Jordan Henderson thinks England's hopes of beating Germany in the Euro 2020 last 16 could rest on keeping the ball away from Toni Kroos as much as possible.
Gareth Southgate's side came top of their group, taking seven points from games against Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic without conceding a goal, ensuring they will begin the knockout rounds at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
There, they will face Germany for the third time at a European Championship and the first in a knockout match since the Three Lions lost on penalties in the semi-finals of Euro 96.
Joachim Low's side scraped through a challenging Group F, Leon Goretzka's late equaliser against Hungary on matchday three ensuring they finished behind France and above Portugal thanks to their superior head-to-head record.
While England's route through the groups was somewhat sedate, with two 1-0 wins and a goalless draw with Scotland, Germany won a six-goal thriller with Portugal before battling to a 2-2 draw with Hungary after falling 1-0 to France.
Amid their inconsistencies, midfielder Kroos has been exemplary for the 2014 world champions. No player has completed more passes at these finals than the Real Madrid man (280), with 217 of those occurring in the opposition half – by far the best return at the tournament.
Given Germany have averaged 64.7 per cent of the possession in their games, a figure lower only than Spain (76.1), Henderson is eager to disrupt Kroos' rhythm as much as possible by retaining the ball and getting it into England's forwards.
"They're a top team. You go through every position on the pitch and they've got world-class players everywhere, so it's always going to be a tough game," he said on Thursday.
"With the ball, it's extremely important to keep it, especially against Germany, who are a fantastic team who've got very good technical players who can dominate games with the ball. We need to be defensively solid, like we have been, because they've got players like Kroos that can hurt you.
"He's a world-class player who can really hurt you with time and space, so we need to make sure that, without the ball, we're really solid.
"When we get it, we need to be calm and composed, but also positive with the play, getting the ball forward and trying to create as many chances as we can because we've got some fantastic forward players who can hurt any opposition. If we can get the ball into them and let them do their thing, I think we can be in for a real good night."
Penalties dominate much of the pre-match talk, not least because Germany beat England on home soil on spot-kicks 25 years ago, with current boss Gareth Southgate missing the crucial attempt.
Henderson was in the headlines during the warm-up for this tournament, the Liverpool man taking the ball from Dominic Calvert-Lewin before seeing his penalty saved during the 1-0 friendly win over Romania in Middlesbrough.
"It was blown out of proportion, to be honest, after the game," Henderson said. "Nothing to be said internally. I was obviously disappointed to miss but I was more disappointed for Dom as well because he could have had another goal for England."
'Your dreams are now my dreams' – Mourinho makes vow to Fenerbahce fans
Jose Mourinho promised Fenerbahce supporters "your dreams are now my dreams" upon his unveiling as the club's new head coach.
The 61-year-old is back in management five months after his departure from Roma, after reportedly putting pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Istanbul giants.
The club teased Mourinho's arrival in the wake of Ismail Kartal’s departure on Friday, with the two-time Champions League winner believed to have verbally agreed to take over on the same day.
Turkey is the fifth different nation in which the Portuguese icon has managed, having also previously enjoyed stints at Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham.
A domestic title winner in four different countries, Mourinho will now look to follow suit by guiding Fenerbahce to a first Turkish Super Lig triumph in 10 years.
"I want to thank you for your love, the love that I felt from the first moment where my name was first connected with Fenerbahce," he told thousands of supporters who gathered at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium to welcome him.
"Normally, a coach is loved after victories. In this case, I feel that I am loved before victories. That, for me, is a big responsibility that I feel. I promise you that from this moment, I belong to your family. This shirt is my skin.
"Football is a passion and there is no better place to feel that passion. Since the moment I met with [club president] Ali Koc, I wanted to play for you because, in the end, you are the soul of the football club.
"I want to work for Turkish football, I want to work for the Turkish league. I want to help to improve [it] but the most important thing for me is not Turkish football, it's not the Turkish league, it's Fenerbahce.
"To finish, I want to say that from the moment I signed my contract, your dreams are now my dreams."
Courtois not getting late Euro 2024 call-up, Belgium's technical director reveals
Thibaut Courtois will not be receiving a late call-up for Euro 2024, but it is down to the Belgian FA to address any off-field issues with the goalkeeper, technical director Franck Vercauteren has revealed.
The Real Madrid stopper was omitted from the Red Devils' 25-man squad for the forthcoming European Championship, despite returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury and helping Los Blancos to a 15th Champions League title.
Courtois, who kept a clean sheet as Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley, became embroiled in a public spat with Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco last June, walking out on the squad when he was not named captain in the wake of Eden Hazard's retirement.
Koen Casteels, Thomas Kaminski and Matz Sels were named as Tedesco's three goalkeepers for the tournament in Germany, where the Red Devils will play in Group E alongside Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia.
And technical director Vercauteren confirmed there would be no U-turn on Courtois' omission, but admitted he may still have a future with the national team.
"Unfortunately, we’ll play the European Championship without him," he said. "So, now we no longer have to focus on that. It is the job of the federation to smooth out the wrinkles. That is absolutely a must.
"We never doubted his qualities or that he would not be fit. So, we must stop the matter now. Signals have been given that we must respect.
"At some point, you have to invest to solve it. That is certainly the intention. It's partly my job to make that happen. We know what we have to do."
Courtois' father Thierry, who was at Wembley to watch his son claim a second Champions League winner's medal, added: "Hopefully, the problem can be sorted out."
Chiellini backing Spalletti to deliver 'magical' Italy moments ahead of Euro 2024
Giorgio Chiellini believes head coach Luciano Spalletti can deliver "magical Italian nights", ahead of the Azzurri's title defence at Euro 2024.
Spalletti's Italy will head to Germany as the reigning champions, after beating England on penalties at Wembley in the delayed Euro 2020 final three years ago.
Chiellini captained the Azzurri to their second European crown - adding to their 1968 triumph - with Roberto Mancini's side also defeating the likes of Belgium and Spain on the way to glory.
Three years on, the former defender believes the four-time World Cup winners will be "outsiders" at the tournament, where they will play Spain, Croatia and Albania in Group B.
However, he thinks that may play into Italy's hands should they progress into the latter stages.
"I'm very happy with Spalletti and for Spalletti," Chiellini told Corriere dello Sport. "I have the utmost respect for him, and I'm convinced that if there is someone who can make us relive the magical Italian nights, it's him.
"The favourites are others. The pressure is on France, England, Portugal, Germany, Spain, not on us.
"This group only has to gain from this European Championship. Italy are outsiders. Facing us in knockout matches is never easy."
A nine-time Scudetto winner with Juventus, Chiellini also had his say on former Bianconeri boss Antonio Conte, who is heavily linked with a return to management at Napoli - 15 months after his last spell in the dugout at Tottenham.
"I can see him doing well," the 39-year-old said. "I believe he rested and needed it after some personal issues that affected him. I haven't seen him recently, but I felt he was ready. Napoli is a club that gives you a lot, that energises you a lot."
Inter retained the Scudetto in 2023-24 - finishing a whopping 19 points clear of second-place Milan - and Chiellini believes the Nerazzurri will be the team to beat once more next term.
Asked if he was surprised by the dominance of Simone Inzaghi's side, he replied: "No way. I already said it last July, then also in December.
"They told me I was being superstitious, that I didn’t want to mention Juventus, but for me, the difference was obvious, and so it was. The only doubt is the new ownership, but from what I read, it seems to me that everything is under control.
"If they maintain the structure, with controlled management and targeted investments, Inter are too far ahead of the others. If all the players remain, as it seems, Inzaghi’s team will start as favourites next year, too."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
