutes and then you score and then you go crazy.

“You then have fans coming back to the stadium because they left early, they don't think that they're going to see something special. And then you go on to win the game. This is how football can be sometimes.

“I'm rooting for England. I want England to do good, but they need to take really big lessons out of this [Slovakia] game, because they play Switzerland next time,” he added.

“Switzerland, by the way they play football so far, are great. If England don't correct a lot of things… probably it's not my place to say anything, because I'm not English.

“You have enough living legends there to say what to fix, but they need to correct a lot of stuff in the team so they can be more comfortable on the pitch, on the ball and not, you know, giving a heart attack to the fans!”

Kobbie Mainoo was given his first start of the tournament last Sunday, impressing during his 84 minutes on pitch with his ball retention and incision between the lines.

Whether he retains his place in the line-up remains to be seen, and he is one booking away from a suspension, but Berba has been impressed with what he’s witnessed so far.

“Yeah, he did look comfortable and composed, but he's looking like that since the first game in a United shirt. That’s what is important to see in young players: the composure, the swagger if you want,” he said.

“You know, the confidence I belong here, and I can see that in him. It’s not only me, everybody is probably seeing this type of quality in him. He’s on one of the biggest stages in European football now and he’s playing against big nations.

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“So far I think he's doing well, but again, obviously this is my point of view towards the young players: just leave them so they can enjoy football.

“The manager is there to give him [instructions] obviously, what he wants them to do on the pitch, but young players are like this. They are not afraid so much.

“They just want to enjoy taking chances and play and that's what I see: just pure enjoyment, movement. Not only him, the other young players as well.

“So it's good for United as well to have players like this playing international level and produce, because this is going to help him become a better player.”

England look to be in the slightly easier portion of the draw, with the Netherlands or Turkey being the semi-final opponents if they progress.

With France and Spain progressing to the semi-finals and set to battle it out in the other half of the bracket, that seems to give the Three Lions the edge with the bookmakers, who make them favourites despite not setting the tournament alight so far.

Dimitar thinks the ends could justify the means in the final on 14 July.

“Everybody wants to play beautiful football and then win it, but that's not always the case.

“Sometimes you suffer, sometimes you play boring and you win anyway. So I wish England good luck.

“It’s not going to be easy, especially if they play like they did in the last game, but hopefully they will correct things and go on and maybe reach the final and you know, finally bring it home, right?”

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