As Czech Republic is gearing up for their quarter finals opposite Denmark, here’s what the players and teammates from both sides have to talk about.
Jannik Vestergaard, Denmark defender, opened up on how big tonight’s match is for him. He says, “It’s not always a given that a country like Denmark qualifies for the finals. Right now, we have a great opportunity to do something extraordinary. I remember the ’98 team being a special part of my childhood. The excitement they created, which we have also now experienced, is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Simon Kjær, Denmark captain: “We’re not done yet and we’re going to attack again tomorrow with the same attitude and hunger [as against Wales]. The gold is far away right now, but the hunger [for winning] is great.
Kasper Schmeichel, Danish: “There are many strengths [within this team]. I mean we are first and foremost a very good side. We defend from the front, we’re very solid, very difficult to break down. We have great team spirit and I think that has been shown over the last four weeks very clearly. We have the backing of a great country that’s been showing us so much love and we are just excited to get going.”
Kasper Hjulmand, Denmark coach: “Our medical sector has declared everybody ready today. Now we’ll see how it looks after today’s training. It looks good at the moment.” “We have a framework and philosophy that we stick to but, inside that, there is also space for tactical things, positions, and the skill of the individual players. There is always room for variations and tactical thoughts. Of course, we always try to find the right framework for the players to work in and, of course, it’s the same way with the Czechs.
Tomáš Vaclík, Czech Republic goalkeeper, comparing Denmark and Netherlands: “It’s really difficult to compare these two teams because the style of playing is completely different. Denmark are running much more than Holland, everyone is doing their job not just waiting to go on the counter or to hold the ball.They are working hard, they are playing hard,so it’s very difficult to compare these two games.”
Jaroslav Šilhavý, Czech Republic coach: “We know Denmark are able to swap tactical formations seamlessly during the game. We have studied it and I believe our players are ready to cope with that.”
