ITALY MIGHT EXCEED LOW EXPECTATIONS
Blue shirts poured forward. Ciro Immobile spread the ball out to Antonio Candreva. An isolated Thibaut Courtois charged out as three Belgians desperately tried to restore some sense of organisation. But the black and red headless chickens had ceded control. Candreva looked up and spotted the lone hand of Graziano Pelle calling out. A simple short cross found the swinging right boot of the Southampton striker. Pelle ran off celebrating, a mix of jubilation and shock etched into his chiselled face. Seconds later, the referee called for full-time. You’d have thought the Italians had won the tournament.
In the build up to the 2016 Euros, the Italian team had been derided as one of the weakest in the Azzurri’s illustrious history. While the Italians could be confident about a back three consisting of the Juventus trio of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, and Gigi Buffon in between the sticks, the rest of the squad left much to be desired. No position quite summed up this decline than the striking department.
The era of Toni, Del Piero and Totti is almost at an end – only the latter is yet to retire. That’s reflected in the options the stern faced Antonio Conte has: Pelle has been inconsistent for Southampton; Eder has scored just one goal for Inter since his move from Sampdoria; Immobile hasn’t been at his best since his 2013-14 campaign at Torino; and Simone Zaza has often been used off the bench for Juventus. Injuries had also devastated their midfield options.
Injuries to Marco Verratti and Claudio Marchisio robbed the Italians of their two best centre-midfielders. It meant that the ever-present Daniele de Rossi started alongside Marco Parolo and Emanuele Giaccherini in midfield, with the defensive-minded Matteo Darmian on the left and Candreva on the right. How would this make-shift team handle Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’?
The back-three relegated the Belgians to a smattering of half-chances – not bad against a side including Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. Giaccherini dismissed his critics, and surprised those who remembered him for his poor performances in a Sunderland shirt, making a nuisance of himself throughout the match. In the 32nd minute he latched on to a stunning Bonucci long-ball, escaping the entire Belgian defence, and curled the ball around Courtois. Then, in the 92nd minute, Pelle confirmed the Italian’s win.
It was a performance that reminded pundits that the Italians are the Italians. The Azzurri possess the meanest defence in international football and can build on that. Antonio Conte has instilled a sense of organisation throughout the rest of the team – one would be too scared not to follow his instructions to the letter – and has created a strong team with the squad at his disposal. Underestimate him at your peril.
BELGIUM: A TEAM WORSE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PART
This Belgium squad is lauded as a ‘golden generation’. England supporters are well aware of the dangers of such a tag; it puts an added pressure on the team and the management that seems to create a toxic atmosphere between the team and the expectant nation. That being said, it’s impossible to object to the complaints that Belgium have under-performed.
One was sceptical about their chances before the tournament. The Red Devils stumbled through the World Cup before losing out to Argentina in the 118th minute – a game that’s better forgot – and didn’t look like a team including the creative talents of Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne. And there was nothing in their plodding performance against the Italians that demonstrated change. That must bring into question the manager, Marc Wilmots.
Hazard has admitted in the past that Wilmots does no tactical work with the team – something that became clear on Monday. The Belgians looked unorganised and disinterested against one of the most organised and passionate teams in the tournament. Romelu Lukaku stood isolated as the lone-striker, Marouane Fellaini offered nothing in midfield, and Jan Vertonghen struggled as the left-sided full-back. If not for the quick reactions of Courtois, the Italians would’ve won by a wider margin.
The ‘Golden Generation’ tag looks to be taking its next victim.
SWEDEN AND POLAND NEED TO FIND ALTERNATIVES
Sweden and Poland possess one world class striker each. The enigmatic Zlatan Ibrahimovic dominates his surroundings, both for PSG and for Sweden, and Robert Lewandowski is perhaps the most lethal European striker around. Zlatan scored 38 league goals in his final season at PSG, while the formidable Pole fired 30 times for Bayern. But at the 2016 Euros, both find themselves in international squads much weaker than the teams their used to.
Lewandowski is one cog in the Munich machine, and so he can look to Thomas Muller and co to contribute if he’s not in from. Ibra has a similar situation in Paris. But both are the focal points of their international sides. Their compatriots look to them to be their saviours, to do the magical, and to lead the charge. There’s no Cavani or Robben at their side. It’s a problem for both them and their respective international teams.
The Northern Ireland defence crowded out Lewandowski and offered him not the slightest sniff of free air; he, in turn, had a rather poor game. Ibra fared a little better, providing the assist for Ciaran Clark’s own-goal. But he also found himself man-marked and pushed out of the game. He couldn’t move, shoot, pass – as soon as he touched the ball a sea of green shirts surrounded him.
This is less of a problem for Poland; they have some excellent players, like Milik. But Sweden have little else but Ibra. He’s a star in that team.
SPAIN STICKING TO ITS STYLE
You have to respect Spain’s single-minded devotion to tiki-taka. I’ve seen monks less patient. Barcelona adapted once their opponents learned to counter-act it; the same cannot be said for the national side. Vincente del Bosque is determined to retain to the pass-pass-passing that won them back-to-back European Championships – and a World Cup in between. Of course, that’s ignoring the 2014 World Cup.
Who can forget their disastrous turn in Brazil? Robin van Persie’s stunning diving header began the Netherlands’ comeback in a 5-1 thrashing of the world champions, before Chile completed the double-punch and KO’d Spain. The holders had exited the competition before the third round of group games. Spain hadn’t been eliminated from a major competition since 2006; they were the first side knocked out in 2014. A 3-0 thumping of Australia in the final match offered a fond farewell to the likes of David Villa, Xavi and Fernando Torres, stars of previous tournaments, and important components of the title winning side. You’d expect, after such a shocking collapse, that change would occur. Perhaps Del Bosque would be sacked, or he’d change his tactics. Not so.
There’s been little change since 2014: Alvaro Morata has replaced the ineffective Diego Costa and Nolito is preferred to Pedro on the flank. It’s much the same. And against the Czechs familiar problems came to the fore. Spain dominated possession and looked for that clinical pass – the one that splits a defence – but it looked like the 2004 semi-finalists might just hold on. Then in the 87th minute Gerard Pique offered his large frame as an attacking option. The lanky centre-back leapt to greet Andres Iniesta’s cross and nodded it into the Czech goal.
Spain looked good. Good enough to warrant predictions that La Rojas could complete a Euros treble. But there are still concerns about that dedication to passing and the unwillingness to go direct until the final moments of a game. More composed sides might just hold out against such a style. Barcelona had to change because opponents had worked out how to counter it; Spain might have to follow suit.
LACK OF FULL-BACK OPTIONS COULD COST GERMANY
The first 45 minutes of the Germany Ukraine clash exhibited perhaps the most entertaining football of the tournament so far: end-to-end, slick, attacking football. However, something became apparent during this spell: the Germans have one noticeable weakness: there’s a complete lack of full-backs. In 2014, Die Mannschaft collected the World Cup and lost Philip Lahm to international retirement. Although the Germans can still call upon Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels (he’s still recuperating from an injury, so Shkodran Mustafi started against Ukraine) there are no great full-backs to complement the centre-half duo.
Against Ukraine, Benedikt Howedes, a centre-back who’s often featured as a full-back for the national side, started on the right, and FC Koln’s Jonas Hector started on the left. Weaker opponents might not be able to take advantage of this; Ukraine exposed them on a regular basis. The pace, skill and movement of Evgeni Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko opened up a chasm behind the German defence. Yarmolenko, in particular, who plies his trade at Dinamo Kiev, kept getting in behind Hector and firing balls into the box. Ukraine couldn’t take advantage in the first-half and couldn’t keep up their momentum in the second, and so the threat petered out. But the gap in the almost impenetrable German armour is there.
CROATIA ARE THE DARK HORSES
If seems as though all 24 teams at the Euros have been described as ‘dark horses’. Austria, Switzerland and Poland were all picked as potential outside bets to reach the final, but all three produced disappointing performances in their opening ties. Austria lost out to their rivals, Hungary; Switzerland laboured to a tight 1-0 win over ten-man Albania; and Poland just about managed to squeeze past Northern Ireland. But Croatia, another team thought of as potential outsiders, impressed.
The Croats excelled against a strong Turkey. We shouldn’t be surprised. This is a Croatia team featuring a midfield of Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic – Mateo Kovacic can’t even get a starting berth such is their strength in that position. The Vatreni also have a no-nonsense defence consisting of Verdan Corluka and Darijo Srna, and Mario Mandzukic leading the line. Could Croatia relive memories of France ’98?
ROONEY STANDS OUT FOR ENGLAND
There’s been so much distraction since England’s 1-1 draw with Russia. We’ve discussed hooligans and the shocking sight of a stampede after the game, the pointlessness of England’s striker taking set-pieces, and so much more; all of this rather than a breakdown of the performance. And what a mixed one it was.
Perhaps no talking point filled as many blogs and headlines as Wayne Rooney’s place in the England team. England’s all-time record goal-scorer had an odd season. He laboured at Manchester United under Louis van Gaal and ended up dropping into midfield to accommodate Marcus Rashford. With Kane reaching 20+ goals for the second consecutive season in the Premier League – the same amount the England captain has achieved during his entire career – the question was: would the team be shaped around an underperforming player? No, not quite.
That’s because Rooney exceeded expectations in an attacking midfield role. The England captain started in alongside the driven Delle Alli and looked brilliant. He picked out passes left, right and centre, and controlled England’s possession in the Russian half. He pulled the strings and looked imperious doing so. All those doubts fell silent. He’d been derided for some poor performances; he deserved his plaudits for this one.
ICE, ICE, BABY
We all wanted Iceland to do well. It’s heart-warming to see some of the smaller nations – Albania, Iceland etc. – reaching the Euros, but it’s also important that some of them surpass expectations. It’d be demoralising to see them all crash out at the group stage. We’ve seen the VTs about Iceland’s indoor football project, read the blogs about their road to the Euros, and seen the stats about the size of their population – all of which put their achievement into context. It’s amazing that they reached the tournament.
Iceland didn’t come through a lame group; quite the opposite. While Romania provided the strongest opposition to Northern Ireland in their group, Iceland overcame Turkey and the Netherlands to finish second – no mean feat. Against Portugal they proved that that wasn’t a fluke; this is a team that deserves to be there.
Strakarnir Okkar didn’t threaten in a first-half that Portugal dominated. Hannes Halldorsson produced a couple of excellent stops to keep the halt the Iberian advance. If not for the quick feet of the Icelandic goalkeeper, Nani’s nodded effort would’ve put Portugal in front. But he could only do so much. Nani didn’t make the same mistake twice. His second header caught Halldorsson out and rippled the back of the net. At half-time, Portugal had a firm grasp of the game; Rui Patricio could’ve taken a 45 minute nap.
That changed in the second-half. A pumped up Iceland emerged and immediately put Ronaldo and co on the back-foot. In the 50th minute Iceland equalised. Johann Gudhmundsson’s simple cross found an unmarked Birkir Bjarnason at the far post. Bjarnason thumped the ball into the ground and into the roof of the Portuguese net. Portugal had switched off.
For the remainder of the game, Iceland looked the more dangerous side. The thousands of blue shirts that filled half of Saint Etienne’s stadium clapped in unison and created a strong atmosphere; Charlemagne might’ve had troubled quietening this hoard of Vikings. Iceland couldn’t find a second, but neither could Portugal. There were a couple of tense moments at the finale. Ronaldo had back-to-back free-kicks – the second coming after a hand blocked the first – but rifled both efforts into the wall.
The Habsburg teams better watch out.
THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL BLOG 
Really enjoyable piece!