The weekend beckons some fantastic football across the globe, as Brazil take on Argentina in the Copa America finals at Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janerio, while, Italy face England at Wembley, London for the Euro 2020 finals - both mouthwatering spectacle of football to gape at.
Brazil vs Argentina : This year's Copa America, delayed by a year due to the pandemic, was initially scheduled to be held by two Nations, Columbia & Argentina. However, first a civil unrest in Columbia & then the growing cases of Covid in Argentina, forced the South American Football Confederation to move the tournament to Brazil, despite criticism & resistance amongst Brazilian players. Ten teams, split into two Groups, with top four advancing to quarterfinals, then semis & now to look forward to the finals. Reigning Champions, Brazil have been in sumptuous form till now, though, the goal scoring form of the team, seems to have waned as they drew with Equador in the last of the Group matches & then last two knockout games were won by a slender one goal margin. However, Neymar has been in roaring form along with Richarlison & Paqueta upfront, while Casemiro, Militao & Fred in midfield, & then Marquinhos, Emerson, Thiago Silva, Danilo occupying the backline, with Ederson / Allison in the goal - a solid squad, which does not really miss Gabriel Jesus, who's out with a red card; a squad that boasts bench strength with the likes of Firmino, Vinicius, Fabinho, Lodi, Felipe, Luiz & others. Tite as Coach, has a very well drilled team, that has all the necessary needful to take on any team in the World. Argentina, on the other hand are being led by the mercurial Messi, who is stilling looking for that elusive title win for his country. He has won accolades, after accolades with Barcelona, having conquered almost everything for that club, but his records on National duty has been a lot left to be desired. The team boasts a superb line up on paper, with Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Aguero, Di Maria upfront to support Messi, Rodriguez, Dario, Correa, Parades, Acuna in midfield; Otamendi, Romero, Martinez, Tagliafico for backline & a superbly confident Martinez under the bar, having stopped three penalties in the semifinal shoot out, to lift the team into the finals.
However, on paper, as well on history, Brazil do have an edge, & are also playing on home ground, which should be an advantage. The pressure to perform rests heavy on the aging shoulders of Messi, & unless, he is able to produce a magical spell or his team mates rise to the occasion, the Selecao will run away with the spoils.
Expected line up for Brazil should be - Ederson under the bar, given a strong clean performance till now, with Marquinhos & Thiao Silva at the heart of backline, Danilo in the right back & Lodi in the left back position. Fred should be starting alongwith Casemiro & Paqueta in midfield, while, Neymar, Everton would support the wings for Richarlison in the centre - this is a superb line up to take one any team. Argentina will probably field Martinez under the bar, given his fantastic performance in the semis, saving three penalties, with backline of Molina, Pezzella, Otamendi & Tagliafico. de Maria, Parades & Celso could be the midfield, while, Messi, Lautaro Martinez & Gonzales bringing up the attack. A contest between Messi & Neymar will be worth the watch for supporters across the world & I expect Brazil to lift the cup eventually.
Italy vs England : After some scintillating football over the past few weeks, its showtime, as the two European powerhouses slug it out for the coveted Cup on Sunday evening at Wembley Stadium, after sensational victories in the semis. Interestingly, both teams are on the verge of creating history, as England have never won the European Championship before, & Italy have suffered three defeats in the finals, since their last win in 1968 - this is really going to be a humdinger, with battle of nerves into play. Italy are unbeaten in their last 33 matches, while England are unbeaten in their last 12 matches & have won 15 of their last 17 matches at Wembley.... scary statistics to look at.
Gareth Southgate, deserves all the praise for his man management skills & building a near perfect team, with a awe inspiring bench strength, imagine players like Grealish, Henderson, Phil Foden only finding place as substitutes. Southgate's ability to stay calm amidst all chaos & pressures, while remaining steadfast in his decisions to come up with right changes at the right time in the game, shows his exceptional knowledge of the game & its changing notions. On the other hand, Robert Mancini, has masterminded his team into a brilliant attacking unit. This Italian outfit, does not shut down after scoring once, as in yester years - they now glide into attack in search of more goals, making the game an open affair till the end. Mancini would dearly miss the presence of Leonardo Spinazzola, the dazzling leftback, who unfortunately wobbled out in the quarterfinals against Belgium.
As possible line ups, Italy have the young big Donnarumma under the bar, distributing a solid calm, as Bonucci, Chiellini, Lorenzo & Emerson marshal the backline. A menacing Barella & an innovative Jorginho alongwith Verratti stitch up the midfield, while, Insigne, Chiesa & Immobile stage the attack - a formidable line up to drive fear into any opposition, with Berardi, Bernardeschi, Toloi, Pessina, Locatelli & others in the bench. Mancini will need to manage the sometimes nervy flaws in the Italian line up, which could be their Achilles Heels, & maintain the tempo, throughout the game. England have Pickford under the bar, who has been very confident throughout the tournament, but for some visible jitters in the semis against the fighting Danes. Walker, Stones, Maguire & Shaw seem to be the most likely backline, while Phillips & Rice should man the midfield & support Kane, Sterling, Mount & Saka upfront. However, Southgate may be tempted to replace the hardworking Saka with Grealish, who seems to play & control the game better. The bench strength of England is indeed awe inspiring with players like Rashford, Henderson, Trippier, Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Ramsdale & others, which gives them the edge in any game. For England, Sterling has been outstanding with his probing runs, despite his theatrics to earn the decisive penalty in the semis, & he can well pick up the Man of Tournament award, if England wins.
This looks to be more a battle of nerves & who braves the odds to take the lead, as coming back into the game may be rather difficult. If the game moves into penalties, Italy seems better poised, with Donnarumma under the bar as a better choice to Pickford, who can at times be jittery. May the best team win.
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