REPINO, Russia (AFP) – As excitement builds in England in the run-up to the country’s first World Cup semifinal for 28 years, midfielder Dele Alli insists Gareth Southgate’s team are keeping a cool head in their tournament “bubble”.
England’s matches so far in Russia have attracted huge television audiences at home and wild celebrations, with affable coach Gareth Southgate and his vibrant young squad capturing the hearts of a nation.
In sharp contrast to the feverish atmosphere, Alli and his teammates are in relaxed mood in the sleepy seaside resort of Repino, 45 kilometers (28 miles) northwest of Saint Petersburg.
“You are in your own little bubble when here – training camp, coming back, getting ready for the next game. It is not until you look at social media and the internet that you realize how big it is,” Alli said on Monday.
“Obviously we know we are playing in the World Cup, in the semi-final. We are so focused on the games that you forget what we have done so far. It is important that we stay like that, keep going and hopefully we achieve something to make it even more special to get to the final and win it.”
Alli scored his first World Cup goal as England cruised into the last four with a 2-0 win over Sweden on Saturday.
A much tougher test is expected in Moscow on Wednesday against a Croatia side that swept past Argentina in the group stages and boasts the midfield talents of Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic of Barcelona.
But while many pundits and even England fans are surprised by their progress, Alli says the squad always believed they could go far.
‘’We had to believe and we know how talented we are as a squad,’’ he added. ‘’We know we have some unbelievable players and a great manager and everyone is clear on what we want to do.
“When you have such a solid foundation, you have the basics and clear understanding of what we want to do and achieve, it’s not a surprise that it’s going well for us.’’
DEFYING CONTROVERSY
The calmness in England’s camp on and off the field is in stark contrast to Croatia’s experience.
In the latest in a series of controversies, former international Ognjen Vukojevic was kicked out of their delegation on Monday and fined by FIFA for posting a pro-Ukraine video clip following their penalty shootout victory over Russia on Saturday.
Defender Domagoj Vida, who scored against Russia, escaped with just a warning from FIFA, which bans political statements, for also appearing in the video and shouting “Glory to Ukraine!”
