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Euro roundup - matchweek 2
Published on 20/06/21
Daniel James - Wales vs Turkey (By Rhys James)
Similar to his standout performance against Switzerland, Dan James had another great game against Turkey. Playing 89 minutes, James helped his team to a 2-0 victory and played a valuable part in what looks like getting Wales knockout round qualification. Looking at the stats they’re really impressive; he completed four key passes, five out of 11 crosses, three out of four dribbles, six out of eight ground duels, while also making two tackles and a clearance.
In the first half James was one of the best players on the pitch yet again. His crossing was a dangerous asset for Wales, early in the first half (Almost identical to a chance he created against Switzerland) he hit a great ball in from the left side into striker Kieffer Moore, who should have done better with the header. Minutes later another delightful ball went in to Gareth Bale on the back post, which was headed back into the six yard box almost creating a huge opportunity for his team.
As was the case with his team as a whole, James’ performance was less impressive in the 2nd half. As Turkey piled the pressure on the red dragons, Rob Page’s side struggled to keep hold of possession and lacked fluidity in attack at times, but James was always a useful outball on the counter and looked dangerous multiple times driving forward into the final third. His work rate was also very impressive, he was a big part of why Wales managed to hang on when Turkey were creating chances, his tracking back and positional decision making were great.
Overall I’m incredibly happy with his performance so far in the group stage, we look forward to Wales vs Italy, which will be his toughest test yet in this competition.
Victor Lindelof - Sweden vs Slovakia (By Josh Coleman)
Another clean sheet for Victor Lindelof and Sweden saw them beat Slovakia 1-0, all but sealing their place in the next round of the Euros.
Lindelof played all 90 minutes and, as he did in the game against Spain, organised his defence well and was a leader on the pitch. Defensively he was yet again hard to beat. He was not beaten once, making 4 clearances while also winning 6 duels. However, his defensive prowess was not the only thing that impressed on the day. Lindelof played a significant role in progressing the ball forward for Sweden, often carrying the ball forward and making a total of 67 passes at a success rate of 91.8%.
For United fans this is most definitely eye opening. While having the ability to play a fantastic long ball forward, he has rarely been considered a progressive style of player. This game however shows he has the ability to play that role, and if he is able to continue this on his return to United, it will certainly put him in good stead to push for a place in the defence.
Next up for Lindelof's Sweden, they take on Poland in their final game in group E.
Scott McTominay - England vs Scotland (By Tom Cole)
Scotland started their Matchday Two fixture against England with a number of changes after their poor start against the Czech Republic, which moved McTominay into a back three from the start of the match. Both teams came out of the blocks quickly and tried to get the upper hand, and once again the physical ability of McTominay was clear to see after a number of good tackles and strength to hold England’s attack off the ball.
Sadly after the first 20 minutes or so the game never really got going again, but there was a big England chance right at the last minute which required Scott to put his body on the line, protecting the ball on the floor up against four England players trying to get the final touch and steal a victory. Overall whilst this was not the most inspiring game and probably one of the worst of the tournament so far, Scott McTominay did his job well and did not give England any opportunities.
Luke Shaw - England vs Scotland (By Tom Cole)
Gareth Southgate stuck with a similar team to the one that pragmatically beat Croatia but changed both his full backs, starting Reece James and Luke Shaw. Sadly anyone who thought this would be because England were going to attack the game was mistaken. It was a very cagey affair with hardly any attack of merit, but it must be said that Shaw did his best to push up and was always available to whip a cross in but just wasn’t used enough.
One one of the few occasions the ball did fall to Shaw, he had to shoot from an acute angle because there were no England players in the box to feed the ball to. Defensively Shaw was solid, Scotland did not show much up front either but he did his job well and made tackles when necessary.
Years ago it used to be a safe bet that Shaw would get booked in these big occasion games but those days seem behind him. Overall Gareth will have some questions over who to start against Czech Republic after Shaw had a very controlled performance and was always available to whip crosses in if there had been any targets to hit.
Marcus Rashford - England vs Scotland (By Tom Cole)
Rashford was subbed on in the 74th minute in place of an ineffective Harry Kane. Unfortunately the game had really run its course by this stage and both teams seemed happy with a point, so Rashford didn’t get into the game at all.
He will be frustrated with the lack of minutes so far and will be hoping he can start against Czech Republic on Tuesday to put himself in contention for the knockouts.
Paul Pogba - France vs Hungary (By @Elitesolskjaer)
Overall performance
This wasn't Pogba's best performance in a French shirt, but he still had his moments in a game that France weren't the best in. The first half was very quiet for him, with the highlights being his pass to Kylian Mbappe, who put it over and his chance, which he put over the bar.
Us united fans are familiar with Pogba, who didn't insert himself into the game as much as he would have liked. The second half saw an improved Pogba with him trying to make things happen. He took a shot but, Pogba put it wide, he played a lovely ball to Griezmann, who gave it away. The last action he made was to play a ball to Dembele, who for some reason put it out of play. France took off Pogba at the 76 minutes for Bayern Midfielder Corentin Tolisso. Pogba hadn't a vintage performance from him, but hopefully, he can be back to his best vs Portugal, where he will meet United teammate Bruno Fernandes.
Stats
Stats wise in the game against Hungary, Pogba had seventy touches, but only one was a key pass, thirty-eight accurate passes. He won eight out of twelve ground duels, he lost possession twenty times during the game. He had a similarly average match defensively, with him completing no clearances and only tacking his opponent four times. (Stats from SofaScore)
The team's performance
Overall, France were poor and especially in the first half when Hungary dominated and outplayed France with their counter-attacking ability. When Hungary scored their goal, no one was surprised by how the French played. They played the better second half with Antoine Griezmann scoring the equaliser for the French. This game wasn't vintage France, but hopefully, they can improve for their last match in the group versus Portugal.
Bruno Fernandes - Portugal vs France (By Dara O'Brien)
Saturday’s matchup between Germany and Portugal could not have gone much worse for Portugal or Bruno Fernandes. In contrast to Portugal’s opening game of the campaign, they were on the back foot for practically the entire 90 minutes, struggling to create anything and looking incredibly exposed defensively. The same went for Bruno; it just wasn’t his day. As opposed to Portugal’s opener, Bruno played in a slightly deeper role in midfield. Perhaps this was a factor in Fernandes’ poor performance, as he has played in a higher role all season for Man United. Regardless, he was unable to have a significant output creatively and lost the ball frequently, resulting in the game passing him by, unfortunately. Fernandes didn’t quite look like his usual self, instead looking tired, which is perhaps expected considering the sheer volume of games that he has played this season.
In the 65th minute, Bruno was subbed off after Germany scored their fourth goal, effectively killing the game. This was perhaps regretted by Portugal manager Fernando Santos, as it looked as if Portugal were to mount a late comeback after a Diogo Jota goal, however even if Bruno were on the pitch, it seems unlikely that Portugal’s hopes would’ve come to anything more than just that.
Overall, it was a bad day at the office for Fernandes and Portugal, who will no doubt be fired up for their final group stage match against France, and I think that we can expect to see a different Bruno Fernandes than the one that we saw on Saturday.
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