Right, we’re just about done for the day. Stay on the site for late breaking Euro 2016 news, including the Italy squad in the early evening and the Republic of Ireland 23 straight after they’ve kicked about with Belarus in Cork. There’s plenty to chew over, and argue needlessly about, while we wait for a notably hard-to-call tournament to begin in 10 days’ time.
Thanks for all your emails, quips and tweets. Bye for now.
We have a France squad
Hot off the Twitters:
No obvious surprises in there, at first glance.
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A word from another of England’s excluded:
Antonio Cioffi writes in with more hot Italy news: “The Italian squad is going to be announced live on Italian TV tonight 7:35 UK time with a special programme ‘Sogno Azzurro’ , some of the World Cup 2006 winners will be there as well.” Patting the current squad on the back and saying, ‘we’re all counting on you,’ no doubt.
Italy’s much-trailed final 23 has yet to be officially confirmed. According to the website Football Italia, the Italian federation is currently informing clubs which players have been selected and “there is now a final list going round”.
“The list shows little variation over the consensus that had been reached during the day,” it reports, “with Jorginho and Giacomo Bonaventura still out and youngster Daniele Rugani relegated to the reserves. Coach Antonio Conte is expected to confirm the list officially later tonight.” So look out for that white smoke
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And here’s Reuters’ report on Turkey’s squad:
Turkey have named 18-year-old midfielder Emre Mor, who made his debut in Sunday’s friendly against Montenegro, in their Euro 2016 squad, the country’s football federation said on Tuesday.
Mor, who plays for Danish club Nordsjaelland, represented Denmark at youth level but Turkey coach Fatih Terim talked him into switching his allegiance.
Turkey qualified for the European Championship when midfielder Selcuk Inan’s dramatic late free kick sealed victory over Iceland to send them into the finals as the third-placed side with the best qualifying record.
Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan is likely to be key to Turkey’s prospects in France, along with Bayer Leverkusen’s Hakan Calhanoglu and Beijing striker Burak Yilmaz.
Turkey face holders Spain, Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group D at the European Championship which starts in France on June 10.
Turkey squad: Goalkeepers: Volkan Babacan (Medipol Basaksehir), Onur Recep Kivrak (Trabzonspor), Harun Tekin (Bursaspor)
Defenders: Gokhan Gonul (Fenerbahce), Ahmet Calik (Genclerbirligi), Sener Ozbayrakli (Fenerbahce), Hakan Balta (Galatasaray), Mehmet Topal (Fenerbahce), Semih Kaya (Galatasaray), Ismail Koybasi (Besiktas), Caner Erkin (Fenerbahce)
Midfielders: Emre Mor (FC Nordsjælland), Volkan Sen (Fenerbahce), Hakan Calhanoglu (Leverkusen), Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund), Volkan Sen (Fenerbahce), Oguzhan Ozyakup (Besiktas), Ozan Tufan (Fenerbahce), Selcuk Inan (Galatasaray), Arda Turan (Barcelona), Olcay Sahan (Besiktas)
Forwards: Burak Yilmaz (Beijing Guoan FC), Cenk Tosun (Besiktas), Yunus Malli (FSV Mainz 05)
Russia squad announced
To complete the Group B lineup, here’s Russia’s 23, and it contains only one player not with a domestic club:
Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Yuri Lodygin (Zenit St Petersburg), Guilherme (Lokomotiv Moscow); Aleksei Berezutski (CSKA Moscow), Vasili Berezutski (CSKA Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Dmitri Kombarov (Spartak Moscow), Roman Neustadter (Schalke), Georgi Schennikov (CSKA Moscow), Roman Shishkin (Lokomotiv Moscow), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St Petersburg); Igor Denisov (Zenit St Petersburg), Dmitri Torbinski (Krasnodar), Aleksandr Golovin (CSKA Moscow), Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow), Oleg Ivanov (Terek Grozny), Pavel Mamaev (Krasnodar), Aleksandr Samedov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Oleg Shatov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (CSKA Moscow); Artem Dzyuba (Zenit), Aleksandr Kokorin (Zenit), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar).
And here’s the Press Association’s report:
Schalke’s defensive midfielder Roman Neustadter is the only man who plays his football outside the country to be included by head coach Leonid Slutsky.
Defender Sergei Ignashevich, Russia’s most capped player with 102 appearances, also makes the plane to France, along with experienced goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev and star striker Artem Dzyuba, who scored eight goals in qualifying.
Playmaker Alan Dzagoev misses out after breaking a bone in his foot.
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Any thoughts on the other squads? Turkey coach Fatih Terim’s decision to leave out seemingly-reformed bad boy Gokhan Tore, as well as his one-time sworn enemy Omer Toprak (read the story here) has raised a few eyebrows:
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Discussions about England squads, in life generally, serve a vital social purpose in filling otherwise awkward conversational gaps for those of us with not much to say for ourselves, and the social media-sphere is unsurprisingly alive with squad-babble this afternoon. But here’s some thoughts from someone who’s actually played in the tournament (and indeed had his international career terminated in it):
Hungary squad announced:
Hungary have unveiled their squad for their first major tournament since getting walloped by Igor Belanov, Vasily Rats and Co at Mexico 86. And it lines up thusly:
So there’s places for the veteran midfielders Zoltan Gera and Balazs Dzsudzsak, record appearance-maker Gabor Kiraly, and the Werder Bremen midfielder Laszlo Kleinheisler among others. And no trip to France for the Getafe goalkeeper Balazs Megyeri and Pogon Szczecin forward Adam Gyurcso.
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Wales – here’s Stuart James’s report on Chris Coleman’s squad unveiling:
Ukraine squad named
Rather like buses in a deregulated transport system, you wait all day for squad announcements and then a load come at once. Here’s Ukraine’s:
Goalkeepers: Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar), Denys Boyko (Besiktas), Mykyta Shevchenko (Zorya). Defenders: Evhen Khacheridi (Dynamo Kyiv), Bohdan Butko (Amkar), Artem Fedetskyi (Dnipro), Oleksandr Karavaev (Zorya), Oleksandr Kucher (Shakhtar), Yaroslav Rakytskyi (Shakhtar), Vyacheslav Shevchuk (Shakhtar). Midfielders: Serhiy Rybalka (Dynamo Kyiv), Denys Garmash (Dynamo Kiev), Serhiy Sydorchuk (Dynamo Kyiv), Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Evhen Konoplyanka (Sevilla), Ruslan Rotan (Dnipro), Taras Stepanenko (Shakhtar), Viktor Kovalenko (Shakhtar), Anatolyi Tumoschuk (Kairat), Oleksandr Zinchenko (UFA). Forwards: Roman Zozylya (Dnipro), Pylyp Budkivskyi (Zorya), Evhen Seleznyov (Shakhtar).
And the Reuters’ report on same:
Teenager Oleksandr Zinchenko was named on Tuesday in Ukraine’s 23-man squad for Euro 2016 with experienced winger Oleh Gusev and striker Artem Kravets dropped by coach Mykhaylo Fomenko.
Defender Mykyta Kamenyuka and midfielders Evhen Shakhov, Ivan Petryak and Maxym Malyshev have also left the Ukraine camp in Switzerland, the Football Federation of Ukraine said.
The 19-year-old Zinchenko scored in the 4-3 friendly win over Romania on Sunday shortly after coming on as a halftime substitute.
He became the youngest player to score for Ukraine at the age of 19 years and 165 days, beating the record of the great Andriy Shevchenko.
Ukraine play Albania in a friendly on June 3 before they face world champions Germany in their opening Euro 2016 game on June 12. Poland and Northern Ireland are also in Group C.
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What you’re waiting for now, no doubt, is a succinct player-by-player guide to the England squad. Well wait no longer, Dominic Fifield has the necessary:
Pithy, slapping-us-down-to-earth tweet:
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More emails. David Hopkins pours scorn on my day’s work – and fragile sense of worth – by cautioning: “In many ways these squad announcements are much the same as pre-tournament friendlies – pored over while we’re waiting for the tournament to start, but of little real import when it does. If players are sweating on whether they’re in the manager’s top 23 names it stands to reason they’re probably not getting to close to the first XI.” They’re significant for Panini sticker album collectors too, to be fair.
And a Welsh perspective from Gareth Evans: “Delighted that Joe Ledley’s fit, and having spent the entirety of the Champions League final yelping almost every time Bale went over or cramped up, relieved he appears to be fit and healthy. I’m trying to ignore the faint whiff of optimism, currently, but it’s tricky.”
Slovakia name squad
Slovakia, group opponents of England and Wales of course, have named their 23 too, with places for Marek Hamsik, Martin Skrtel, Vladimir Weiss and Juraj Kucka. And the full squad goes like this:
Matus Kozacik (Viktoria Plzen), Jan Mucha (Slovan Bratislava), Jan Novota (Rapid Vienna); Peter Pekarik (Hertha Berlin), Milan Skriniar (Sampdoria), Martin Skrtel (Liverpool), Norbert Gyomber (Roma), Jan Durica (Lokomotiv Moscow), Kornel Salata (Slovan Bratislava), Tomas Hubocan (Dinamo Moscow), Dusan Svento (Cologne); Marek Hamsik (Napoli), Juraj Kucka (AC Milan), Miroslav Stoch (Bursaspor), Vladimir Weiss (Al-Gharafa), Robert Mak (PAOK), Patrik Hrosovsky (Viktoria Plzen), Jan Gregus (Jablonec), Viktor Pecovsky (Zilina), Stanislav Sestak (Ferencvaros), Ondrej Duda (Legia Warsaw); Michal Duris (Viktoria Plzen), Adam Nemec (Willem II).
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Chris Coleman is talking: “We’re trying to get a squad that’s going to be well balanced. It was very difficult, some of the decisions, very tight calls. We think it’s a solid strong squad. We’re looking at where players are physically and mentally at the end of a long tough season.”
On Joes Ledley and Allen, Ledley “looks very very good. He trained on the grass, albeit with the medical team, and looked good. His intent is incredible. He played a big part in this campaign. He’s a big part of this squad and this team. Allen had a little knock in training and at the moment we’re not in a position where we need to gamble, and we’re looking at it with both players as a positive”.
Gareth Bale “looked fantastic” in the Champions League final, “with 120 minutes under his belt, he’s probably physically in better nick than many of our players at the moment. And is in a positive frame of mind.”
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Turkey squad announced
More from Wales in a minute, but here’s the Turkey squad:
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Wales squad announced – Ledley is in
Hennessey, Ward, Fon Williams; Davies, Chester, Collins, Gunter, Richards, Taylor, A Williams; Allen, Edwards, King, Ledley, Ramsey, Vaughan, J Williams, G Williams; Bale, Church, Cotterill, Robson-Kanu, Vokes.
So no place for Huws or Dummett after all.
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“Roy will play midfield diamond and two up top – hence the five strikers. It really is that simple,” says Bob Gibbons. That would appear likely, and preferable to trying to string three players across the front line in a 4-3-3. Not least because Chris Chadwick adds: “I count 6 players who’s preferred position is behind the front man – Wilshere, Lallana, Alli, Barkley, Rooney, Sterling. How many of those are realistically going to play? Yet no cover for Dier, who is in turn cover for CB. Badly unbalanced squad for me. Just asking for a Centre half to pull up lame in the first game or Dier to get a red card.”
Anyway, the Wales press conference is about to begin. Wales Online is reporting that Adam Matthews has likely missed out.
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Danny Drinkwater responds:
The 1-11 squad numbers are possibly significant: 1 Hart 2 Walker 3 Rose 4 Milner 5 Cahill 6 Smalling 7 Sterling 8 Lallana 9 Kane 10 Rooney 11 Vardy.
Andrew Banks, meanwhile, has this cautionary note to offer on Rashford: “Whilst Owen (in 1998) and Rooney (2004) were Both young in their respective first tournaments, both had played more than full seasons for their respective clubs.(Rooney, being around the Everton First team for two seasons, Owen with a full Season under his belt the other side of town) Rashford, for all his impact, has played a fraction of the amount at the highest level. I worry he’s closer to Theo Walcotts inclusion in 2006. - Just along for the ride, but it means the hyperbole meter goes over the top in a way which could infect his career.”
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Breaking: the first backlash of Euro 2016, unfolding in the inbox:
“Rashford scored a decent goal in a meaningless friendly against Australia,” harrumphs Joe Lo. “Does that really count for more than Drinkwater’s season of consistently great performances in a title-winning team? In the league, Rashford only scored five goals this season. It just feels like more because everyone went on about them for so long. Barkley hasn’t played well all year and has sneaked onto the plane by virtue of not being talked about. Wilshere though is a genuinely top-class player. I know he hasn’t played much this season but I’m glad he’s on the plane.”
To which Sean Crossey adds: “Surely it’s dangerous to only take one recognised Defensive Midfielder to a tournament? Especially as it’s a position very vulnerable to picking up bookings and suspensions. If that happens to Dier or he gets injured not having Drinkwater is a huge oversight.”
Our Midlands correspondent is a touch sceptical about Drinkwater’s omission:
So, what do we make of that then? Should Drinkwater have gone, given what a stellar season he has just had, or might it have been a leap too far? Sometimes players’ reputations can benefit from not going to a tournament, particularly with England. The exclusion of Townsend also suggests Hodgson’s not going too much on recent form. Will Rashford be a teenage sensation along the lines of Owen in 98 and Rooney in 2004? Thump your Talking Points this way?
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Soooo … Danny Drinkwater and Andros Townsend miss out. Marcus Rashford, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Barkley make them squad. And here’s Dominic Fifield’s story:
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England squad announced
Earlier than expected, here it is:
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While we were on the subject of Italy, why not relive headier days for Italian football, or at least if you’re a Milan fan, with a splendid Golden Goal piece by Conrad Leach on Daniele Massaro’s strike in the evisceration of Barcelona in the 1994 European Cup final. Enjoy:
Let’s talk Wales. Chris Coleman’s final squad announcement is less than an hour away now (it’s due at 14.30 BST). Word is that Paul Dummett of Newcastle and Fulham’s Jazz Richards will be among the defenders, after Tom Lawrence was ruled out with injury on Monday night, and midfielder Emyr Huws could also be on the plane, Wigan Athletic representing at the Euros once more.
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So to recap, today’s headlines so far:
- Marco Reus dropped from Germany’s squad due to injury, Lukas Podolksi and Bastian Schweinsteiger make the cut
- Switzerland’s teenaged defender Nico Elvedi makes their squad, Philippe Senderos and Silvan Widmer do not
- Daniele De Rossi is in Italy’s final 23
- Héctor Bellerín comes in to Spain’s squad for the injured Dani Carvajal
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Hello again, back from lunch and ploughing through emails. A less confident Italian one comes from Antonio Cioffi: “Not a lot of optimisim in Italy this time, possibly the weakest Italy squad to go to a major tournament certainly in the last 30 years. We will be reliant on our defensive organisation built on Juve’s defence and Conte’s grit as a manager. We could possibly get to the quarters but then the lack of top class options in midfield (Verratti and Marchiso injured) and attack will cost us.”
The draw pans out potentially quite hopefully for Italy mind – they’d face an opponent from arguably the weakest group (Portugal, Austria, Iceland, Hungary) if they come first or second in their section. Tougher if they come third, of course, but third-placed teams should not be qualifying – the 24-team format is so stupid and convoluted.
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Here’s what Joachim Löw had to say about Marco Reus.
He has huge health problems and can only run straight at the moment. The medical staff could not give a clear prognosis for Marco. He has massive injury problems and the medical staff was very sceptical about his ability to last through the coming weeks and such a gruelling tournament. It is a bitter decision and bitter for Marco.”
Hector Bellerín, who has been called into the Spain squad to replace the injured Dani Carvajal, has been talking to El País this morning.
Bellerín on El País: "The basics I learned at Barça are priceless, the way to train, the approach... My defensive basics are very English."
— Samuel (@ecanalla) May 31, 2016
It also sounds like Mikel Arteta went above and beyond to help the full-back settle at Arsenal. “Arteta and his wife ‘adopted’ me when I arrived. He was like a father. I have a strong connection with him, Cazorla & Monreal.”
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Right, I’m just off to forage for some lunch. Rest assured though, if anything happens, someone here will let you know about it. About Euro 2016 squads that is, not my lunch. See you shortly.
Some Azzurri talk. “While Italy has not performed well in recent tournaments,” writes Mike MacKenzie, “I have a feeling that they could be dark horse this year. Solid defence, decent midfield and the incomparable Gigi ... but can they score enough?” There’s some decent striking talent in there, but yes, Italy are under the radar this year much more than they usually are.
Back on these shores meanwhile, someone’s in an upbeat mood …
And here’s our story on that Germany squad:
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Marco Reus’s absence from Euro 2016 is clearly going to disappoint many, not least Lego, which had included the Dortmund playmaker in its final 23. This will throw quite the spanner in planned brick-by-brick goal reenactments:
Talk from Cardiff, where Sky is reporting hopeful talk over Joe Ledley. The smart money, we’re told, is on the Crystal Palace man making the cut, testament to a remarkable recovery from that injury against Stoke only a month ago.
Some reaction from you, the public, on that Germany squad:
“Reus is injured,” writes Hauke Wemken. “This might be a turning point in his career. He missed the last World Cup and now the Euros due to injuries. He has not won anything with his clubs either. Maybe this is a moment to adjust his career, to become more ruthless. Not only on the pitch but also in terms of career planning and transfers.
However, Germany had injury problems for years. Reus, Gündogan, Schweinsteiger, Badstuber among others. Maybe Germany has to evaluate if fitness and medical concepts in German football are good enough.”
“Löw (and Del Bosque) value a united squad over flavours of the month,” adds Steve Hoare. “I think they reckon it promotes team harmony. Hence the inclusion of Schweini and Poldi for years. Ditto for Casillas and Torres until recently. For the most part, it seems to work. Teamwork, eh? Who’da thunk it?”
And from never-knowingly-shy former German internationals:
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The Germany squad
Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc- André ter Stegen (Barcelona), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen). Defence: Jérôme Boateng (Bayern Munich), Emre Can (Liverpool), Jonas Hector (Köln), Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Shkodran Mustafi (Valencia), Antonio Rüdiger (AS Roma). Midfield: Julian Draxler (Wolfsburg), Sami Khedira (uventus), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Thomas Müller (Bayern München), Mesut Özil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray), Leroy Sané (FC Schalke 04), André Schürrle (Wolfsburg), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United), Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund). Forwards: Mario Gómez (Besiktas), Mario Götze (Bayern Munich).
So, while Reus misses out – again – on medical grounds, old stalwarts Schweinsteiger and Podolski have made the cut, as has Schalke’s promising teenage winger Leroy Sané. It’s still a squad to reckon with, all told.
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It would appear injury is the reason for Reus’s omission, the medical staff advising against his involvement, according to reports. Bastian Schweinsteiger has made it though, an inclusion that may spark just as much discussion.
Löw reveals that Julian Brandt, Karim Bellarabi, Sebastian Rudy and Reus “have dropped out of the squad”. And on Reus’s 27th birthday as well. Which might mean plans for birthday festivities could change.
And more:
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The omission of Reus, one of the most elegant players around, is going to be a big talking point. A counter-view though:
Germany news: No Marco Reus!
On the subject of TV coverage, Mariusz Banka writes with indignation and, it would appear, some justification:
I’m writing to you as a representative of thousands angry polish supporters. We will be able only to watch for free 24 matches among 51 of EURO 2016. For the rest we will have to pay. TV rights for Poland was sold to a private TV company POLSAT who decided to code more than half of the matches.
For example I don’t be able to watch England vs Russia. We don’t understand the UEFA’s policy in terms of selling TV rights especially to a country which participates in the tournament.I don’t know how it is for other countries but for me it’s difficult to imagine that in Germany or France half of the matches are coded.
In other news, the BBC has announced that Vincent Kompany will be among the corporation’s pundits at Euro 2016. Could be an astute signing, that.
Switzerland's squad
Vladimir Petkovic has named his 23 for France. The teenaged defender Nico Elvedi makes the cut, Philippe Senderos and Silvan Widmer do not. They line up thus:
Goalkeepers: Roman Bürki (Dortmund), Marwin Hitz (Augsburg), Yann Sommer (Mönchengladbach). Defenders: Johan Djourou (Hamburg), Nico Elvedi (Mönchengladbach), Michael Lang (Basel), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), François Moubandje (Toulouse), Ricardo Rodríguez (Wolfsburg), Fabian Schär (Hoffenheim), Steve von Bergen (Young Boys). Midfielders: Valon Behrami (Watford), Blerim Dzemaili (Genoa), Gelson Fernandes (Rennes), Fabian Frei (Mainz), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Denis Zakaria (Young Boys). Forwards: Eren Derdiyok (Kasımpaşa), Admir Mehmedi (Leverkusen), Breel Embolo (Basel), Haris Seferovic (Frankfurt), Shani Tarashaj (Grasshoppers).
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Over in Germany, Joachim Löw’s squad announcement press conference is about to get underway.
There are quite a few compelling reasons to fancy France this year – they tend to win when they host, there’s a more settled array of talent within their squad than for some time, and then there’s Dimitri Payet free-kicks such as this one from last night’s free-kick against Cameroon:
The Wales squad announcement, meanwhile, is due at 2.30pm. Will Joe Ledley and his fearsome beyond-hipster beard be on the plane/Eurostar? In the meantime, here’s some music to get Wales fans in the mood:
While we’re waiting for more news, you could do worse – in fact you literally couldn’t do any better – than enjoying David Squires’s latest cartoon, on the Champions League final. Sit back with a glass of Gazprom and enjoy:
That Italy squad in full
According to Gazzetta:
Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juve), Marchetti (Lazio), Sirigu (Psg); Defenders: Barzagli (Juve), Bonucci (Juve), Chiellini (Juve), Darmian (Manchester United), De Sciglio (Milan), Ogbonna (West Ham). Midfielders: Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Candreva (Lazio), De Rossi (Roma), El Shaarawy (Roma), Florenzi (Roma), Giaccherini (Bologna), Sturaro (Juventus), Thiago Motta (Psg), Parolo (Lazio). Forwards: Eder (Inter), Immobile (Torino), Insigne (Napoli), Pellè (Southampton), Zaza (Juve). Reserves: Zappacosta (Torino), Rugani (Juventus), Benassi (Torino)
Two of the prominent figures behind Italy’s run to the final four years ago, Andrea Pirlo and Mario Balotelli, are of course absent, the former’s omission a cause of consternation in some quarters. Thoughts?
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Italy latest: Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Di Rossi has made the squad and Ogbonna has been preferred to Astori and Ruggani.
One squad announcement we won’t be bringing you during the day shift is the Republic of Ireland’s, which Martin O’Neill plans to phone through from the cosy confines of Cork’s 7,000-capacity Turner’s Cross ground straight after the friendly against Belarus.
Robbie Keane’s a big injury doubt, though whether his role would be anything more than Token Big Tournament Talisman is open to question. Here’s the latest from our man on the spot, Alan Smith:
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Spain news: Arsenal’s Héctor Bellerín is in for Dani Carvajal, who suffered thigh knack during Real Madrid’s Champions League final win on Saturday, which drained us all.
Here’s the latest AP report from the Spain camp:
Three players from Real Madrid and three from Atlético Madrid will compete for the final four spots in Spain’s squad for the European Championship.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has announced a list with 19 players who will make it to France, leaving the final four spots available to the players who participated in Saturday’s Champions League final between Madrid and Atletico.
Seven players from the Madrid clubs had been included in the preliminary list released two weeks ago, but Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal was ruled out of the tournament because of a muscle injury sustained in the final in Milan.
The six players vying for the final four spots are Madrid’s Sergio Ramos, Isco Alarcon and Lucas Vazquez, as well as Atletico’s Juanfran, Jorge “Koke” Resurreccion and Saul Niguez.
Preamble
Morning everyone. The mulling, the staking of claims, the firing of shots across bows, the anxiety over twanged hamstrings etc is nearly over, as Euro 2016’s gaffers finally have to make their big announcements. Many have already, of course, and today’s focus will be on, among others, England and how Roy Hodgson deals with his square pegs and round holes, Chris Coleman’s Wales 23 for their first tournament finals for 58 years, and the world champions Germany, which is expected in around an hour.
Here’s the most recent Daniel Sturridge news, from Dominic Fifield:
Daniel Sturridge trained with the rest of the England squad at London Colney on Monday as he attempts to prove his fitness for Euro 2016 after a recent calf injury.
The Liverpool striker, a scorer in the Europa League final against Sevilla, did not feature in last Friday’s friendly victory over Australia at the Stadium of Light for all that Roy Hodgson had made it clear he did not consider the niggle likely to keep the forward out of the tournament. The player trained on his own over the weekend but joined the group on Monday morning, taking part in the warm-up and their initial ball-work session.
Meanwhile, to start the ball rolling, we have a squad announcement from Poland. Goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton and forward Artur Sobiech, who were both relegated with their respective clubs VfB Stuttgart and Hanover 96 this season, have also been dropped from their national team’s squad. Which lines up as follows:
Goalkeepers: Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City), Wojciech Szczesny (AS Roma), Artur Boruc (Bournemouth). Defenders: Thiago Cionek (Palermo), Kamil Glik (Torino), Artur Jedrzejczyk (Legia Warsaw), Michal Pazdan (Legia Warsaw), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Bartosz Salamon (Cagliari), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Lechia Gdansk). Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Fiorentina), Kamil Grosicki (Rennes), Tomasz Jodlowiec (Legia Warsaw), Bartosz Kapustka (Cracovia), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla), Karol Linetty (Lech Poznan), Krzysztof Maczynski (Wisla), Slawomir Peszko (Lechia Gdansk), Filip Starzynski (Zaglebie Lubin), Piotr Zielinski (Empoli). Forwards: Arkadiusz Milik (Ajax), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Mariusz Stepinski (Ruch Chorzow)
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