Jonathan Wilson's Blog, page 80

Italy on the spot to book their place in the final – Euro 2020 Football Daily

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Philippe Auclair plus Nicky Bandini at Wembley as Italy edge past Spain

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On the podcast today: Italy are the first Euro 2020 finalists but a penalty shootout was needed to decide a thrilling tussle with Spain. Nicky Bandini joins us from Wembley for reaction at full-time.

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England v Denmark: key tactical decisions facing Gareth Southgate

Euro 2020 semi-final could be shaped by whether the manager opts for a back three and his choice on the right of the attack

The biggest and most obvious question for Gareth Southgate is whether to stick with the back four that got them through the group and beat Ukraine or, as they did against Germany, switch to a back three. There were two good reasons to make the change against Germany. Their wing-backs had excelled against Portugal and so it made sense to match up shape-for-shape and look to engage them as high up the pitch as possible – a ploy that worked so well the influence of Joshua Kimmich and Robin Gosens was minimal. In addition, given how Kai Havertz drops deep from the forward line, it was useful for a centre-back being able to follow him without the risk of leaving huge holes in the defensive line.

Related: Tottenham’s ‘goal as a club’ is to keep Harry Kane, Fabio Paratici reveals

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England roar past Ukraine to reach semi-finals – Euro 2020 Football Daily

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jacob Steinberg, Jonathan Wilson and Flo Lloyd-Hughes to discuss England’s win

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England have sent Ukraine out of the Euros with a comprehensive victory in Rome with two goals from Harry Kane, one for Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson’s first goal for his country.

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Rafa Benítez’s arrival is a step in the right direction for stepping-stone club Everton | Jonathan Wilson

With Everton stuck in the middle ground outside the elite, the Spaniard’s style is a better fit than Carlo Ancelotti’s ever was

What is Everton? It sounds like a flippant question, and perhaps to an extent it is, but as Rafa Benítez takes charge, it’s also fundamental. A journey of self-improvement must perhaps begin with a realistic assessment of where you are starting from.

But that is not easy. It is not enough simply to say that Everton came 10th last season after a promising start, or even to point out that the latest Deloitte report their annual revenues as the seventh highest in the Premier League. They are the fourth most successful club in English league history. There were one of the Big Five whose lobbying led to the establishment of the Premier League. They are one of only six sides never to have been relegated from the Premier League. The days when they vied with Liverpool to be the best in England remain within living memory. They are scheduled (at last) to move into a 53,000-capacity stadium for the 2024-25 season. They are not just another team. They have a reputation and they have aspirations. But that in itself is problematic.

Related: Rafael Benítez appeals for unity after taking Everton job amid fan anger

Benítez’s biggest successes have come with clubs on the fringes of the elite – Valencia, Liverpool and Napoli

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Barella and Insigne break Belgium to send Italy through to semi-final

Farewell then, to Belgium’s golden generation, who perhaps were doomed to futility as soon as they had been burdened with the name. Who knows what they might have been achieved if they hadn’t wasted so much time under the management of Marc Wilmots. At least with Roberto Martínez there has been the sense of them groping towards something like their potential. And they’ll always have Kazan, and one of the great World Cup performances, beating Brazil in a World Cup quarter-final.

The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans and one or more Hazards still have more to give, and there is great promise in Jérémy Doku, but Vincent Kompany, Marouane Fellaini and Radja Nainggolan had gone already and nine outfielders in this squad are over 30. A wholesale clear-out, especially at the back is needed. But when all what remained was the fall, they fell gallantly, mounting a great late surge that proved this Italy can defend as well as attack, and produced probably the highest quality game of the tournament so far.

Related: Lorenzo Insigne’s stunning goal a defining moment for the new Italy | Nicky Bandini

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Andriy Shevchenko’s modern methods have revolutionised Ukraine | Jonathan Wilson

The coach has drawn on his Italian schooling to improve the team and takes on England at Euro 2020 with a flexible squad

Five years ago, Ukraine lost 1-0 to Poland in Marseille to complete a miserable Euros campaign in which they lost all three games and failed to score. Their football was leaden and uninspired, predicated on three lumbering holding midfielders and the vague hope that either Andriy Yarmolenko or Yevhen Konoplyanka might do something spectacular. Yarmolenko remains but as Ukraine prepare for a European Championship quarter-final, almost everything else has changed beyond recognition.

The man responsible is Andriy Shevchenko, but there was a sense of trepidation when he was appointed after the last Euros; his only coaching experience had been as assistant to Mikhail Fomenko in that tournament. But Shevchenko’s vision of football is very different to that of Fomenko. Having played for Milan and Chelsea, his vision of the game is a modern one.

Related: ‘We are not afraid’: Ukraine’s media get ready for England showdown

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Ukraine strike late in extra time against Sweden to set up England quarter-final

The second of three minutes of added time at the end of extra time. The rearguard that Sweden had mounted since the dismissal of Marcus Danielsson after 100 minutes was nearly over. Penalties seemed within touching distance. Then Ukraine, yet again, worked the ball out to Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left. He crossed and the substitute Artem Dovbyk plunged forward to head past Robin Olsen. Blue shirts cavorted in delight. Yellow shirts folded. A very large topless shaven‑headed man, moobs atremble, ran uncertainly on to the pitch and sank to his knees in ecstasy. And with that a gruelling last-16 tie came to an end. Ukraine will face England in the quarter-final in Rome on Saturday.

Related: Sweden 1-2 Ukraine (aet): Euro 2020 last 16 – as it happened

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Luis Enrique’s Spanish revolution takes nerve-shredding step forward | Jonathan Wilson

A breathless victory over Croatia keeps Spain in the Euro 2020 reckoning but desire for more verticality is shredding nerves

Luis 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, pass, absurd own goal. Every time you think Spain can’t possibly wring any more out of the same old joke, they find a new level of comedic haplessness.

Related: Spain’s Álvaro Morata finds something extra to beat Croatia in thriller

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Belgium to meet Italy after pipping Portugal – Euro 2020 Football Daily

Max Rushden is joined by John Brewin, Natasha Henry and Jonathan Wilson to discuss Belgium’s victory over Portugal, and 10-man Netherlands’s elimination by the Czech Republic

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Belgium edged past an increasingly fractious Portugal side to make a quarter-final date with Italy, after a swerving strike by Thorgan Hazard beat Rui Patrício. Romelu Lukaku worked tirelessly, Pepe made time to complain about Belgium’s time-wasting, and Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne hobbled off with injuries.

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Cristiano Ronaldo exits but does not have the look of a man whose race is run | Jonathan Wilson

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 beyond

Three 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 he had touched the ball only nine times, fewer 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 not set.

Lukaku held it up and, although Kevin De Bruyne lost possession, the lack of Portuguese organisation meant that when the ball broke to Hazard he had time to line up a shot. It was not a goal for Lukaku, nor an assist. There will be statistical models that mark him down for the pass to De Bruyne that led to the ball briefly being lost. But he was critical to the goal. Playing as a striker is supposed to be about glory, but it’s about a whole lot more.

Related: Thorgan Hazard strike sinks Portugal and puts Belgium in quarter-finals

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