Euro 2020 has reached the final four after a quarterfinal stage that saw England thrash Ukraine 4-0, Denmark beat Czech Republic 2-1, Italy edge out Belgium 2-1, and Spain see off Switzerland on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time. Our writers have their say in response to some big questions.
Which of the last four teams performed best relative to their abilities?
Gabe Marcotti: Italy probably played the best overall, but they were the top seeds and reaching the semi-finals was always the objective. If the question is who has achieved more, I suggest it is Denmark. I thought they were solid outsiders, but after the trauma of the first two games - the loss and the fall of Christian Eriksson - it was hard to see the two work their way back. But they did, and they played very well along the way. What's more, he has transformed himself, and the credit goes to coach Kasper Hjulmond. Relative to the start of Euro 2020, they have changed the system and four starters. Winger Mikel Damsgaard has emerged as one of the most exciting players of the tournament, and is a great addition to the team.
Mark Ogden: I'm also going with Italy. To top it off with a team of climax, aging defenders in Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, a midfield without a world-class player and forward passenger coach Roberto Mancini at Ciro Immobil and Andrea Belotti used the remarkable work of There is proof. Italy is a team that is much more than the sum of its parts. Spain dominated and Denmark, let's not forget, lost their first two games. England now look like the favorites as they were so ruthless in their 4-0 quarterfinal win against Ukraine.
James Olley: It definitely has to be Denmark, because the semifinal appearance is a notable change. They're clearly a tight-knit group, tied even more closely to Ericsson's fears, but it's not the sentiment that has driven them that far. Denmark's defense is very well organized with Andreas Christensen, Simon Kejer, Jannik Vestergaard and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel providing a solid foundation. But full-back Joachim Mahle has been one of the finds of the tournament, while Kasper Dolberg is emerging as a possibility to move on to bigger things than his current club (Nice).
Julian Lawrence: Italy has been playing this way for the last two years, which was expected. In fact. Italy, England and Spain are all playing as we expected. Denmark, on the other hand, exceeded our expectations both in result and style. Their center-back position and speed, the use of half-spots by the team, Mahle and Damsgaard's form, how they press and counter-press. Hjulmand is doing a fantastic job, even more so without Ericsson.
Rob Dawson: Denmark are a fine team, already ranked 10th in the world, but reaching the semi-finals before the painful conditions surrounding Ericsson would be an incredible feat. They have gone about their football the right way. It can be tempting for smaller nations to focus on organized, compact and grind out results, but Denmark has played some exciting attacking football. He has never scored more goals in a major tournament and has scored 10 runs in his last three matches. England have lost five of their matches so far, but Denmark will look to envision their chances of winning at least one match at Wembley on Wednesday. I agree with James: The trajectory in Dolberg's career was not predicted when he was an exciting teenager at Ajax, but he is using the euro to show that not all promises were wrong.
Which one player has the best performance?
Ole: Raheem Sterling has struggled to prove himself throughout his England career. A poor end to the season at Manchester City left them vulnerable to Phil Foden and Jack Grealish starts in these finals, but they justified Gareth Southgate's confidence at every turn and provided the catalyst for England's comfortable victory over Ukraine. did. His desire to go ahead with the ball was the spark once again, with a decisive pass to Harry Kane's opener turned provider, which showed how clever he could be in the final third when in form. In a team that exceeds expectations, Sterling is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
Marcotti: I'm passing it to Leonardo Spinazola. The left-back was not just Italy's outstanding player, he was arguably the Player of the Tournament. He was decisive in every game he played and it is heartbreaking that we will not be seeing him again due to injury.
Ogden: Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer has been one of the stars of the tournament, and he signed with the best individual performance of any player at Euro 2020 during his quarterfinal loss against Spain. I was in St. Petersburg for that 120-minute epic, which ended with Spain passing a penalty, and whenever Sommer appeared on the big screen of late, he was applauded and admired by fans inside the stadium. was appreciated. The game could not go on beyond 90 minutes but for Sommer's valor. He drew up a list of world-class saves to deny the Spaniards - from the most distrustful Gerard Moreno - and even pulled off a save in the penalty shootout, before his Swiss teammate delivered from the spot. failed to do so and rewarded him with a place. in the semi-finals.
Lawrence: Sterling wasn't even England's best player against Ukraine. As sad as Spinazola's injury is, he did well against Belgium but was not as good as he did in the first tournament. I'm sure Sommer will be glad to know you've picked him, Mark, but there can only be one winner here, and that's Pedri. The Spain midfielder is only 18 years old and was the best player on the pitch against Switzerland. His intelligence, skill, maturity, restraint on the ball is simply superb. That's nowhere near the finished article, which is scary.
Dawson: Harry Kane deserves a lot of credit for the way he has handled himself during Euro 2020. His place in the England team was being questioned a few weeks ago, but now he is the player Tottenham fans look up to every week. That was the difference against Ukraine, and if he had missed that opening opportunity, the game could have been completely different. As it was, he scored, Ukraine was placed straight on the back foot, the game opened up and England took the advantage. Kane led by a second and could have taken a hat-trick, but his brilliant volley was tipped off by Georgie Buschen. The great strikers only needed one chance, and they took it in a big game. This is the hallmark of a top player.
Having seen it in practice, what is your view on the multi-venue format?
Marcotti: I think it's great. Obviously we are in a COVID-19 reality with limited travel, but imagine what it would have been like to have COVID and all in one place. We would have had very few fans from outside the host country anyway. Sure, Baku is far away and it's a pain to get to St. Petersburg... But what? Under normal circumstances all these games would have been sold. And, more importantly, other countries would have got a chance to be a part of it. After all, in which parallel universe is Scotland going to host the Euros? or Hungary? Or Romania? Or Azerbaijan? Or Ireland (if Dublin hadn't pulled out)? I think it was fine as a one-off. It is what it is intended to be.
Ole: Gab is right in that it is better suited to a pandemic world than it is to supporters. Having more host countries compensated for the difficulties of traveling from country to country, so more fans were able to watch their team play. But it has given some teams a competitive advantage. It cannot be a coincidence that the four semi-finalists have played all three group matches at home. Some countries have to move around frequently changing their bases, while others – England being the clear example – have home rest for all except around 36 hours. As the world learns to live with COVID-19, I hope this is a one-off, as the essence of the fan experience in tournaments is a melting pot of people from all different nationalities coming to a country to do their best. Legs forward for four. Week. There is nothing like that clash of cultures, and it weakens UEFA's current format.
Ogden: Sorry guys, but I don't think it worked at all. What the tournament lacks in atmosphere – the feeling of a host embracing it and turning it into a carnival. If Euro 2020 was in one country, fans could stand up, abide by any COVID-19 quarantine measures and then be free to move around in the later stages and ensure that the huge quarterfinal game Will be played in full stadiums. I found Budapest and St Petersburg to be cities that embraced the tournament and made it accessible, but in Glasgow it felt like an inconvenience. London has been difficult, almost impossible, for foreign fans to attend the Games. And the travel for the teams has been highly disproportionate – Switzerland covered more than 7,000 miles, while England basically spent four weeks at home apart from having a good R&R weekend in Rome.
Lawrence: I'm with Mark on this one. I think it's been a circus with all the different rules. There has been a great deal of benefit for teams playing at home, which were not required to travel and their fans were almost exclusively in stadiums. It should come as no surprise that all four semi-finalists have played all their group games at home. And please don't give me the line "Azerbaijan or Scotland would never have hosted the Euros". They didn't host the Euros... they had a game or two, sometimes three. For all we know, it didn't feel like a fair Euro out there at all.
Dawson: The theory of bringing the euro to countries that don't usually host games was justified, but should have been scrapped as soon as UEFA learned it would be played in the middle of a pandemic. Moving from country to country navigating various COVID-19 protocols has been a nightmare for fans, and what's the point of a tournament if supporters can't enjoy it? In fairness, UEFA's options were severely limited and they have done well to advance the tournament. It seems as though fans have thought of an afterthought when in fact they should be put first.
Has Belgium's 'Golden Generation' missed a chance to win a big tournament?
Dawson: It's a wonderfully talented team, but yes, the chance to win something for this generation has come and gone. They are not getting any better or any younger. It's tough enough as it is to win a European Championship or a World Cup, no matter when the core of the team is nearing the end of their career. Works at International Football Cycle; Different countries land on a bunch of good players at different times and you can only hope that you cash in on it when it comes around. Spain did this pretty well with three trophies between 2008 and 2012, but unfortunately Belgium fell short in no time. They can only hope that this group has inspired another generation and that their time has come again.
Ogden: Yes. It is now overtaken by talent with Belgium. Let's talk about whether they have the mentality to succeed in a big tournament or the road-wise mentality that Italy showed when they beat them in the quarter-finals. When teams are told they are the next big thing - England from 2001 to '07 / Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham from 2014 to '19 - they very rarely give. Maybe the pressure of anticipation will prevail. Belgium has players, but maybe they have too many stars? I don't see any of them presenting themselves as the leader to lead them over the line, and a lot of them waiting for one of the others to lead. Belgium have lost their chance, so it's time to burden another team with that unwanted "Golden Generation" tag.
Marcotti: Not saying I'm responsible, but I wrote an article in 2010 about Belgium's Golden Generation, which got a little attention. To be honest, my main concern is at the back. Elsewhere, they are okay to go one more time at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne could be fit, Romelu Lukaku is scoring, Yuri Tielemann is impressive and Jeremy Doku has more to come. Most of these guys will come back (Axel Witsel may not be there, but you've got to step in Leander Dendonker). The case is at the back. I don't think you're squeezing another big tournament out of Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen. This is the main issue for me.
Ole: Vermlain is 35, Vertonghen is 34, Toby Alderweireld is 32. This is clearly a quick turnaround for Qatar, so there is every reason to think that two or all three will move on to one last dance, but they are not getting better and are already the weak link in the clearly talented group. Huh. Change of manager is required. Roberto Martinez did a fine job keeping a country as small as Belgium at the top of the FIFA rankings, but they never really reached the top of the tournament, and that should be on the man in charge.
LAWRENCE: Can we please stop with this "Golden Generation" crap now? You become great only when you win something, and they have won nothing. Not even close, because they haven't even reached the finals. This is a very talented team that has been together for a while, but they seem to be missing something. Unlike James, I hope Martinez remains in charge. Belgium will try again in Qatar, and I don't think it's a bad thing if Vermlain and Vertonghen retire. Jason Denyer can take over in defence, Pascal Struijk is eligible to play for Belgium, and there are starlets like Marco Cana or Kylian Sardella in the ProLeague who would also make good. The future of the national team is still bright.