Here you go, enjoy!
It’s time to wrap up this here blog because our coverage of the first quarter-final, Switzerland v Spain, is imminent. But before that, let’s end on a public health note, for the times we live in. Nicola Slawson on the on the UK live blog, reports that:
Angela Merkel has expressed “grave concern” at the numbers of fans being admitted to the Euro 2020 matches at Wembley.
The German chancellor said she raised the issue with Boris Johnson during their talks at Chequers.
She said:
I say this with grave concern. I have also said this to the Prime Minister,” she told a joint news conference.
We in Germany, as you know, have less people attend games in the Munich stadium but the British government will obviously take its own decision.
But I am very much concerned whether it is not a bit too much.
“I remember that Switzerland v Ukraine game from the 2006 World Cup,” howls Ben Blatch-Hanlon. “It was absolutely bloody dreadful, possibly the high water mark for awful tournament knockout games. Both teams playing ultra defensive seemingly as they were terrified of conceding a goal and so going on to lose, and instead just tried to play for penalties from the first whistle. Which was clearly a misguided tactic from Switzerland judging by the result of the shootout. It’s refreshing how few of these sorts of matches we’ve had in these Euros (other than Scotland’s 0-0 win against England...) and hopefully I haven’t jinxed it now!” It’s true, even the miserable Slovakia-Sweden game earlier in this tournament was partly redeemed by a moderately better second half.
“I think it’s worth mentioning that even though KDB and Hazard are arguably the best players in the Belgium team, their probable replacements are not too shabby,” blarts TheLMachine. “I think most teams would be happy to have Carrasco/Mertens/Doku start a game.” Indeed. But De Bruyne’s ability to lead a counter-attack will be sorely missed if Italy force Belgium on to the back foot the way Portugal did/Martinez deploys the shrewd tactical retreats he used against Portugal.
Following the previous entry about teams being eliminated without conceding, I must nudge you in the direction of this typically brilliant piece by Rob Smyth, who recounts how Johan Cruyff’s Netherlands wouldn’t have made it to the 1974 World Cup if not for a wrongly disallowed goal by Belgium .... who ended up missing out on the tournament despite going through the entire qualification campaign (six matches) without conceding.
Here’s a question from below the line from pubbore. “This is one for the Knowledge, but I was just thinking - if England-Ukraine finishes 0-0 and Ukraine win on penalties, England will have gone five matches without conceding a goal and still be knocked out. Has that ever happened before?”
Off the top of my head I can’t think of a previous example. But Switzerland came close in the 2006 World Cup, when they were eliminated after four games without conceding. They were beaten in the Last 16 after a 0-0 draw with, funnily enough, Ukraine. Even funnier, they lost the following shootout 3-0, becoming the first team in World Cup history not to score a single penalty in a shootout.
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“Not so happy about Felix Brych being the ref for the England quarter-final,” grumbles Kevin McKee. “No problem with him being German, but I don’t think he gave enough protection to the flair Belgium players in their game against Portugal. The tackle from behind that may have put Kevin De Bruyne out of this evening’s game deserved a straight red. I agree with the tone of the piece elsewhere in the Guardian on the quality of refereeing at this tournament, and on the use of VAR - the officiating has been good in general, although as usual the consistency hasn’t been all it could be, and the use of VAR constructive and efficient; but I’m not sure the reduction in cards from previous tournaments is necessarily a good thing - for me, some stuff that I thought we had managed to get a grip on, such as tackling from behind and simulation, has been too prevalent and dealt with too leniently.”
Hi there, and thanks to Niall for his poll dancing. Now then, what is there left to do? Has anyone laughed at France yet? You haven’t stopped? Understandable, but let’s get the latest from the inquest into Les Bleus’ besmirching of the favourites tag. According to L’Equipe, the flop cost the French Football Federation - who had been budgeting on reaching the semi-finals, at least - around £2m.
L”Equipe also discusses today the growing, positive influence of Paul Pogba on the team, both on the pitch and in collaboration with Didier Deschamps. Interestingly for a player who is often accused of lacking tactical discipline, L’Equipe say he is one of the players with whom Deschamps talks tactics the most. running ideas past him and accepting input. The fact that France were a tactical muddle for much of the Euros should not be held against Pogba, rather a manager who has failed to show he can play more than one way.
The paper also sought to clear up the question of Pogba’s animated discussion with the manager at the end of the normal time during the defeat by Switzerland. Pogba was not, apparently complaining about Adrien Rabiot’s berating him for losing the ball in the run-up to the Swiss equaliser; rather he was urging the manager to do something to address the French forwards’ reluctance to track back, which often left Pogba outnumbered in midfield. So there.
Time for me to hand over to Paul Doyle who will guide you towards kick-off. Enjoy the games, and have a great weekend. I’ll leave you with those poll results – a mixed bag, but overall you’re backing Spain and Italy to get through without extra time.
Who wins the first #Euro2020 quarter-final – Switzerland or Spain? #SUI #ESP
— Niall McVeigh (@niallmcveigh) July 2, 2021
Who wins the second #Euro2020 quarter-final – Belgium or Italy? #BEL #ITA
— Niall McVeigh (@niallmcveigh) July 2, 2021
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The team we’ve discussed least so far today is the Czech Republic – so before I encounter accusations of anti-Czech bias, here’s Lukas Vrablik on how they have been motivated by Euro 96 memories and a natural disaster back home:
In her latest Euros column, Karen Carney explains how England have gone four games without conceding a goal:
The man in the middle in Rome on Saturday night will be Germany’s Felix Brych – welcome fodder for England fans on Twitter desperate to find something to complain about. The Bavarian referee took charge of Belgium’s 1-0 win over Portugal in the last round.
In more reffing news, Michael Oliver takes charge of Switzerland v Spain, while Slovenia’s Slavko Vincic is in charge of Belgium v Italy.
No new injury worries for England
England are enjoying a final training session at St George’s Park before heading out to Rome. All 26 players were fit to take part, with no injury worries for Gareth Southgate. Four players – Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice – are one booking away from a suspension, with all yellow cards wiped at the semi-final stage.
Final session before Ukraine: ☑️
— England (@England) July 2, 2021
Next stop: 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/BsQIClPtJL
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Some (loosely) Euros-related news: Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour has joined Norwich on a season-long loan move from Chelsea.
📝 We can now confirm the season-long loan signing of midfielder Billy Gilmour from Chelsea!#WelcomeBilly
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) July 2, 2021
That seems like the kind of move that might suit all parties. Don’t forget you can keep track of all the latest transfers here.
With Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne in doubt for Friday’s match, there is even more pressure on Romelu Lukaku to deliver goals. Here’s Ed Aarons on how the Belgium forward got his groove back in Italy:
A bit of non-Euros news: Juan Mata has signed a new one-year deal with Manchester United. The 33-year-old’s contract expired on Wednesday but he has now signed up until next summer.
Mata hasn’t played for Spain since 2016 and even at his peak was not a regular starter. At Euro 2012, he played just three minutes but managed to score – and in the final, too.
Sampdoria midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard has faced one of this tournament’s toughest tasks: replacing Christian Eriksen as Denmark’s key playmaker after Eriksen’s cardiac arrest on the pitch in their opening game. As Marcus Christenson explains, he has risen to the challenge brilliantly:
Below the line, StanleyGoodspeed has kicked off a debate on whether England are playing Ukraine, or “the Ukraine”. If you like that sort of thing (and I know I do), here’s our style guide entry.
Include ‘the’: the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, the Gambia, the Marshall Islands, the Netherlands, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States.
No ‘the’: Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Ukraine, Vatican City (but the Vatican), Yemen.
Here’s Paul Doyle on how Swiss fans have found a new love for their national team and its head coach, Vladimir Petkovic. And all he had to do was knock France out:
Vote now! Let me know your predictions for Friday’s quarter-finals via the medium of clicking:
Who wins the first #Euro2020 quarter-final – Switzerland or Spain? #SUI #ESP
— Niall McVeigh (@niallmcveigh) July 2, 2021
Who wins the second #Euro2020 quarter-final – Belgium or Italy? #BEL #ITA
— Niall McVeigh (@niallmcveigh) July 2, 2021
“We respect the English national team. But we are not afraid.” Here’s Andrew Roth on the mood in Ukraine before their quarter-final on Saturday night.
Belgium manager Roberto Martínez takes on Italy’s Roberto Mancini in a Munich rematch of the 2013 FA Cup final, when Martínez’s Wigan beat Mancini’s Manchester City.
“Obviously it was very special for Wigan Athletic and everyone connected, but it shows you that over 90 minutes in a cup, anything can happen,” Martínez said.
Martínez also provided updates on the fitness of Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne. “We’re going to take until the last minute to make the decision,” he said. “We’ll see [on Friday] if they can be involved or not. At the moment, it’s not a football decision – it’s more of a medical decision.”
“We are on the slightly more difficult side of the draw, at least on paper, but as we’ve seen from matches at this level, there’s never anything that is taken for granted,” said Mancini.
“There’s no such thing as a straightforward match – Switzerland beat France, Portugal are out, so too are Germany; the Netherlands were knocked out by the Czech Republic.”
Here’s to a simpler time, when the Euros were held in one country with just eight teams, and England crashed out at the earliest opportunity:
A few posts back, I mentioned that each of the quarter-finals features one “host” nation who have played at least two games at home. I’ve done a bit of number-crunching, and here is how far each team will have travelled by kick-off in their quarter-finals:
- Switzerland 8,510 miles
- Belgium 6,640 miles
- Ukraine 4,850 miles
- Czech Republic 3,700 miles
- Denmark 3,160 miles
- Spain 3,040 miles
- Italy 1,840 miles
- England 1,120 miles
These are rough estimates based on road distances between venues, so not counting travel to and from training camps or factoring in flight routes. Switzerland have played in Baku, then Rome, then Baku again, then Bucharest and now move on to St Petersburg.
A clarification: This includes the distance to the quarter-final venue, so England’s jaunt to Rome is factored in.
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Head-to-head: Belgium v Italy
Belgium’s only competitive victory over Italy came back in 1972 when they won the two-legged qualifier/quarter-final to reach the four-team final tournament. The two sides also met at the Euros in 1980, 2000 and 2016, when Antonio Conte’s grizzled Azzurri outfit won 2-0 in the group stages. Back in 2000, Francesco Totti set up a 2-0 win for Italy over the co-hosts, who failed to get out of their group.
Here is Ben McAleer’s preview of Belgium v Italy:
Belgium may be without two of their key men in Munich; both Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard were forced off in their victory over Portugal and are huge doubts for Friday’s game. Dries Mertens and Yannick Carrasco are poised to replace them alongside Romelu Lukaku in Belgium’s front three. In defence, Thomas Vermaelen is likely to get the nod ahead of Dedryck Boyata and Jason Denayer.
Giorgio Chiellini has missed Italy’s last two matches, but should be ready to return and replace Francesco Acerbi. Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina came off the bench to score decisive goals against Austria; winger Chiesa looks more likely start with midfielder Pessina unlikely to dislodge Marco Verratti, Jorginho or Nicolò Barella.
It has just occurred to me that each of the quarter-finals features one “host” nation. It will be interesting to see if travel time so far has an impact on these games. We could conceivably end up with an all-host final four: Italy v Spain and England v Denmark.
In case you missed it, England are also in the last eight and will take on Ukraine in Rome on Saturday night. One of the key questions for Gareth Southgate to consider is whether or not Jack Grealish starts. Will he? Should he? Yes and yes, in my opinion, but read on:
Here are the pre-match thoughts of the two coaches, Luis Enrique and Vladimir Petkovic:
Luis Enrique: “Switzerland are going to be a very tough team to face ... they’re a great group of players. They’re a match for us in terms of the way they press, the way they attack, so it’s going to be very difficult for us. I have full confidence in all our players. Physical issues are just as important as mental issues. I think [tiredness] is more a mental issue than a physical one and physically we’re in great shape.”
Vladimir Petkovic: “We need to be hungry again, greedy, to make it to the next round. From this point on I can’t say I’m satisfied and happy that we made it so far because, for me, the next step is always the most important. We know that we have to play against one of the strongest teams, one of the favourites, but we will try to take our chance. What I want to see against Spain is that everyone gives a little more – not just to replace Xhaka but also to beat Spain.”
Head-to-head: Switzerland v Spain
These two sides have never met before at a Euros, but have faced off at three different World Cups in 1966, 1994 and 2010. In 22 meetings Spain have 16 wins, with five draws and just one Swiss victory. Even that solitary loss turned out OK for Spain – after losing 1-0 in Durban at the 2010 World Cup, they went on to lift the trophy. Back in 1994, Spain sent Roy Hodgson’s Swiss side home in the last 16, with Luis Enrique himself among the scorers in Washington DC.
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Let’s kick off with a Switzerland v Spain preview, from Ben McAleer:
The quarter-finals kick off on Friday afternoon, when the survivors of manic Monday meet in St Petersburg. Switzerland will be without their suspended captain, Granit Xhaka, so Denis Zakaria will have to deputise alongside Remo Freuler. Vladimir Petkovic must also decide whether to stick with Silvan Widmer at right wing-back or recall Kevin Mbabu. Other than that, the team largely picks itself.
Luis Enrique has a full squad available for Friday’s match in St Petersburg. Jordi Alba is expected to return in place of José Gayà, who started their 5-3 extra-time win over Croatia. Eric García is likely to continue alongside Aymeric Laporte at the heart of the defence. Up front, Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo are in competition to play alongside Álvaro Morata and Pablo Sarabia.
Preamble
Good morning. The endgame, crunch time, the business end – call it what you will, but it begins in earnest today. Forty-four games have been played at Euro 2020, and just seven remain. Eight teams are still standing; by Saturday night that will be whittled down to four.
This weekend also marks the end of the Euro 2020 road trip, with the semis and final all held at Wembley. Stick around for all the latest news, previews and buildup to the quarter-finals and get in touch via email, Twitter or post below the line.
A reminder of the four games:
Switzerland v Spain (Fri 5pm BST, St Petersburg)
Belgium v Italy (Fri 8pm BST, Munich)
Denmark v Czech Republic (Sat 5pm BST, Baku)
Ukraine v England (Sat 8pm BST, Rome)
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