New York City FC showed why they are one of the strongest home teams in Major League Soccer this season with an (almost-)convincing 4-2 win against Orlando City on last Friday night.
Only Los Angeles FC have won more games at home (nine) than NYCFC’s seven so far in 2024.
Nick Cushing’s side were back in New York City following a run of two defeats on the road, in Los Angeles and Nashville, having also succumbed to a rare home defeat to Columbus Crew prior to their trip west.
NYCFC’s season so far can be split roughly into three stages: A difficult start bordering on crisis, a sustained recovery and, most recently, a stumble.
The sustained recovery consisted of five wins on the bounce and eight wins in nine games ahead of the recent run of three defeats (the stumble). That winning run was the kind of form they were looking to get back into against Orlando.
There was a late scare when Orlando brought the score back to 3-2 but Mounsef Bakrar’s strike in the final seconds of the game sealed the win.
The four goals scored by New York City FC means they are now the second-highest scorers in the Eastern Conference in games at home with 23, behind Inter Miami’s 28, and the third-highest in MLS overall.
A team that struggled for goals earlier in the season is now finding the net regularly, especially in New York.
It is an element of the game they appear to have been working on this season, having failed to get much going in attack last year when only the bottom teams in each conference — Colorado Rapids and Toronto FC — scored fewer goals than NYC.
They were regularly unable to convert sustained possession into advantageous attacking situations, often hogging the ball in the middle of the field but unable to progress it into dangerous areas.
One stat that demonstrates the turnaround in this regard in 2024 is the number of touches in the opposition box.
Cushing’s side are second for this stat throughout the whole of MLS this season, with a total of 575 touches in the opposition box so far, just behind Los Angeles FC, having been 20th for this stat in 2023.
This season there is a feeling that the gameplan is more flexible. If the moment calls for it the team can still keep possession, putting together simple passing moves to keep the ball and attempt to take some control of the game by doing so.
But, perhaps unexpectedly for a City Football Group-owned side, this team is no longer defined by possession.
With their group of direct wingers, plus the creativity of players like Santi Rodríguez and the recently returned from injury Maxi Moralez, the team can look to break opposition defences down much earlier in moves.
The ball playing in front of defence from James Sands and the box-to-box-ness of Keaton Parks contribute to this flexibility, too.
Just as they aren’t a possession side, per se, New York City could not be described solely as a pressing, counter-attacking team either, but they still have these elements to their game. They are not overly reliant on set pieces but have scored a few goals from such situations.
There is a bit of everything in their play, which is perhaps needed in MLS given the various squad-building restrictions and limitations of a salary cap.
The goalkeeping of Matt Freese has also been key to New York City’s improvement this year.
There have been plenty of occasions when he has saved them points by making saves at key moments in games, and he has been the only player to have performed at a high level during each of the three stages of NYCFC’s 2024 season mentioned earlier.
The most recent win at Yankee Stadium puts NYC at a crossroads which could determine where they end up come the end of the regular season.
It is a key moment. Win this week’s game against Montreal at Citi Field, and it would signal the start of another run of wins to propel them further up the Eastern Conference and secure that all-important home advantage in the playoffs. Lose, and the win against Orlando will go down as part of another inconsistent spell.
These type of runs, the peaks and the troughs, can be the nature of MLS as a league that, through its rules and regulations, strives for some kind of parity. But some teams still understandably have higher expectations than others.
A franchise based in New York City and part of an ownership group such as City Football Group is one such team. Good home form helps them live up to these expectations, and this is something they have recovered in 2024 following last season’s blip.
Josip Iličić came on for Slovenia in their final group stage game against England and the moment’s importance extends far beyond just the game. It is the story of a comeback that deserves plaudits, as Slovenia prepare to take on Portugal on Monday.
After his appearance against England last week, Iličić just seemed glad he was back playing international football. It was the very idea that he played in the game that seemed moving after years of struggle and a journey that could break anyone.
He was asked by Sky Italia whether he realises how inspirational his story is for fans and the media alike and the humble 36-year-old responded:
“I am sincerely pleased, even today when I entered the pitch a player complimented me and told me that he respects me a lot, this pleases me.”
He went onto reveal that Declan Rice spoke to him personally during the game, informing him about how he was inspired by his comeback at the highest level of the sport after a topsy turvy journey of struggle.
To many, Iličić’s wand of a left foot and his trademark drop of a shoulder was almost Lionel Messi-like despite his tall frame. His spell at Atalanta dazzled European football, even if that only happened for a brief period as he became a serial goal scorer and assister for Gian Piero Gasperini‘s side when they were playing in the Champions League and lighting up Serie A with their brand of ‘organised-chaos’ football.
Iličić and his teammate Papu Gómez had this effortless way of doing things, as they took defences apart while operating as inside forwards in a 3-4-2-1 formation. The club famously came seconds away from going past Paris Saint-Germain in the 2019/20 season, only for the French giants to turn it around in stoppage time and progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League. Iličić hadn’t featured in the games against PSG but weeks before that, he had turned on the style against Valencia in the Round of 16, bringing joy to the hearts of thousands of La Dea fans and showing his technical class at the highest level of club football.
It was during that period that COVID 19 was raging through Bergamo and the city was becoming synonymous with the disease. But Iličić and Atalanta were constantly making sure that the city was associated with the sport that they were redefining.
While the world watched Iličić weave his magic every week, things weren’t quite right for him. Battles with mental health, as we generally know, aren’t linear. Struggles often come and go and that is precisely what had been going on with the Slovenian, who was reminded of his war-torn Yugoslavia by the sirens that blared through Bergamo during lockdown. It was PTSD.
Iličić was born to a Croatian mother and Slovenian father in modern-day Bosnia when the region was still collectively recognised as Yugoslavia. That is when Yugoslavia was in the middle of ethnic warfare.
When war raged in Bosnia, Iličić’s father died of illness in the city that his family lived in – Prijedor. Iličić later admitted to not knowing what the word ‘Dad’ meant until his schoolmates told him about it.
Soon after, his mother fled to the north Slovenian city of Kranj and took a very young Josip and his brother with her. The Bosnian city they had fleed from – Prijedor, turned out to be one of the most adversely affected regions during the war, which later took the lives of around 5000 people who lived there.
Iličić’s mother worked multiple jobs to make ends meet for the family and it is in Slovenia that Iličić first fell in love with football, as he played the sport after school and was essentially a self-taught player who kicked the ball against a wall at a young age, if he wasn’t skipping school to play with his friends.
His mother later enrolled Iličić into the NK Triglava football club based in Kranj and that is when his footballing journey really kicked off. He initially started with futsal before playing pro football with lower division sides Britof and Bonifika. The decision to stay in the lower divisions was deliberate as he revealed in an interview in 2015 that he only wanted to impress and play more football. In 2008, a move to the top flight with Interblock followed after the club scouted him extensively and his previous clubs had faced huge financial worries.
Interblock didn’t last long in the Slovenian top flight though, as relegation followed and that is when a crucial turning point arrived in Iličić’s life. He considered leaving football to go back to playing futsal, as a move to a Moldovan club fell through because of a fraudulent agent. When no club came calling, Iličić looked for odd jobs and was sitting at home doing just that for two weeks. He even considered premature retirement, until the then sporting director of Slovenian giants Maribor – Zlatko Zahovič, called and offered him a contract.
Iličić’s first two training sessions impressed Maribor boss Darko Milanič so much that he was soon in the first team fold, despite him not having kicked a ball for several weeks before that. Perhaps, that itself is a fine indicator of Iličić’s natural talent.
It was at Maribor that Iličić tasted European football again after doing the same at Interblock, playing in the Europa League qualifying stages twice and he also scored for the club against Hibernian. Weeks later, he also scored against Palermo while playing on the right wing. It was the club he would go on to join and an agreement was already in place before Iličić had even celebrated his goal with the move to Palermo confirmed a day later.
Iličić had grown up watching Serie A icons from the 1990s and just weeks after he had considered leaving the sport, he had become a Serie A player. The Sicilians were in the hunt for attacking quality in the side, as they had sold Edinson Cavani to Napoli in 2010. Iličić’s Maribor teammate Armin Bačinovič also arrived at Palermo but it was the winger who made the bigger impact and Iličić went on to become one of the most important signings even made by famed sporting director Walter Sabatini.
His first goal for Palermo came against Inter as he shared the dressing room with a certain Javier Pastore and played in midfield. Some days later, he also scored against Juventus as Palermo took down the Bianconeri. In his first season in Italy, Iličić scored eight times and racked up eight assists, with some goals being absolute screamers. Even in the limited time, Iličić had made a name for himself. As Pastore left for Paris Saint-Germain soon after, Iličić’s role in the side was going to become more prominent.
But the opposite happened, through not much fault of his own, as Palermo found themselves in a crisis. The club went through multiple managers and Iličić was used in a host of different positions, as he scored just two goals in the 2011/12 season. It was in 2013 though, that Iličić played under Gian Piero Gasperini for the first time.
Back then, Gasperini had arrived at the back of a horror stint at Inter, who had sacked him months after his summer appointment. At Palermo, he made sure that Iličić was a constant presence on the right flank and this sparked the Slovenian’s resurgence, as he scored ten times that season – his highest tally in a single season up to that point. Gasperini was strangely sacked twice by Palermo in the same season but that peculiarity aside, he had given future managers the template on how to use Iličić.
A big move to Fiorentina followed for Iličić, who would play on the right in Vincenzo Montella‘s possession-based system at La Viola. A controlled approach suited him and covered up for his occasional weaknesses in possession, as he scored 37 times in his stint at the Artemio Franchi. He endeared himself to La Viola’s faithful and grew close with the players, finishing the 2014/15 season as the club’s highest goalscorer with ten goals. A move to Atalanta beckoned in the summer of 2017.
In March 2018 though, tragedy struck everyone associated with Fiorentina. Club captain – Davide Astori, died in his sleep in March 2018. Days later, Iličić broke down in tears during Atalanta’s game against Fiorentina and it was clear that the tragedy had affected him deeply.
Later in 2018, Iličić’s own health worsened. He was suffering from lymphadenitis and as his health didn’t improve as expected, he was placed on an antibiotics drip in hospital. The Slovenian later admitted to thinking a lot about the late Astori during those times, as he told Croatian outlet 24Sata:
“In those days I thought a lot about Davide, I was afraid of going to sleep and not waking up, not seeing my loved ones again.”
Those were, as he admitted, difficult times for him. Things did get better, with Iličić reaching his peak under Gasperini at La Dea, propelling them to the Champions League and that is when his stock reached an all-time high, especially after that memorable performance against Valencia. Before the huge game against PSG though, things took a turn again.
The thoughts that had delayed his recovery in 2018 returned during lockdown, coupled with mental health problems and PTSD. Gasperini later revealed that his player had shown signs of isolation already and he was struck down by something worse than COVID.
Gasperini had visited Iličić at the hospital a week before the PSG game and he told Sky Italia:
“I went to see him in hospital. He has lost about 10-12 kilograms… I picked him up like a puppet and said to him: ‘Come, Josip, come with us.”
What Bergamo was going through affected the player, who sought permission from Atalanta to go back to Slovenia, with the club accepting his request. He was, as many reports have suggested, on the verge of retirement. The news of hundreds of people losing their lives to the virus and coffins being carried around the affected city of Bergamo disturbed Iličić, who had witnessed something similar years ago. But he would return and impress again in the 2021/22 season, only for his mental health struggles to return in 2022 when he missed a large part of the campaign.
In the summer of 2022, both parties mutually agreed to terminate Iličić’s contract and he returned to Maribor. Months after his return to his former club, Iličić was handed a pleasant surprise by Atalanta fans, who took their time to meet the ex La Dea hero before their game against Sturm Graz. They greeted him with chants and also unfurled a special banner for him, just showing how invaluable his contributions will always be for the club.
After suffering from fitness problems early on in his stint at Maribor, Iličić looked back to his old self during the 2023/24 season, scoring ten times in domestic competition. It is a fine return to form for someone who has been through so much – physically and mentally. And he was then rewarded with a return to the Slovenian national team.
Whether he features against Portugal remains to be seen, but his very presence in the side makes him a hero for the fans and players alike. If he does get some minutes today, he could definitely make an impact. He is, after all, someone that the game will not forget in a long, long time and he should be considered a role model.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The U.S. needs a win to finish in second place and advance to the knockout stage – and there is a scenario where even that isn’t enough for the Americans to go through.
After a 2-1 defeat to Panama in the second group game, the U.S. needs not only to win but also for Panama not to make up the goal difference with a big win over Bolivia in the other game. It won’t be easy against an Uruguay team that appears to be one of the favourites to life the trophy, and there is a huge amount of speculation in the U.S. that if the Americans aren’t able to advance from the group, that they will part ways with manager Gregg Berhalter.
The manager insists any pressure coming from fans and others outside the program can’t reach the same level of expectation he already holds himself to, but it may be increasingly difficult to block out the external noise. The hope from fans was that the U.S. would – at minimum – advance from the group, but a win against Uruguay won’t come easily.
The U.S. will have to get a victory without Tim Weah, who was sent off in the first half of the loss to Panama and in addition to being suspended for Monday’s match, he also would miss a potential quarter-final contest after CONMEBOL’s disciplinary committee handed down an extra match ban for the offence. He could be replaced by Coventry City’s Haji Wright or Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner came out at halftime in the Panama contest after a collision and has been “limited” in training, Berhalter said Sunday. If the No. 1 can’t start, Ethan Horvath will again take his place.
Uruguay won’t be required to rest any players – though with the South Americans all but qualified for the quarterfinals there likely will be some rotation in the squad – but it won’t have manager Marcelo Bielsa on the bench. After his team returned to the field from halftime late in both of the first two contests, the governing body added Bielsa to a list of suspended coaches that also included Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni and Chile boss Ricardo Gareca.
Bielsa will choose the lineup and, despite the big wins in the first two matches, he has hinted that he won’t play an alternate squad. That would mean the Americans’ back line would need to try to detain forward Darwin Núñez and a Uruguay attack that so far has scored eight goals in two contests and also thumped Mexico 4-0 in a pre-tournament friendly.
No matter where it’s coming from, the pressure is on the U.S. Will they be the first host nation to crash out of the group stage of the Copa América in decades, or will it find a way to get through?
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Portugal will face Slovenia in the Round of 16 at the Frankfurt Arena as superstar Cristiano Ronaldo still searches for his first goal at the tournament.
Roberto Martínez’s side got off to an impressive start at Euro 2024, winning their first two games while scoring five times. With Portugal already qualified heading into the final match of the group stage, Martínez heavily rotated his team with Georgia securing a 2-0 victory.
The Portuguese supporters won’t be too disheartened with their disappointing performance in their third game of the tournament. Portugal showed enough promise in their opening two fixtures for the fans who have travelled to Germany to have plenty of faith in the final weeks of Euro 2024.
Portugal have implemented a possession-based style in the competition, keeping the ball 67.4 per cent of the time, more than any other side. Producing 98 touches inside the opposition box, Martínez’s men have been a constant threat in the final third.
Ronaldo has often been a standout for his country in previous tournaments, but the experienced forward hasn’t quite got going yet at Euro 2024. The 39-year-old is yet to find the back of the net, but thankfully for Portugal, the likes of Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes have chipped in with goals.
Slovenia have been draw-specialists at Euro 2024 so far, securing a single point in all three games. It was enough for Matjaž Kek’s side to gain qualification to the knockout rounds, with their draw against England their standout result.
Averaging less possession (32.7 per cent) and fewer touches inside the opposition box (34) than any other team at the tournament, Slovenia have been a frustrating side to face. Defending deep and looking to counter-attack, Kek’s team have conceded just 0.7 goals per game.
Timi Elšnik has been a key figure in the middle of the park for Kek’s men at Euro 2024, averaging a 7.45 match rating throughout. The 26-year-old midfielder has averaged 1.4 successful tackles per 90 while creating a chance per game, and he will need to be at his best against Portugal who have star-studded options in the centre of the pitch.
Andraž Šporar and Benjamin Šeško play in a two-man attack for Slovenia, but they’re yet to find the back of the net. The centre-forward duo will be looking to break down a strong Portugal defence.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Both Belgium and France have struggled to hit the heights expected of them at Euro 2024, and they are now set to go head-to-head in the Round of 16 stage of the competition.
France haven’t quite got into their groove at Euro 2024 so far, partly due to Kylian Mbappé’s tournament being impacted by injury. The attacking star broke his nose in the opening game, meaning he failed to make an appearance in the second match.
Didier Deschamps’s side have scored just twice in Germany, despite creating 5.9 expected goals. Their resolute defence has helped them reach the knockout rounds, only conceding 0.3 goals per 90 minutes at Euro 2024.
N’Golo Kanté has been influential in the middle of the park for the French, not only producing more successful tackles per 90 minutes than any other player in the squad, but also creating more chances than his team-mates.
With just one goal to his name so far, a penalty against Poland, Deschamps will be hoping to see more of one of his star men before the end of the tournament, Mbappé. France were one of the favourites heading into Euro 2024, but they will need to show more to live up to their expectations.
Belgium’s high-pressing system has brought them some success so far, but their lack of goals will be a worry for Domenico Tedesco. Averaging just 0.7 goals per game, Belgium have been fairly blunt in attack, despite Kevin De Bruyne doing what he does best, creating a host of chances for his team-mates.
The Manchester City midfielder is yet to register an assist at Euro 2024, despite creating 11 opportunities since the tournament got under way. Romelu Lukaku has regularly been on the end of them, averaging 0.56 expected goals per 90 without finding the back of the net.
The threat of Jérémy Doku on either wing will always give the opposition something to think about, with the tricky forward averaging a whopping five successful dribbles per 90 minutes. The likes of Jules Koundé and Theo Hernández will have to be at their best to nullify him on Monday.
Belgium and France might have hoped not to meet each other so early in the knockout stages, and it’s all set to be an interesting encounter, with one of the favourites to lift the trophy pre-tournament going to be heading home in the coming days.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The Round of 16 continues today at EURO 2024. Here are four talking points ahead of the games involving France and Belgium, and Portugal up against Slovenia .
Is Didier Deschamps finally reaching the end of the road?
Euro 2024 has so far been most notable for the ‘established nations’ underperforming, but few have underachieved to the extent that France have. They could only manage two goals in their first three matches, an own goal against Austria and a penalty against Switzerland, while Kylian Mbappé will be playing the remainder of his tournament dressed like Batman after breaking his nose against Austria.
The pressure is, therefore, rising under head coach Didier Deschamps. He’s been in the role for twelve years. In that time, France won the World Cup in 2018 and the Nations League in 2021. But this summer’s underachievement is not what France was expecting, and an early elimination could result in Deschamps being removed from his position too.
Belgium supporters are right to ask what sort of red devilry this is
England aren’t the only team to have been on the end of their own supporters in Germany. At the end of their 1-1 draw with Ukraine, Belgium’s supporters turned on their team to such an extent that Kevin De Bruyne told the players to go to the dressing room.
Expectations are high and Belgium are not delivering. It’s impossible to say how many chances Romelu Lukaku needs to score because he hasn’t scored any yet, while Jérémy Doku has been running very quickly but delivering very little. With the pressure starting to build, it may suit Belgium to start a match as underdogs for once, but what is head coach Domenico Tedesco’s actual plan, here?
Do Portugal have a Cristiano Ronaldo Problem?
Georgia’s 2-0 win against Portugal may have come against a team with eight changes made to it, but it was one of the changes that wasn’t made which hogged many of the headlines.
The diminishment of Cristiano Ronaldo as a player is clear. It’s natural for a 39-year old not to be the player they were a decade ago, and this isn’t to say that he doesn’t bring any value to the team. But it’s also worth asking whether he should start their next match.
Portugal scored five goals in their group, but Ronaldo didn’t contribute any of them. Against Georgia he had just three shots, only one of which was on target, before being replaced by Gonçalo Ramos.
This predates the start of this tournament. He’s only scored twice for his country since last November and there appeared few signs that he would be adding to that tally other than possibly from the penalty spot. It’s not as simple as just dropping him. He’s the team captain and a global icon. The bouts of petulance are an even worse look than usual when he’s not delivering himself, but would Roberto Martínez have the nerve to leave him out?
Can Slovenia get past Portugal by keeping things simple?
Along with fellow group inmates Denmark, Slovenia were one of just two teams in the last 16 to get there without winning a game. This consistency has also been evident in their team selection. Head coach Matjaž Kek has kept things simple with three unchanged teams playing an unsophisticated 4-4-2 formation.
It’s worked. Benjamin Šeško hasn’t been at full fitness, but despite this they’re through to the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time and, against a team with such attacking options as Portugal, it’s likely that defence will be their first priority again. It’s a very big ask indeed, but smaller nations have already made bigger nations extremely uncomfortable this summer.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The defender has struggled, at times, since a move to Chelsea in 2022, while he had made just one appearance for the national team across the last three years. Yet the full-back has been a revelation for Luis de la Fuente’s side this summer, winning mass plaudits for his impressive displays in the competition.
Cucurella has undoubtedly been one of the standout performers of EURO 2024 so far – something that few would have predicted just a couple of months ago. There’s little doubt that the defender’s £62million switch from Brighton to Chelsea has been hugely underwhelming. The 25-year-old has been unable to nail down a starting berth in the Blues’ side, while injuries have continuously hampered his progression in West London.
An ankle knock picked up at the start of the year looked set to curtail his season once more, but a fine run of form to bookend the campaign soon propelled Cucurella back into the Spanish fold. The 25-year-old started each of Chelsea’s last 14 matches of 2023-24, most notably excelling in an inverted full-back role. This saw him recalled to the Spanish national team in March for the first time in three years, with De la Fuente a manager he knew extremely well. The pair had previously worked together with the Spanish under-21s and at the 2020 Olympics, in which Spain claimed a silver medal.
However, the general feeling was still that Cucurella was somewhat fortuitous to receive a call up this summer. De la Fuente has used several left-backs over the year that he has been at the helm of La Roja, but injuries to both José Gayà and Alejandro Baldé paved the way for Cucurella’s inclusion in the 26-man squad. And it’s a decision that has more than paid off.
Cucurella has grasped the opportunity to play in his first major international tournament with both hands, receiving rave reviews for his performances in the group stage. The 25-year-old has seemingly got the nod as Spain’s first choice left-back ahead of Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Álex Grimaldo. Cucurella started both of La Roja’s opening two group games, with De la Fuente’s side earning impressive victories over Croatia and Italy to clinch top spot in Group B. The Spaniard was even included in our MD2 Team of the Round after his stellar display against the Azzurri.
The defender has been criticised for his defensive mishaps during his spell in the Premier League, though that’s been far from the case in Germany this summer. Cucurella has been an imposing figure on the left of the Spanish back-four, with the 25-year-old being dribbled past just once across the two games. He has also won 17 of his 22 duels – the most of any player for Spain. Impressively, his 77% duel success rate is the highest of any defender in the competition to have attempted 20+ duels in the group stage.
He has been an almighty presence within De la Fuente’s side, making the most tackles (six) and interceptions (four) of any Spanish player in the competition. In fact, one Spanish journalist claimed that it felt like there had been “five Cucurellas” in the 1-0 victory over Italy. The left-back has been superb in 1v1 situations, comfortably marshalling both Lovro Majer and Federico Chiesa. He has won possession 10 times at EURO 2024, with only Fabián Ruiz doing so on more occasions for Spain (21).
Cucurella has also forged a fantastic partnership with winger Nico Williams down Spain’s left flank. The left-back’s defensive solidity has afforded Williams the freedom to fearlessly drive forward while safe knowing that he has the defender supporting behind him. Cucurella’s marauding runs forward have become an all-too-common sight in this Spanish side, with his surges forward creating space for the deadly Williams to exploit. The 25-year-old often looks to underlap the wide-man by floating into the left half-space and drawing opposition markers out of position, with the duo collaborating to devastating effect in the Italy victory.
The Chelsea full-back also has a huge involvement in Spain’s build-up. Cucurella has shown that he is extremely comfortable in possession, constantly combining with Williams and Ruiz on the left-hand side. Indeed, he has completed the third most passes of any Spain player in the opposition half across the tournament (53). The defender has been extremely efficient on the ball and boasted a 98% pass completion rate against Italy (completing 52/53 passes).
Spain have been one of the top performers at EURO 2024, and Cucurella has undoubtedly been a huge factor in their supreme showings. La Roja became just the second side in European Championships history to maintain an 100% group stage record without conceding a goal (after Italy at EURO 2020 – who went on to win the competition).
After being rested for La Roja’s dead rubber group game against Albania, Cucurella is set to come straight back into the side for their Round of 16 clash with Georgia. Though following his fantastic displays, his inclusion this time out should come as no surprise at all.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
The Round of 16 continues today at EURO 2024. Here are four talking points ahead of the games involving England and Slovakia, and Spain against knockout stage debutants Georgia.
England blood-letting has started earlier than anticipated…
Following another abomination of a performance against Slovenia in their final group match, England’s traditional big tournament soul-searching has begun earlier than we’ve previously been used to under Gareth Southgate.
Prior to Southgate’s 2016 appointment, England hadn’t gotten past the first match of the knockout stages of a major tournament in a decade. This hasn’t happened since, but expectations have risen accordingly and the result of this has been an earlier than expected degree of blood-letting.
England have played Slovakia six times previously and won five of them, drawing the other one. But the last two of those wins were only by the odd goal, while their only draw came in the finals of Euro 2016. Anything less than a comfortable win and the noise will likely reach new levels.
…but they underestimate Slovakia at their own risk
When Czechoslovakia beat the Netherlands and West Germany to win the 1976 Euros, eight of their starting eleven were Slovaks. That’s some serious football heritage.
But the present day doesn’t look too bad for Slovakia either. Attention was focused on the shortcomings of their opponents when they beat Belgium 1-0 in their opening match, but although losing to Ukraine from a winning position, both they and final match opponents Romania really went at each other in their final match even though a Disgrace of Gijon-esque stitch-up would have put both through with a draw.
Head coach Francesco Calzona is a former assistant to Maurizio Sarri, so there’s a strong Serie A feel about his team and their success this summer has come about through being well-drilled and a definite tactical plan. England underestimate this team at their own risk.
Georgia have been quietly building up a head of steam
They’ve been the surprise package of the tournament so far, but can Georgia go further now they’re in the knockout stages? The task ahead is daunting. Spain have been one of the two or three most impressive teams in this tournament so far, after all.
But as we saw against Portugal, this team doesn’t lack spirit, breaks at extremely high speed, and has, in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, one of the stars of this summer. Their performances have made something of a mockery of their 75th place in the FIFA rankings.
Georgia had been working towards this moment. Defeat against Türkiye, a draw against Czechia, and then that win against Portugal. If they can maintain that sort of trajectory – and considering how comprehensive the Portugal win was, who’d bet against it? – then one of the biggest shock results in the history of this tournament isn’t unimaginable.
Recent form against Georgia is very much in Spain’s favour
There’s little question that Spain have been one of Euro 2024’s outstanding performers so far, but what you do in the group stages counts for nothing if you slip up in the knockouts, and for Spain, having to play Georgia has the potential to be a huge banana skin.
But Spain were drawn against them in qualification not only for this tournament, but also for the World Cup which preceded it, and the omens from those four meetings bodes extremely favourably for the second-favourites, with four wins; 2-1, 4-0, 7-0 and 3-1. Watching neutrals will want Georgia to continue their fairytale, but the cold, hard reality is that the form book favours Spain, and very heavily indeed.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Back in March 2022, Kvaratskhelia arrived at Dinamo Batumi, in his native Georgia, after suspending his contract with Rubin Kazan due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He was already highly regarded back home, but even Davitadze did not expect the young winger to impress him as much as he did in his first training session at the club.
“He was amazing.” The Dinamo Batumi analysis coach recalls to FotMob. “In the first training session the first time he touched the ball I remember thinking ‘oh my god I have never seen a player of this level.’”
Kvaratskhelia only spent a few months at Dinamo Batumi before being picked up by Napoli. However, in those six months he left an indelible impression on Davitadze.
“He did an amazing job at Dinamo Batumi and took us to the next level. His time was short, but he did his job very good.
“Every home game was full of supporters and our opponent teams’ supporters supported him. Everyone wanted to see him play. Wherever we went we fans came to watch him play.”
Having bamboozled Portugal’s defence at Euro 2024, it’s easy to see why fans would flock to watch him play. Yet there was a time when not everyone was convinced of his talent. Dinamo Tbilisi’s former academy director Andres Carrasco remembers having to convince the club’s scouts to bring Kvaratskhelia to the club.
“He was ten years old when he came to the club [Dinamo Tbilisi],” Carrasco recalls.
“I remember that day when we were watching him play. I remember some coaches were having doubts about him. There were some who believed that he won’t progress. But I saw something in him and so we signed him eventually.”
Carrasco came from La Masia’s renowned academy, and he had witnessed Lionel Messi’s development first hand, he knew his intuition would be proved right.
The scrawny Kvaratskhelia would torment his opponents time and time again at academy level and quickly progressed through the ranks at Dinamo Tbilisi.
“He came through our whole system from the very beginning. The first time I saw him, he looked quite similar to how he does now. That’s the great thing about these types of players. It was the same with Messi.
“Khvicha was always very skinny and looked like he could disassemble at any moment, but he made it very difficult for the defenders He was breaking defenders like now and doing the same things. When he was competing against the same age and one year older, and he was beating players all the time, he was brave in one vs one and he had that smartness to find the pass no one could.”
Another factor that helped Kvaratskhelia’s early development was the influence of his father, according to Carrasco.
Kvaratkhelia’s father, Badri, was a professional footballer who played close to a decade in Azerbaijan and even went onto represent the country at senior international level.
“Our environment was crucial for him, but also his father is football-mad,” Carrasco says.
“When a player like this comes into your environment and a father who knows what he wants for his son, it helps you a lot. I think that’s the best, and our facilities were able to give him the best chance to develop and grow.”
“He had some difficulties; it wasn’t always so easy for him. I think the good thing that he had was that his family was a football family and they supported him and they always found a way to instil his personality on him and make him the brave guy he is today.”
In the end, Kvaratskhelia would go onto make his name in Russia before returning to Georgia to play for Dinamo Tbilisi’s rivals in Batumi.
He was only 21 years old at the time, but Davitadze remembers a player who was years ahead of his peers when it came to his maturity on and off the pitch.
“He loved training everyday,” Davitadze says. “He liked to do additional training. He would train during the day, go home rest and then come back to train again in the evening.
“The first time he came back I asked him ‘what are you doing here?’ and he said: ‘I’m here to train.’ So, I went with him to watch, he took the balls and started to dribble, and then shoot. He was always working very hard.
“He loved to put in hard-work, and he also loved doing rondos. In the rondo he was amazing, his skills, his first touch, it was brilliant. He was always trying to win, even in training. He was always very determined.”
Off the pitch, Davitadze remembers spending hours with Kvaratskhelia studying the opposition before every game.
“Before the games he would always watch the opposition defenders who would play against him, and he studied the defenders’ weak side and stuff like this. He would always ask me questions about the opponents’ weaknesses.”
When it came to beating opponents on the pitch that knowledge and Kvaratskhelia’s years of practise made him a formidable opponent.
“Before he receives the ball, he has already made a decision on how to continue to play, and he not only has one plan, but he also has different solutions to beat defenders. I think in modern football this attribute is a big advantage.”
Kvaratskhelia has already made history with Georgia at Euro 2024. He will take on Spain in the round of 16 on Sunday hoping to cause problems to a defence that is yet to concede a goal at the tournament. Davitadze hopes Kvaratskhelia’s mercurial quality will spring up even more surprises along the way.
“He’s a very important player for Georgia and I hope he will write even more history to make Georgian people very happy.”
Still only 23 years old, he is already regarded by many as Georgia’s best ever player. Davitadze could not agree more.
“In the history of Georgia, we have had many talented Georgian players but now I can say he is the best player that we have ever had in our football history. He did everything for this.”
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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After making history to reach their first major tournament as an independent nation, few people were expecting Georgia to make it to the knockout rounds of Euro 2024 but after stunning Portugal in their final match to win 2-0, Willy ’s side managed to do just that.
Sagnol insisted before the tournament that his team weren’t there simply to make up the numbers and, in their performances so far, it’s clear to see that he wasn’t wrong in making that statement.
Georgia have arguably been the most entertaining side to watch in this edition of the UEFA European Championship, their three games thus far witnessing eight goals in total and with their gifted, exciting attacking line in particular, they’ve already received the plaudits of fans and pundits around the continent.
Headlined by Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – who scored in their final group stage match – their counter-attacking system has helped them to catch their opposition off-guard and has seen them remain a threat in matches right up until the final whistle, as witnessed in their dramatic 3-1 defeat to Türkiye.
That approach has aided striker Georges Mikautadze to net three goals to date, the most of any player in the competition heading into the knockout rounds. In him, Georgia have a real focal point, a player who is as comfortable with finishing his chances as he is at holding up the ball in order to help his side advance up the field.
But at the Round of 16 stage, he’s set for his hardest assignment yet as he and his team face Spain, the only side who are still yet to concede at Euro 2024 and the only side to have ever scored seven goals past them in an international fixture.
Much like hosts Germany, the Spaniards entered this tournament in the conversation as ‘the best of the rest’ with many feeling that their overall squad lacked the experience needed to win the title this time around. In spite of that, their performances in the group stage have done plenty to see them rise in many people’s expectations and it’s fair to say that they are now one of the favourites to take home the title.
Luis de la Fuente’s side eased through this edition’s ‘group of death’, beating Croatia, Italy, and Albania along the way while scoring five goals in the process and keeping three clean sheets. That also gave him the ability to rest key players in their final group match which could be key in this encounter, including 16-year-old Lamine Yamal who has continued his meteoric rise with a couple of stand-out appearances to date.
He’ll be thrust into the spotlight again in this intriguing encounter that sees Spain enter as heavy favourites, but they’ll need to be extremely wary of this Georgia team who pack a punch, and have already won the hearts of many football fans at Euro 2024.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
