Euro 2020 - Peep into the quarterfinalists & their possibilities .....

 Euro 2020 has already thrown a lot of surprises, as strong contenders lost their footing & eventually have been knocked out, while minnows & unfancied teams, have put in focus & discipline in their game to nurture strengths & become the giant slayers. As we await the round of 8 from tomorrow let us take a peek at the 8 Nations who now compete for the coveted, Henri Delauney Trophy. 

1) Switzerland vs Spain : The Swiss have delivered perhaps the ultimate knock out punch of the tournament to derail World Champions France, touted by most as the probable winners here. In the match, they actually deserved to lead 2-0, but wasted a penalty & then went down 1-3, only to rally back at 3-3, when almost everyone had written them off to pull the game to extra time. In the penalty shoot out, they again held their nerves to eventually win 5-4, when Mbappe, under visible pressure, muffed his kick for France to bow out. Switzerland have been very disciplined & solid on the field & have combined extremely well as a team, to play well within their resources, however, goal scoring remains their main challenge & Haris Seferovic has been their go to man on this. They will dearly miss the presence of Granit Xhaka, who's out with a booking, & hence will need every bit of luck along with their well oiled discipline to overcome the Spanish Armada, that seem to be peaking at the right time. 

Spain, started the tournament slowly, but in their last two games, have been scoring with gay abandon, which is a huge plus. Their defensive breakdown against Croatia was a matter of concern (the casual & horrible keep by Simon to let in an innocuous back pass into the net, will haunt them), but ability to score at crucial stages of the game & then hold nerves would give them confidence. With the other big title contenders out of the way, Spain should feel confident, but they have to be on their toes to overcome a superbly disciplined Switzerland - they will need to score early & then control the ball midfield, where they have superb ball players in Pedri & Busquets. However, they have to wary of the large & well built Swedes, & skillful ball play would be crucial to take advantage. I predict hard fought match with a narrow victory for Spain. 

2) Belgium vs Italy : This certainly is going to be the match of the quarter finals. Both teams are fully capable of lifting the trophy, & have super stars in their ranks to make the cutting edge difference. However, despite having likes of Hazard brothers, Lukaku, De Bruyne, Meunier, Mertens & above all the towering Courtois under the bar, Belgium has not really set the tournament on fire. They have struggled against both Denmark & then Portugal, but then they are undoubtedly a powerhouse in football, currently ranked No1 in the World. Against Italy, they will struggle, if Hazard & De Bruyne do not recover in time from the niggling injuries, that had them substituted in the crunch game against Portugal. 

Meanwhile, Italy seem to be cruising, till they met a rather stubborn Austria in round of 16, & it was a tough encounter for the Azzure Blue, as they conceded their first goal in the tournament from a corner. Robert Mancini's side, unbeaten for 31 games now in international football, certainly have all the firepower in attack as well as in midfield, with seasoned campaigners like Insigne, Immobile, Jorginho, Verratti, Chiesa, Pessina & then Spinazzola, Bonucci in the backline & the big Donnarumma under the bar. A solid team in fine flow to surge ahead & score, while defend doggedly when needed. However, they have not yet faced a tough opponent in the tournament & Belgium surely is a massive challenge - presence or absence of De Bruyne would be crucial. This game looks the most competitive & close, though my personal take would be Italy winning - more so if Belgium miss De Bruyne & Hazard to injury. 

3) Czech Republic vs Denmark : This game too should go to the wire, really. The Czechs were rock solid against a much stronger & able team like Netherlands, & beat them  in the patient waiting game. Managed to close down players like Wijnaldum, Depay, Malen & de Jong with a strong physical game & waited for the Dutch to make mistakes & get frustrated. Once de Ligt got send off for a red card challenge, they pounced on the man advantage, scored two goals, & stayed firm in defense - a wonderful display of grit & dogged discipline. 

Denmark on the other hand, have found their scoring boots in time, with no less than 8 goals in their last two matches, including a facile 4-0 victory over Wales. Their attacking third has been decisive in Braithwaite, Delaney,  Damsgaard, an untiring Maehle, & Dolberg - they keep surging ahead in packs, creating flutter down the opposition ranks, with a lot of off the ball running to create chances. Then you have Christensen, Kjaer & Vestergaard on the backline, which is very difficult to break through & the ever reliable Schmeichel under the bar. The Czechs will have to be extremely pressing & disciplined to break into this defense. Very little to choose from really, but the heart says, it will be the Danes, this time. 

4) England vs Ukraine : This would be last of the quarterfinals, & most footballing buffs would expect this to be a cake walk for the English, after their fabulous victory over the Germans. Ukraine have been a strange side, & really lucky to be in the quarterfinals. Impressive but beaten by Netherlands, then a dominant win over North Macedonia & then very average against Austria in the group stages, they were lucky to sneak into the round of 16, as the last qualifier, based on points. They made good of the chance, to squeeze past Sweden in the last moments of the extra time, benefitting from a Swedish red card send off, winning 2-1 & are now facing England. It will be a near impossible task, but in Zinchenko, they have a world class creative midfielder who believes in making possible, & then they have Yaremchuk, Yamolenko, Shaparenko, Sydorchuk, all big hearted & physically strong players, willing to co create wonders. 

England, buoyed by the big win over arch rivals, Germany are brimming in confidence & already rejoicing, as if they have already won the Cup - this over confidence could be their undoing, though I expect Coach Southgate to be matured enough to manage this. The team had lot really lit up the tournament in group stages, struggling with scoring, but for Raheem Sterling, who got them above the line. Harry Kane finally scored against the Germans & that should really bolster his confidence. Its a very strong line up on paper, with Pickford under the bar, who has not conceded a goal as yet & exudes sky high confidence. Maguire, Stones, Walker combine a great defense in front of Pickford, & then Trippier, Shaw, & Phillips are really hard working midfielders. Kane, Sterling, Saka & then Grealish & Rashford speak of an attack to die for - really Southgate has covered all ends of this team. They should be able to brush past Ukraine, but this could also be a potential banana slip of sorts. Lets watch...