A breathless victory over Croatia keeps Spain in the Euro 2020 reckoning but desire for more verticality is shredding nervesLuis Enrique wants Spain to be more vertical, but the problem with verticality is that it can lead to chaos. At least with the sterility of possession there is a sense of control – and against Croatia on Monday night there was none of that. But it may be that a draining win that toyed with the emotions and demanded extraordinary character was a necessary battle in the Luis Enrique revolution.Not that there was much sign of that in the first half, which began in the traditional manner. Pass, pass, pass, miss. Pass, pass, pass, miss. Then a twist: pass, pass,...
I remember Germany’s wins in 1990 and 1996, but perhaps this time England will finally find their heroMy first memories as a football fan are to do with England. I rooted for my national team in the semi-final duels in 1990 and 1996. Germany won both games on penalties and went on to win the titles. England could have won both times, too.I was impressed by the endless energy of Paul Gascoigne. He was the most dazzling but also tragic figure. In 1990, he was in tears after he received a second yellow card which would have suspended him for the final. In 1996, he was 20cm short of scoring the golden goal in extra time. He slipped past the...
Yet to concede at these Euros, if Gareth Southgate gets his team right, they could carve open a creaky German defenceJoachim Löw’s side conceded five goals in their three group games, showing Gareth Southgate there are frailties to be exposed in the Germany defence. A change in formation could be key to England’s chances of success, as it would give Southgate the requisite weaponry to make the most of Germany’s vulnerability to the counter-attack.Germany flood numbers forward, attack with six and press aggressively so hitting them on the counter is a smart option. France, Portugal and Hungary made the most of the problems Löw’s defence have exhibited. Switching to a back three, which could become a five, being compact and...
He may have lost a battle of fine margins with Romelu Lukaku in Seville, but at 36 Ronaldo has shown in this tournament he is still an asset to Portugal and beyondThree minutes before half-time, Romelu Lukaku turned in the centre-circle and made another arcing run. He had been making them all half, and would go on making them, but had touched the ball only nine times, less than half as many as any other outfielder. This time, though, the ball arrived, via Thorgan Hazard’s clip over the top, and he was able to hold off Rúben Dias and gather. For pretty much the first time in the game, Belgium had the ball in a dangerous area and Portugal were...
Down to 10 men after Matthijs de Ligt’s red card, Frank de Boer’s side panicked and unravelled against zesty foesFarewell then, the Netherlands 2021. Never mind total football: this was a total collapse. And not just a simple collapse, but an abject, jaw-dropping collapse, the kind of collapse you can see happening in front of you in real time, like a slow-motion car crash.Thrown by the second half dismissal of Matthijs de Ligt, a Dutch team that came romping out of the blocks in Budapest, all regal vim and pep, was transformed at a stroke into a sagging orange soufflé. Related: Czechs bounce into last eight after Matthijs de Ligt sparks Dutch implosion Continue reading...