Dutch national team striker Giacobbe gave his thoughts on the upcoming Euro semi-final against England at today's conference. He first mentioned Bellingham, a key player in the England team, and spoke highly of him.
"Bellingham has had a great season and he is a world class player." Gacpo said, "In an earlier game he scored a superb goal, which proved once again what he is capable of. We have to be careful with him, but there are a lot of other good players in the England team and, of course, in our Dutch team. I'm sure it will be a very good game."
When asked if he would like to face Spain in the final, Gakpo showed humility and focus. "Spain is a very good team and it will be very difficult to play against them. They have a lot of great players. But we are not thinking about the final yet, our whole focus is on the semi-final against England. Only if we get through that first can we think about what comes next."
On the possibility of going into a penalty shootout with England, Gakpo said, "If you look at the players who take penalties for England, you'll see that they're all very good and have contributed a lot to the club game. It does impress me, but I'm not surprised. If the game does go to penalties, I believe we are capable of winning. We're a step further than we were at the World Cup and I'm very happy to be part of this team. It's not over yet and we are hungry to reach the final."
Finally, Gakpo also talked about his position on the team. "My favorite position is the left wing, but I've also played other positions in the past year and a half and felt good about it. I haven't had an in-depth conversation with head coach Sloter about my future role on the pitch. But I'm sure I'll give my best to contribute to the team in whichever position he puts me in."
