England manager Roy Hodgson has dismissed Gareth Bale‘s “disrespectful” remarks that Wales will play with more passion when the two teams meet on Thursday.
The Three Lions have been drawn in Group B alongside their local rivals and need to get a positive result later this week when they do battle in Lens.
Wales won their first group game against Slovakia after a late goal from Hal Robson-Kanu, while England suffered late heartache by conceding in stoppage- time against Russia to be held to a 1-1 draw.
However, before either side had kicked off their Euro 2016 campaign, the Real Madrid star claimed that Chris Coleman’s men play with “a lot more passion and pride” than England – a belief that Hodgson refutes.
“The other day it was Igor Akinfeev [Russia’s goalkeeper] saying we were the worst seeded team in the group, and now it’s Gareth Bale,” Hodgson told reporters, as reported by the Guardian.
“They can have those opinions. I don’t have any doubts personally about our patriotism and our desire and that’s the most important thing. If he [Bale] believes that’s the case, he’s welcome to that opinion.
“I’m afraid the fact is that receiving disrespectful comments is part and parcel of being a footballer and a football coach. I’m pretty sure there will be lots of players in opposing teams who have opinions about us, too. But we know who we are, we know what we are.
“We don’t have any doubts about ourselves in that respect and that’s the most important thing. It’s a tight dressing room. It’s a passionate dressing room and I would recommend anybody who does have doubts about our players to watch our game [against Russia] and then come to me and tell me where they have seen that lack of passion and lack of patriotism – because I certainly didn’t see it.”
England will face Wales on Thursday afternoon at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens and Hodgson will be eager to ensure his team remain focused on the task at hand, and not let the emotion of the game get to their heads.
Wales became the first British team to win their opening game at a European Championship with victory over Slovakia on Saturday afternoon.
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