OneFootball
Alex Mott·11 July 2021
OneFootball
Alex Mott·11 July 2021
This is it then.
Four weeks, 50 games and a record-breaking 140 goals has all come down to this.
One of the most fascinating tactical battles on Sunday evening will come between Harry Kane and Italy’s centre-back pairing of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
José Mourinho once opined that those two could give classes on defending at Harvard, but if there’s one student who can outsmart the teachers, it’s Harry Kane.
Kane endured a difficult start to this tournament, having failed to score in the group stage and performing to a level where many were questioning whether he should even start against Germany in the last 16.
Those notions have obviously been put to bed since, but the England forward will be put to his toughest test so far against this pair of grizzled veterans.
Pretty much every single England player has had their time in the spotlight during this tournament and the latest to bask in that glow is Kyle Walker.
The Manchester City man was cast aside after the 2018 World Cup but returned to the fold a year later and has since rubber-stamped his place in the side despite competition from the likes of Kieran Trippier and Reece James.
Against Denmark, Walker was absolutely superb in using his searing pace to cover when all looked lost, but also offered an exceptional attacking threat beyond Bukayo Saka.
He is going to be crucial against the pacy Italian attack.
This Italian midfield has been at the heart of everything that’s been great about the Azzurri during Euro 2020, and one of the atriums that has kept everything flowing smoothly has been Marco Verratti.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder missed Italy’s first two games through injury but it says everything about how important Verratti is to this side that Roberto Mancini immediately recalled him as soon as possible for the third match and beyond.
Since then the diminutive midfielder has started every game and will be vital if Italy are to succeed this weekend.
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson; Jorginho, Barella, Verratti; Chiesa, Insigne, Immobile
England (4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Phillips, Mount; Sterling, Saka, Kane