After falling on the easy side of the knockout stages, England face Slovakia in the last 16 of the European Championship on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen, while Spain look to thwart newcomers Georgia in Cologne.
Coach Gareth Southgate hopes that the “Three Lions” team will benefit from being on a side that includes medium-sized teams, while strong teams such as Germany, France, Spain and Portugal are on the other side.
If they overcome Slovakia, the English team, which is seeking its first continental title in its history, will meet the winner between Italy and Switzerland, who meet on Saturday.
England has not yet justified its candidacy for the title, as it narrowly beat Serbia 1-0, before drawing with Denmark 1-1 and Slovenia without goals.
“If people are negative, it’s because they expect a lot from you, which is a positive thing,” said Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon, who could be in line to feature. “If we want to stop that, we have to play well and give people what they want to see.”
The attacking quartet of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, who scored 114 goals for their clubs last season, failed to steal the spotlight in the continental tournament.
They appeared to be a disjointed unit, putting manager Southgate under further pressure and having beer cans thrown at him by the crowd as he tried to celebrate qualification with them.
Foden, 24, joined the runners-up squad after a short trip to attend the birth of his third child.
In light of the weakness on the left side as a result of the injury of full-back Luke Shaw and Foden’s drift towards the interior, Gudron may find a place for himself despite playing only a few minutes in the current tournament. “My main strength is that I am direct. “I am fast and a nightmare to anyone who encounters me.”
Will Southgate stick with his squad?
“I think that with Harry, who likes to play deep, I form an additional element to the team,” continued the player looking for a first start in an official competition.
Kobe Maino is expected to participate in the midfield, after the 19-year-old appeared in the second half against Slovenia.
Southgate must also give a role to Cole Palmer, who had England’s only shot in the second half against Slovenia. The Chelsea playmaker was in fine form last season, scoring 26 goals.
But Southgate stuck to his starting line-up, making just one change when he brought on Conor Gallagher for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the third game.
Southgate has experience in major tournaments, knowing that his team also scored two goals in the group stage of the last European Cup before reaching its first major final in 55 years and losing on penalties to Italy.
As for Slovakia, which qualified among the top four after beating Belgium 1-0 and drawing with Romania 1-1, in its third participation as an independent country since 1993, it is looking to reach the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time in its history. In Cologne, Spain faces Georgia with contradictory morale, as it is the only team to have scored a full nine points without conceding a goal in the group stage, including a huge victory over Croatia, opening 3-0, then Italy, the defending champion, 1-0.
Before the round of 16, 16-year-old Lamine Jamal learned that he had passed the country’s compulsory high school final exams.
The Barcelona player shone in the first two matches before coach Luis de la Fuente rested him in the third, after La Roja had secured their ticket.
The Moroccan-origin player told Onda Cero radio on Thursday, “I came out of training and was told that (the results) were good. “I passed the exams and saw my grades on my mobile phone, so I closed the application and called my mother to inform her.”
But Jamal will move on to the other test for his country, which has won the title a record three times. “Everything we achieved in the group stage does not matter if we are eliminated on Sunday.”
“We’ve played them before, but we know it won’t be a similar game,” the teenage winger continued.
Spain defeated Georgia 7-1 in the qualifiers in September 2023, in a match in which Jamal became the youngest player and scorer for his country.
If Jamal, who turns 17 on July 13, the day before the final, scores against Georgia or any future round, he will become the youngest scorer in the history of the tournament after becoming the youngest to participate at the start of the current finals.
The Swiss record is held by Johann Vonlanten, who scored against France in the 2004 edition at the age of 18 years and 141 days.
Although they are not favourites to win the title, Spain, which dominated world football between 2008 and 2012, winning the European Championship twice and the 2010 World Cup, hopes to regain the dominance it built on quick, ground passes.
- “I will inform the police”
However, in the 2022 World Cup, it lacked the efficiency currently provided by Jamal and the young Nico Williams on the wings.
Defender Alex Grimaldo told AFP: “When you have two similar wingers, the opposing team will worry.” He continued, “They give you the advantage in all individual confrontations.”
This is an efficiency that is not reflected in the possession rate of 50% against Croatia, which was the lowest for Spain in 16 years.
However, Jamal’s Barcelona teammate Ferran Torres seems satisfied with what he is offering, joking: “He should be suspended for what this 16-year-old is offering. I will report him to the police after July 14… Let him help us win first.”
If Spain qualifies, it will meet the winner between host Germany and Denmark.
On the other hand, Georgia hopes to participate for the first time in its history, by continuing its good journey, after collecting four points in the group stage from a draw with the Czech Republic (1-1) and a victory over Portugal 2-0.
Led by French coach Willy Sagnol, it is counting on its star, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and the tournament’s top scorer, George Mykotadze (3 goals).