Tribal Football

Slovakia midfielder Duda: England expectation too much for their players

Slovakia midfielder Duda: England expectation too much for their players
Slovakia midfielder Duda: England expectation too much for their playersAction Plus
Slovakia midfielder Ondrej Duda believes England's players suffer from the expectations of fans and the press.

Slovakia meet England in the Euros round of 16 on Sunday.

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"I watched and heard the noise around David Beckham when he played for England back in the day and for me sometimes it’s too much," Verona midfielder Duda told the Daily Mail.

"If you play for England it’s extremely difficult. They’re under a lot of pressure and many of them are still young players. I’ve played against a lot of them. They’re in a process of learning how to handle that and they have to handle it."

Duda is ready to face England midfielder Jude Bellingham.

He added: "I don’t think a lot of opponents like him on the pitch. He annoys you a lot and shows his emotion during the game – but who cares? I guess a lot of players might not like me on the pitch.

"The most important thing is what you do for your team and you don’t need to worry about what opponents think of you. I don’t know him off the field but he seems a good guy."