LET'S SEE A " TAM SU "... A PROPER ONE
Should Kobbie Mainoo start alongside Declan Rice in midfield? If so, manager Gareth Southgate could move Trent Alexander-Arnold back to his preferred right-back position. Further up the pitch, could Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka make way for Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer? There are many other issues to consider. How can Foden and Bellingham work together effectively, or where should Harry Kane primarily operate? In short, the problems England need to address before the knockout stage lie with themselves, rather than their opponents.
Will Bellingham ( right ) help England make a difference against Slovakia?
Of course, the examples mentioned above are just the opinions of commentators. Southgate doesn't necessarily need to care, but he certainly has his own difficult dilemmas, as what was shown in the group stage suggests that this is not yet the perfect England team. For neutral viewers, the feeling of waiting to see what England will look like in the knockout match against Slovakia is no different from the feeling of waiting to see the "Three Lions'" debut match two weeks ago. It's still hard to believe that the England team in the group stage was a truly formed England. How could the number one title contender be so lackluster!
While the English public – the majority of whom are criticizing Southgate – are raising so many issues worth discussing, it speaks volumes about the depth of his squad. Without star players, what would he use to fill gaps here and there? Even if it's not entirely convincing, it's worth reiterating that Southgate and his team haven't "lost" anything after three consecutive matches under criticism. They still progressed as group winners, and the reward was fantastic: they landed in the easier bracket – with Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, and Belgium all in the other bracket (that's because France also disappointed, finishing below Austria). England's "still shaky" defense has only conceded one goal and has the lowest "expected goals conceded" statistic in the tournament.
In every respect, England is still completely superior to Slovakia, who surprisingly beat Belgium in their opening match but then only advanced through the play-offs as the third-placed team. This is Slovakia's third consecutive appearance at the EUROs. Their first was in 2016, when they also advanced from the group stage through the play-offs but were eliminated in the first knockout round, losing 0-3 to Germany. Will history repeat itself? It seems that Slovakia has improved this year. They had 37 shots on goal (13 on target). At EURO 2020, Slovakia only had 2 shots on target. Historically, Slovakia has never beaten England (1 draw, 5 losses).
Match schedule
23:00 on June 30th: England vs. Slovakia (Live on VTV3 and TV360)
2 AM on July 1st: Spain vs. Georgia (Live on VTV3 and TV360)
WHAT MIRACLE IS THERE FOR GEORGIA?
The remaining knockout match tonight is also very one-sided. Of course, Spain is completely superior to the "newcomer" Georgia. In the group stage, Georgia was the team that conceded the most shots (71), the most shots on target (25), and had the highest "expected goals conceded" statistic in the tournament. Furthermore, in the qualifying rounds for this EURO, Georgia lost to Spain 1-7 at home in Tbilisi. It's also worth noting that Georgia qualified for the EURO finals through a play-off against Greece thanks to their UEFA Nations League performance, even though they finished second to last (above Cyprus) in the qualifying rounds.
After winning all their group stage matches and keeping a clean sheet, Spain has overtaken Germany and France in the betting market, becoming the second favorite to win the championship at this point. Compared to the glorious era of tiki-taka, Spain is now even better in terms of flexibility and is harder to predict. The young star duo on the wings of the attack, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, are still eager to prove themselves. Their successful debut in the group stage means they have overcome the pressure of anticipation.
Nevertheless, this is still the EURO, the most balanced of all major tournaments. Who knows, there might be a "miracle" for Georgia! As always, Georgia's hopes rest on two ends of the pitch: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in attack and Giorgi Mamardashvili in goal. Their individual caliber is not bad. Kvaratskhelia (Napoli) is a star in Serie A while Mamardashvili is the starting goalkeeper for Valencia in La Liga. In their last 17 shots in the group stage, Mamardashvili made 16 saves. Tonight, he will have to work hard again, facing many shots on goal, after Spain's dense defense tried to limit their shots.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hai-tran-knock-out-kha-chenh-lech-nhung-ke-manh-hon-chua-chac-da-chien-thang-185240629205209104.htm
