MADRID, 12 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish international footballer Dani Olmo has stressed that a duel between the national teams of England and Spain “is a Euro final in every sense of the word”, thus responding to the criticism that both teams have accumulated in the weeks leading up to the tournament being held in Germany, the final match of which will be held this Sunday at 9:00 p.m.
“England at their level,” Olmo described the second semi-final in an interview for the program ‘El Larguero’ on Cadena SER. “They scored the second in the last minute, just like the one in Bellingham.” [a Eslovaquia]”That shows us that we have to be 100% for 90, 120 minutes or whatever it takes. I think England-Spain is a Euro Cup final in every sense of the word,” said the ‘Roja’ player, a key player in this competition.
“We have always said that to win this type of competition you have to face the best. In that sense, we have had it all against us and we have won. Now it’s England’s turn, so we’re going for it,” he said. “I’m really happy to be winning, so we have to keep going, there’s only one last step left,” Olmo commented on the matter.
The RB Leipzig playmaker discussed his inclusion in coach Luis de la Fuente’s squad and his entry into the team as a substitute for the injured Pedri. “I was physically fine, I had the last break there in the last two friendlies and I couldn’t play; but I arrived very well, prepared. So now we are at full speed, both me and the 26 are 100% ready for this final,” he said.
“Mentally I was ready to play, I always am. The thing is that you never celebrate going into a situation like that. But anyway, Pedri is a very important player for us, whether he plays or not. Now unfortunately he won’t be able to be on the pitch, but he always helps us a lot off the pitch. He’s another player on the team and, if we win, he’ll win too, so we all celebrate,” he added.
In addition, Olmo confessed his favourite area of the pitch: “Where I feel best is where you are seeing me most now, in that attacking midfield position behind the ‘9’, Morata, and ahead of the ‘6’ and ‘8’, Rodri and Fabián or whoever else, that’s where I like to be most.”
He also did not avoid questions about his future. “I am not worried, I have said that on a few occasions and I repeat it. In the end I have my agent there who takes care of me, who I trust. I have too much to do with the Euros to be thinking about other things and, now with the final ahead, it is not something else that I have on my mind,” admitted the midfielder.
“We’ll see. I also have a contract with Leipzig, so I’m not thinking about it,” he insisted. “We have a very good relationship with both the coach and the sports management, so there won’t be any problem,” he said. “The only thing I want is to win, to keep winning. And I repeated that last year when it came to renewing my contract. They wanted to make a winning project, I trusted them and that’s the only thing I want,” he added.
He then spoke about Lamine Yamal’s goal against France in the semi-finals. “It doesn’t surprise us that much because we see it every day. I’d already told him a lot of times, that he had to shoot more at goal because he really has that ability and he’s shown us that many times here during training. So we’re really celebrating that he went in because he really deserved it too,” he said about the Blaugrana.
“You have to suffer too. In these competitions, you can’t win without suffering. Beating Germany was a bit more difficult for us. France took the lead, but we knew the game was still very long. Then we came back in five or six minutes and we also kept our cool with possession and so on, and with more chances. So we are prepared for, however the game turns out, to know how to come back in the best possible way, so we are prepared for anything,” he said.
“I think that a lot of value is also being given to the tournament that Fabián is having, for example. He is having an incredible championship and in the end what matters is how we are valued internally. And also whether it makes more or less noise in the end, that depends on you or on the people who talk more or who have an opinion,” he told reporters.
“But we are very calm in that sense. Our objective is to keep winning and then the recognition comes later with the trophy and the joy of the family and fans from all over Spain,” added Olmo, but he was cautious about Sunday’s match against the English team at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
“We have to wait for the final. Even if we are optimistic and all that, we haven’t done anything yet. We are just a step away, we have to get there. It’s going to be a difficult match, but we haven’t got it yet, so we have to go for it,” he warned before praising Álvaro Morata, captain of this ‘Roja’ and main striker under De la Fuente.
“Morata is a reference for us, he is a pillar up there. Apart from the goal he can give us, that is the least of it. In the end, the most important thing is the work he gives us, the solidarity he has. He plays up front and he is the one who runs the most. He runs for himself, for the three in attack and for me. He helps us, he is the reference, he is the number nine, he is the captain,” he stressed.
“He is a key player and helps us a lot, not only with goals, but he has also shown that he has scored a lot in World Cups, Nations Leagues and other competitions. Here he only has one, but if he scores two in the final, no one will be talking about the goals,” Olmo continued.
“I think Morata has given a lot to the national team in the past and also now in the present. He is one of the top scorers in history, he is the top Spanish scorer in the history of the European Championships, I believe, with seven goals. So Morata is an example, he is now the captain of the national team and, if all goes well, he is the one who will lift the European Championship. So on our part, there is no doubt,” he reaffirmed.
Finally, Olmo denied fearing England. “I’m not afraid. The thing is that, like Morata in our national team, Bellingham is also a reference point there. Football passes through his boots, both with him and with Foden and Saka, who form that trident with Harry Kane up front,” warned Olmo.
“They are players to be taken into account, Bellingham is always there in the middle of the matter. But yes, both the season he has had and how important he is now with England, he and they are players to be taken into account, but we are not afraid of anyone,” he repeated finally.