Sigurdsson urges Iceland to embrace pressure
Monday, June 13, 2011
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"Pressure is good for you, it pushes you a bit more," says Gylfi Sigurdsson as his Iceland team look to bounce back against Switzerland after a 2-0 opening-day defeat by Belarus.
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Iceland would be forgiven for being daunted by the prospect of facing Switzerland – 1-0 victors against hosts Denmark on Saturday – just three days after beginning their UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Belarus.
There is no semblance of fear within the squad, however, even though their cause could be irretrievably damaged should Eyjólfur Sverrisson's charges fail to open their Group A account on Tuesday. One man likely to be key to any success in Aalborg, Gylfi Sigurdsson, earned high praise from Switzerland coach Pierluigi Tami on Monday: "I think Sigurdsson is Iceland's most important player and we'll have to keep an eye on him."
For the player in question, Iceland must embrace their situation in order to kick-start their tournament. "If there's a little bit of pressure, I think that's a good thing," said the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim midfielder. "I think pressure is good for you as it pushes you a little bit more.
"We lost the last game 2-0 but I think we are better than that. All the players are over that now and are just thinking about the next match. There are two games left, with six points available, and it is important for us to get three in our next game. Then we would have an interesting and exciting match against Denmark [on Saturday]."
First up, though, are a team buoyant following their weekend success. "We do not expect Switzerland to play like Belarus," added Sigurdsson, 21. "The Swiss are more attacking. I do not expect them to go for a draw, they will see it as an opportunity to get three points and wrap up the group. But we are ready and will go for the win. There is more to come from our team.
"The last game was a little different because Belarus had nearly eight players behind the ball. It was very hard to find a bit of room, a bit of space outside the box. Though we controlled the game, there was something missing, mainly up front, but we will solve that. I think all the boys are enjoying it and everyone is very focused on getting three points."
