After their draw against Scotland, England are expected at the turn against the Czech Republic. With four points, she is currently second in Group D. The “Three Lions” have to beat the Czech Republic to finish in first place. In the other match, the Scots hope to reach the round of 16 of the Euro at the expense of the Croats, who appeared on the decline.
Considered one of the favorites of Euro-2021, England have so far not really marked the spirits in the group stage. The Three Lions will play big on Tuesday, June 22, at Wembley, against the Czech Republic. They will not only be judged on a likely qualification for the round of 16, but also on how.
With four points, England are currently second in Group D, behind their future opponents on goal difference alone (+1 against +2). A draw between the English and the Czechs would be enough to ensure the qualification of the two teams. But it would deprive Gareth Southgate’s men of a round of 16 at Wembley, even if the opponent could be relieved (France, Germany or Portugal).
Sign of the deep trouble left by the tasteless 0-0 against Scotland on Friday, some voices have also questioned this weekend on the merits of a second place and his eighth less relieved, against the second in Group E (Spain, Sweden, Poland and Slovakia).
A too young team ?
The disenchantment is commensurate with the enthusiasm that surrounded this young and talented team when it entered the competition. With a group of 26 built around Manchester City, champion of England and finalist of the Champions League, Chelsea, winner of the C1, and Manchester United, finalist of the Europa League, the team of his gracious majesty hoped to surf on the positive dynamics of its clubs.
But after an encouraging start against Croatia (1-0), doubts about the system and the men resurfaced. The youth of the squad – the eleven lined up on Friday, aged 25 years and 31 days on average, was the youngest for England in an international competition – has sometimes been put forward as an explanation. “It is a relatively inexperienced group, I believe it is the third lowest total of selections in the tournament,” said Gareth Southgate.
But it is surprising that three years after a World Cup semi-final, with eight of the eleven holders still in the squad, the Southgate team still seem to be in the process of breaking in. “Against Scotland (…) many have had a very different experience from what they have known before,” he said, as they faced a team that had not played in a phase major final for 23 years. “We want to improve and that’s what we will work for before playing the Czech Republic,” added the coach.
Faced with a team they had defeated (5-0) at Wembley in the qualifiers, before suffering their only hitch in Prague (2-1) in a group A that they had flown over by scoring 37 goals in 8 matches, changes are to be expected.
A disappointing Harry Kane
At the back, a return of Harry Maguire, who would bring additional leadership to a team that is sorely lacking, cannot be ruled out, but it is especially in attack that the site is located. Although very disappointing so far, Harry Kane keeps his immunity totem.
“He’s fundamental not only in the goals he scores, but also in the construction and everything else he brings. He’s our most important player,” Southgate said, brushing aside any doubts about the game. presence of its captain, despite six small shots, including none on target, in two matches.
All eyes are on Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford, little used so far, or Jadon Sancho, unused, to take the place of Phil Foden and Mason Mount, or even Raheem Sterling, despite his victorious goal in the first game.
Czechs depend on Schick
While a draw against England, would be enough for them to finish first in the group and that a qualification is possible in case of defeat, the Czechs say for their part not to calculate anything. “We all want to win the match,” Czech captain Vladimir Darida said at a press conference on Monday. “We want to qualify on our own without looking at the other results,” he said.
Jaroslav Silhavý’s players know they should be especially wary of Harry Kane. Mute in the face, the number 9 of the England team could be stung. “Harry Kane is a very good striker, very intelligent, very good scorer. But like in Prague (in the Czechs 2-1 victory), we will have to defend well on him and we have to mark him in two. He had managed to score anyway, but I hope that tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be strong enough to neutralize it, “explained the coach check.
The Czechs will also have to find other solutions in attack. All their goals have so far been scored by Patrik Schick since the start of the Euro. “You can’t have only one goalscorer if you want to go far in the competition, so you have to shoot more, especially midfielders, and go more without the opposing penalty area,” said captain Vladimir Darida.
Scotland at the gates of history
In the other group meeting, Scotland can dream of passing the first round of a major tournament for the first time in its history. A victory against Croatia would be enough to seal their qualification. Either as one of the four best thirds or directly as second in Group D if England are simultaneously beaten by the Czech Republic and their goal difference is less than the Scots.
But the “Tartan army” will have to do without its midfielder Billy Gilmour, who tested positive for Covid-19. It’s a hard blow, especially since the young Chelsea player (20) had been dazzling against England, in the draw (0-0) at Wembley in the previous match.
The Scots will hope to rely on “Super John McGinn”. The Aston Villa relay midfielder has so far been talked about more by Scottish songs than goals: the team have still not scored any after two matches.
The Glasgow native, whose grandfather Jack McGinn was president of the Scottish federation, was the team’s top scorer in the Euro qualifying campaign with seven goals, not insignificant for a midfielder. And he is currently the best director of the selection in 2021 with three goals, including a beautiful one against Austria in March.
In the opposing camp, Croatia, finalist of the last World Cup, does not cease to disappoint, but a victory will guarantee him to pass among the best third. The eyes of the Croatian fans will be on star Luka Modric. But “Lukita” is struggling in this Euro, like an evanescent Croatian team. “We’re a long way from how we used to play,” Modric admitted after the 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic.
Without Ivan Rakitic’s midfield energy and Mario Mandzukic’s attacking edge, both of whom retired internationally, Croatia looked sluggish in their first two meetings. “For now, we are not the Croatia we would all want,” was forced to note Modric, 61 games on the clock this season, between Real Madrid and the selection.
Scotland have neither the luster nor the names of Croatia, but they will be pushed to Hampden Park by 12,000 supporters lined up behind “McGinn, Super John McGinn”. Enough to thwart the vice-world champions?
With AFP
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