Chloe Kelly: “We’re pushing each other to be better every day” ahead of England’s quarter-final against Sweden | OneFootball

Chloe Kelly spoke on just how England are preparing for their quarter-final against Sweden on Thursday, and on her own role within the squad.

“It’s an amazing place to be in the quarter-finals in such an amazing tournament in a great country, so we’re very grateful, but we’re looking forward to the game now and our focus is fully on the game ahead,” she said.

“[Sweden are] One that we definitely respect as England. Maybe a team that sometimes does go under the radar, but the quality that they’ve shown consistently in many tournaments is impressive and they have such talent throughout their whole squad. So it’s a game that we’re fully preparing for and doing our homework to be at our best on the night because that’s what we need to be.”

With regard the specific part she plays, Kelly was asked what it’s like to not be starting for her country, but being a ‘finisher.’ She said: “We [the finishers] work really hard on the training pitch in the gym. Probably sometimes it goes unnoticed, but it’s about sticking together, being at our best for when called upon and training hard to get the best out in each other, but also the girls that are starting the game, making sure that they’re fully prepared, but also making sure that we’re prepared to go on the pitch and do a great job. So I think the whole team, we’ve got a great group of girls. It’s just enjoying the whole experience as a group.”

Kelly came on for Lauren James just before the hour mark in the game against Wales. Right at the moment a free kick was going to be taken by Greenwood, she decided to give it to Kelly.

“I was warm, I was ready and I remember stepping on and Alex was like, “This is for you, this.” I was like, “Oh, go on then.” It just shows the confidence Alex has in me that just stepping onto the pitch and taking the free kick right away. I enjoy set pieces,” she said.

Kelly is widely known as the player who scored the winner for England in their Euro 2022 final against Germany at Wembley Stadium. There too, she came on as a substitute.

“I think whether you start a game for England, whether you’re a finisher, coming onto the pitch, you know your role and you try to execute that as best as possible. And I think everyone is ready for their moment to step onto the pitch and be able to give their all for their country. And hopefully the fans at home can see that and the girls that start the game are ready to do so as well. So it’s the whole group, the 23 players, being ready for their opportunity and their chance, but to get the job over the line for the team,” she said.

England have a lot of depth on their bench – perhaps more so than some other teams. Kelly, unsurprisingly, spoke highly of her team mates.

“We have such quality in our team, which is great for us, not only in the games, but also in the training sessions. We’re pushing each other to be better every day, and there’s a lot of competition for places, which is healthy competition, and you have to be at your best here, and that’s really important,” she said.

Halfway through the season, she didn’t know if she would even make the England Euros squad due to a lack of minutes at Manchester City. Her loan transfer [now permanent] to Arsenal gave her the confidence and the minutes she needed to be called up and be ready.

“I’m very grateful, grateful to be at a major tournament and representing England,” she said. “It’s a dream come true and representing your country is never a given. You have work to do. Every day, I was trying my best to get myself in the squad and hopefully we’re able to see some high level performances this summer.”

On what England learned after winning 2022, Kelly was full of reflection.

“We’ve learned so much. What it takes to win a tournament was definitely one. And the experiences that we’ve built up along the way and the teams that we’ve played, high opposition, high quality. Hopefully many more special memories to come,” she said.

England will face Sweden in their quarter-final on Thursday, in Zürich at 21:00 CET [20:00 GMT], in Stadion Letzigrund. If they win this, they will face either Norway or Italy in the semi-final in Geneva on Tuesday 22 July at 21:00 CET [20:00 GMT].