A Quote by Ivan Rakitic
In England, everyone is really physically strong. They can play three games, and then they are ready to play the fourth. If you are a Spanish team, and you give away a corner against an English team, then you have to be ready.
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We have to be mentally prepared for every team we play. If we play a team who has a big name on their chests, then we are going to come out ready. But if we play a team who doesn't have a big name or a star player, we have a hard time coming out ready.
You look at a club like Chelsea, and you know it won't be easy to get into that team. Sometimes you have to go away, play regular first team football, and show Chelsea that you are ready to play for them.
When I went to Le Havre, I wasn't physically ready. I was skinny and not strong enough to play in a tough league. They told me to go back to the second team. I was very disappointed, but maybe that helped me to be the way I am now.
If I'm called up by any England team, I'm willing to go. I'm not going to pull out of any England team. Ask any young kid who wants to play for their national team, and everyone's the same. We're all dying to do it.
I made my England debut when I was 17, against India. I was the first Asian to play for the England women's team, and I did have mixed feelings playing against the country my parents are from but I was born and bred in England and I've always known I wanted to play for my country.
I wanted to prove people wrong who didn't think I could play at this level. I also wanted to take care of my family. It was a chance to play against the best players in the world. Mentally and physically I don't think I was ready, but I was ready to take on the challenge.
Of course, if you have D. Wade on your team, he's the best closer in the history of this sport, so the ball needs to go in his hands, but I was always ready. I was always ready. I remember every time he would play pick-and-roll, he said, 'G, just be ready. Maybe you're going to be open. I need to hit you.'
It's not about age. If Marcus Rashford is ready for England then he should play.
I was kind of unproven. I didn't play in a high-profile school, and with that comes the notion that, 'He's not ready.' I felt I had questions to answer. Was I going to be ready to play against elite-level athletes?
Physically I feel pretty good; that's the main key, is just making sure your body is ready to play every night since you play so many games and I feel like I'm there.
I've played many matches against English clubs and the national team - and I always notice a difference in those games. When you play against the inventors of football, it adds more importance to the result, and you can see that demonstrated by the levels on the pitch.
When you are a big team, and you play away against a second or third-tier team, there is always pressure.
I wasn't ready to manage straight away. You have a few players who stopped and managed a first team straight away and were successful, and then there are the other ones who take different pathways. And I think what was important for me was to understand what I really wanted to do.
It is tough when you don't play for a while and a couple of games go by when, you've worked hard to be ready, but then aren't involved.
Like cricket has their 'A' team that plays against other international 'A' teams and get exposure. Hockey should also have a similar development squad, which can play in non-premium international tournament, while the national team plays in bigger meets. This way, we will have players ready with international exposure.
I'm just ready to do whatever my team needs me to do. I'm just going to be prepared and ready to go out there and do my role, and do whatever my team needs me to do to win games.
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