England
Outgoing Liverpool star confirms he is ready to walk, sends important message
Day 14 at the European Championships was an opportunity to relax after the thrills and spills of the group stage. With no games scheduled, you could be forgiven for thinking that there would be no talking points. You’d be wrong. England’s Sheeran gig stinks ‘England’s preparations for Euro 2020 Germany clash begin with a surprise gig… by Ed Sheeran’. Well, isn’t that nice for them? Putting aside how utterly dismal Sheeran’s ‘music’ is for one moment, how exactly was this allowed to happen? How lovely England’s football team enjoyed a private Ed Sheeran concert. Meanwhile my brother who is also a musician hasn’t played for 15 months. This two-tier interpretation of the Covid rules is a farce. — Bella Wallersteiner (@BellaWallerstei) June 24, 2021 For starters, England’s players are supposed...
Manchester United man leads Euro 2020 Best XI while Ronaldo leads from the front
The Euro 2020 group stages have come to a close, and it’s just a short wait before the knockout rounds begin. The opening two weeks of action have been nothing short of enthralling. We’ve seen some incredible goals, great drama, and an inexplicable amount of own goals. What’s not to love? Here is our best XI from the group stage. Lukas Hradecky (GK) – Hradecky can count himself unlucky to be going home early, having put in some excellent performances in the last three games. He kicked off his tournament with a crucial penalty save in the 1-0 win over Denmark and followed this up with another good performance in the 1-0 defeat against Russia. His final game was impressive but ended in heartbreak. He made several brilliant stops to keep Belgium at bay but scored an unlucky own goal to s...
Euro 2020 Diary: Denmark delight, Germany must defy UEFA, Big Zuu knows
Day 11 of the European Championships delivered what every football fan craves – drama with a capital ‘D’. Netherlands and Austria booked their spots in the last-16 from Group C, but Group B was the place to be for the edge of your seat stuff. With Belgium already through to the next round, Finland, Russia and Denmark were battling to join them in the knockout phase. Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen Denmark dramatically snatched second place behind Belgium with a thumping 4-1 victory over Russia on an emotional night in Copenhagen. Just nine days after teammate Christian Eriksen collapsed on the same pitch against Finland, the Danes produced a power-packed display to blow the Russians away. A night we will never forget 🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/Mul1GPv0X6 — Kasper Schmeichel (@kschm...
Italian premier calls for Euros final to be moved from Wembley
The prime minister of Italy has called for the Euro 2020 final to be moved from Wembley due to coronavirus concerns. Mario Draghi says the level of infection in the United Kingdom means alternative venues must be considered. “I will try to stop the final being held in a country where infections are rising quickly,” he said on Monday when asked if Rome could be considered a possible replacement. Wembley is due to host five knockout matches, including both semi-finals and then the final on July 11. Italy will also play their last-16 game in London against Austria on June 26. Cases of COVID-19 have been increasing in recent weeks in the UK, fuelled by the Delta variant first identified in India, with a further 10,633 confirmed on Monday. There are also still strict travel restrictions in plac...
Borussia Dortmund star deserves better than being patronised by Southgate
Group A took centre stage at the European Championships on Sunday, with the final matches of the opening phase played simultaneously. Italy beat Wales 1-0 to confirm their place at the top of the group, while Switzerland triumphed 3-1 against Turkey. Despite being completely outplayed by Italy, the result was enough to send Wales through to the round of 16. Let’s have a look at some of the talking points from the Italy game and elsewhere. Don’t mess with Locatelli After being one of the stars of Euro 2020 during Italy’s first two games, Manuel Locatelli but was handed a well-earned rest against Wales. However, he was a little wound up on the bench during the game as teammate Nicolo Barella jokingly flung a water bottle at his head. what’s the Italian for banter pic.twitter.com/OKb4U1Qj0F —...
Why Gareth Southgate’s treatment of Jadon Sancho makes no sense
If England fail to advance to the latter stages of Euro 2020, Gareth Southgate’s ability to take the team forward will be the subject of scrutiny. Southgate has a talented group of players at his disposal which should be reaching nothing less than the semi-finals of major tournaments if not win them. One of the questionable stances taken by Southgate in the Euros so far is his decision not to hand starts to Jadon Sancho against Croatia and Scotland. Southgate has indicated that he needs to be realistic about the demands that he places on young players such as Sancho. “We’ve got some explosive options, and a lot of them are young players and experiencing a big tournament for the first time,” said Southgate as quoted by Sky Sports. “So, as a coaching staff, we are realistic about our expecta...
Defender drops Twitter clanger, pundit nails Sancho situation
The second Friday at the 2020 European Championships won’t be remembered for producing thrilling football. Sweden kicked things off with a dour 1-0 win over Slovakia, before Croatia and Czech Republic laboured to a 1-1 draw. Anyone hoping that England versus Scotland would lift the mood were left sorely disappointed, with neither side able to get on the scoresheet. Thankfully, we’ve still been able to find some talking points, so let’s begin. Robertson drops Twitter clanger ‘5 million strong’. Three words that highlight why some footballers would be well advised to steer clear of social media after a game. Andy Robertson’s tweet certainly found favour with Scotland’s happy clappers after a dour 0-0 draw with England on Friday. 5 million strong 🏴&...
Tactical Analysis: How Scotland’s in-match adjustments contained England in the Euros
For the 100th time in a competitive football match, less-than-friendly neighbours England and Scotland prepared to face each other. This was their first clash at the Euros since (look away Scottish readers) 1996, which was also at Wembley Stadium, where a certain man with bleached hair scored a rather good goal. This time around, England and Scotland’s match was their second group game, but the difference was that the hosts had won their opening clash while the visitors had lost theirs, as opposed to both drawing. So, this game bore greater importance for Steve Clarke’s side, who needed to win to keep their chances of progression to the knockouts in their own hands. A gripping tactical battle followed, which involved both managers making various changes during the match to give their side ...
‘Poor’, ‘Looks a shadow’: Some England fans react to Tottenham Hotspur star’s performance
A selection of England fans were left frustrated with the performance of Harry Kane during last night’s 0-0 draw against Scotland at Euro 2020. The Three Lions were overwhelming favourites to beat their neighbours at Wembley Stadium, but they struggled to dominate the proceedings. They ended up with just one shot on target over 90 minutes. The Scots fared better with two shots – one of them required a crucial diving save from Jordan Pickford. Kane was disappointing for the second straight group stage game. He struggled to make his mark with centre-back Grant Hanley winning most duels against him. The England captain ended up with just 19 touches of the ball and seven successful passes. He failed to register a shot on target for a second game running. His latest performance angered some sup...
Euro 2020: Kieran Tierney ‘fit and available’ for England clash – Scotland boss
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has confirmed that Kieran Tierney is “fit and available” for their Euro 2020 clash with England. Tierney was forced to miss Scotland’s Group D opener against the Czech Republic after picking up a knock in training. The Arsenal defender saw his country suffer a damaging 2-0 loss in his absence, but Clarke is ready to welcome him back into the fold for their vital meeting with the Three Lions at Wembley on Friday. Asked for an update on Tierney’s condition at a pre-match press conference, the Scotland head coach told reporters: “Everybody fit and available, including Kieran. “It’s good news for Kieran, it’s good news for us, it’s good news for the Scottish supporters, so hopefully we can back all that up with a good result. “He’s trained fully the last two days, so...
Imama Amapakabo: Why Andre Onana should consider Arsenal move
Andre Onana leaving Ajax and joining Arsenal would be “a good move” for the Cameroon international, according to former Nigeria U23 coach Imama Amapakabo. The Gunners have held discussions with the 25-year-old’s representatives, albeit, they have yet to decide whether they will step up their chase of the goalkeeper. Arsenal was on the lookout for a keeper following the departure of Emiliano Martinez in September 2020 and the underwhelming form of summer recruit Alex Runarsson. Despite technical director Edu and Mikel Arteta being big admirers of Onana, financial issues prevented the North London outfit from making a firm offer, instead they opted to sign Mat Ryan on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion. Amapakabo – who was a goalkeeper during his active career – and was part of the Nigeria...
Liverpool given go-ahead for Anfield expansion
Liverpool have been given the go-ahead to expand Anfield by around 7,000 seats, taking the total capacity at their historic stadium to more than 61,000. City council planners voted in favour of the redevelopment of the Anfield Road Stand on Tuesday, despite concerns expressed by residents and environmental groups about the impact on nearby Stanley Park. The Premier League club’s project is expected to be completed in 2023. “This is a huge milestone in our journey towards bringing more supporters into Anfield,” said Liverpool managing director Andy Hughes. “We underwent a rigorous two-stage public consultation period during the planning process for this project and I would like to thank everyone who has offered a contribution to that.” As part of the application, the club have also been giv...
