Euro 2020: England against Italy, pace or calm?

Euro 2020: England against Italy, pace or calm?

 

Is it going Rome or coming home? Euro 2020 final is upon us... (Photo credit: Sky Sport)

The weekend is here, extraordinary with two games of immense significance, wherever you are, on whatever side of the divide you are, Lionel Messi has laid to rest the conversations around international trophy, but will the 3Lions have something else to talk about outside 1966?

Football is a beautiful game, you have no idea how much the final appearance means to everyone in the United Kingdom, while haters from across the border are calling on Emperor Mancini to rescue them from the jaws of ignominy from their English Lords, the home fans think differently.

Bobby Moore shook the Queen 55 years ago and we’re not done hearing about it, Denmark couldn’t stop them, was it a penalty? Could the officiating have been better? That will be heard on some other days, but today, it’s about a chance for the boys of the Queen to try again.

A semifinal berth was celebrated like the title itself in 2018, 1996 was as close as they could get, Gareth Southgate blasted over from six yards out and the rest is history, the question is: Will these crops make amends?

Italy want the title too, there’s a huge expectation from the fans back in the beautiful city of Rome, will the boys find a way into the hall of fame like the men that took the laws into their own hands on another European soil in 2006?

None of the 2006 squad is in the current crop but they can draw inspiration from the class as they very much have loud voices on social media, hoping the unheralded will rise above the noisy English boys, what will be the decider?

Pace against calm, the ageing Georgie Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci have both defied odds, went through the group stage unscathed, they went past Belgium and Spain and came out alive, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka are a different ball game, can they contain them?

What can stop England?

Gareth Southgate will have to be brave, he won’t stop playing his double pivot, Jorginho and Marco Verratti will most definitely prove too technical for them, when push comes to shove, the go-to will be to remove Saka for Jack Grealish, will that work in the final?

Italy will be calm, England will have the adrenaline rush, the final is upon us, is it coming home or going to Rome? Time will tell…