Euro 2020

ENGLAND boss Gareth Southgate took a big gamble on Arsenal whizkid Bukayo Saka for the crucial Group D clash with the Czech Republic.The 19-year-old Emirates speed king was picked on the right ahead of other more illustrious names — including Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Bukayo Saka completely vindicated Gareth Southgate’s surprise decision to start him against the Czechs, especially in the first halfCredit: Getty
Rested ace Phil Foden beamed as England won their group – but he might face a tough job reasserting himself in the teamCredit: Getty
Jadon Sancho set the Bundesliga alight for Borussia Dortmund but England boss Gareth Southgate only used him as a late sub for Bukayo SakaCredit: Getty
SunSport’s DAN KING assesses his performance.
SAKA kept it simple for the most part and rarely, if ever, failed to find a team-mate with his short-range passing.
His decision-making — whether to go backwards, sideways or forwards — was spot-on, helped by the fact that he is essentially two-footed.
There were times when his team-mates failed to make the most of his clear thinking in transition and he tried to show a little more range to his distribution.
If there was one area to criticise about his performance, it was probably his final pass.
A first-half free-kick from a promising position was poor and a strong run down the right came to nothing because of an underwhelming cross.
But it feels unfair to dwell on this when so much of what he did was good.

THE Arsenal kid’s first run of the night, from his own half, past Tomas Soucek and up towards the final third, led to Raheem Sterling’s goal and Saka never looked back.
Czech left-back Jan Boril started the game more than ten years Saka’s senior and must have felt even older by the end.
Most of England’s best moments of the first half involved him running with the ball and taking players on: who knew that might be a good idea?
Those who had hoped to see Jadon Sancho teasing and terrorising defenders should have been more than satisfied by Saka’s directness and daring, in the opening 45 minutes at least.
He was less dangerous and thrusting in the second period, admittedly, but so were England as a whole.

HE barely had a kick for the first ten minutes but soon after, he showed the potential of the diagonal ball in behind with a good run in the channel.
Saka showed willingness to drop deep at times, and to vary his starting position from the touchline to well inside, or even to pop up on the left.
If you were being picky, you might say he could have been more dynamic in his off-the-ball runs at times, just to keep the Czechs guessing and make space for others.
The 19-year-old was not in the team to defend but when he had to, he showed the nous he had gained playing in those areas for the Gunners.
It was rarely anything goal-saving, but he did make a key interception early in the second half.

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JADON who? Phil what? Saka grabbed the opportunity to stake his claim for a place in the starting XI.
It seems  Southgate does not feel Sancho’s attacking gifts outweigh concerns over his work-rate. 
There are no such fears with Saka, whose all-round attributes arguably make him a better fit for Southgate’s way of playing.
Saka did more to drive the team forward than Phil Foden managed in the first two group games.
The Manchester City man may well be preferred for England’s last-16 match on the basis of his Champions League and big-match experience.
But at the very least, Saka has given Southgate food for thought.
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ONE lucky England fan went home with Jack Grealish’s shirt after watching the Three Lions star help his side to victory over the Czech Republic.The popular Aston Villa star went over to clap the fans after the game.
One England fan took a leap of faith to catch Jack Grealish’s shirtCredit: Getty
The victorious supporter beats off the competition to reach the shirtCredit: Getty
And he gave one supporter the opportunity of a lifetime.
Having been substituted in the 68th minute for Jude Bellingham, Grealish had removed his No7 shirt.
He threw it into the first row, with a gang of England fans hoping to get their hands on it.
And the one that did took a leap of faith to do so.
He climbed onto a blue sheet covering unused seats at the front of the stand.
And after Grealish’s throw wasn’t quite in his direction, he leapt across the aisle to catch the shirt.
With a huge grin on his face, the victorious, man-bunned supporter jumped into the air in glee, before clambering back onto the blue sheet.
His mood would have already been a good one, after seeing England clinch top spot in Group D with a 1-0 win.
Grealish, 25, set up Raheem Sterling’s winner with a smart dribble and crossCredit: Reuters
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Grealish may not have got on the scoresheet, but the fans’ favourite did grab an extremely useful assist.
The Villa midfielder, 25, set up Raheem Sterling in the 12th minute to score what turned out to be the winner.
England will next to be in action on Tuesday, when they face the runners-up of Group F in the Round of 16.
Fans will be looking at the prospect of facing the likes of Germany, France or Portugal with trepidation.
But with a certain set of results, the Three Lions could still face HUNGARY in the next round.

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JUST 44 days after leaving Villa Park in a protective boot, Harry Maguire was back at full throttle.He delivered the blocks and the tackles. He used that famously large head to steer the ball away from danger.
Manchester United star Harry Maguire returned for EnglandCredit: Getty
One of the few genuine leaders in this England team, the Manchester United skipper constantly shouted instructions at his back four, marshalling them to perfection when the Czechs launched their raids.
And there was that much under-appreciated but equally important part of his game – the defence-splitting pass out from the back.
He unleashed Kane on one occasion but equally, provided a quality passing link to the midfield which, for all his brave efforts in the first two games, Tyrone Mings was unable to do.
If England are to do anything at this tournament – and the jury may still be out – it was vital to get Maguire back in the heart of that England defence.
Harry Maguire returned from the ankle injury that ruled him out the end of the seasonCredit: Getty
And with Jordan Henderson appearing for the first time at Euro2020, in place of Declan Rice at half-time, England’s team started to have more of a familiar look.
Although both Maguire and Henderson play in different positions, it is still something of a shock to see them both featuring on the pitch before Jadon Sancho.
And it is strange, that after two successive clean sheets in Euro2020, it was a relief to see such a key player back in Gareth Southgate’s team.
But having Maguire back on the left-hand side of central defence is one reason why England will have renewed hope when they.return to Wembley next Tuesday.
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And the highlight of Maguire’s evening was a stunningly clean, brilliantly-timed-tackle just after the hour mark on the Czech’s Tomas Holes.
So now, Southgate must keep the same back four for the game
Compared to the first match against Croatia, Southgate has already made four changes to the back line so they need to settle.
It seemed as though Maguire’s hopes and dream of starring here at Euro2020 – along with leading his team out in the final of the Europa League – had been crushed the moment he fell awkwardly following a collision with Anwar El Ghazi in United’s 3-1 win at Aston Villa on May 9.
England beat the Czech Republic and are set for Euro 2020’s Last 16
These type of injuries normally take about six weeks. And this was the case with Maguire returning to competitive action six weeks and two days after he left the pitch in such discomfort.
With ankle ligament issues, there is always a chance they could flare up when a player returns to full-throttle, contact football.
We can only hope Maguire wakes up this morning and feels fresh and ready for action.
Maguire was never going to make it against Villarreal in Gdansk and it remains farcical that at his pre-match press conference in Poland, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to rule his captain out of the final. Ahead of the final training session, Solskjaer said:
“Harry is just going to jog up and down the sideline, I reckon.”

In fact, Maguire was unable to run properly but his recovery has been speedy and has surprised Southgate and his medical staff.
You had to have some sympathy for Mings.
The Aston Villa defender hardly covered himself in glory during England’s opening warm-up clash against Austria, a 1-0 win in Middlesbrough, when he floored Sasa Kalajdzic with an off-the-ball forearm smash.
Mings, along with the rest of his back four, was handed some major problems by Romania despite the team winning by the solitary goal but he was pretty solid in both the Croatia and Scotland games. And at least he got a run-out when replacing John Stones.
Once again, England featured a much-changed defence with Kyle Walker – who was not even on the substitute’s bench for the Scotland game – coming in at right-back.

Apart from playing a part in the winning goal against Croatia, Walker did not play particularly well as he kept passing to imaginary team-mates, something which is never helpful.
But Walker was much better last night. He made fewer mistakes and generally looked more comfortable on the ball.
As for Henderson, he looked terrible in his 45-minute run-out against Austria in Middlesbrough but it was his first game since February. This second-half performance was much-needed and you would expect him to start in the last 16 tie.
So overall, Southgate will be satisfied. England have not been sensational. But top of the group, no goals conceded and with Maguire and Henderson back on the pitch, they are certainly in reasonable shape.
They just need the team’s other Harry to remember where the goal is.
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