Kevin Whitcher
It might be a television treat splitting the games over four evenings for the Euro quarter finals but it does put the teams that played in the third and fourth games at a disadvantage in terms of recovery. The last World Cup saw four quarter finals played on Friday and Saturday, the semis on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the final on Sunday. France gives us quarter finals from Thursday to Sunday, then semis on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a final on Sunday.
I’d venture that the team that qualifies from the first semi-final will have an advantage over their opponents, with the latter having only two days between their matches. Still, if it is France, the hosts will have enjoyed the advantage of having their matches previous to this in the tournament nicely spread out, so perhaps things can be seen to even themselves out in the end.
Portugal have progressed to the semi-finals without winning a match in 90 minutes, and of the two matches they have won, Thursday’s against Poland required penalties. It started so well, with two goals in the first half, but then became more cagey than we wanted to see. Poland have disappointed a little in the tournament. Lewandowski looks like he has played too many matches, and it’s no surprise to say similar about a lot of the players who have not performed to their potential. It’s a common theme and no-one can see it changing anytime soon. If the 2022 World Cup does actually go ahead in Qatar in the middle of the season, it will be interesting to see whether players look fresher. Anyway, Portugal, in spite of rarely looking convincing as a team, seem to have mastered the art of survival football. Penalty shoot-outs are ultimately a lottery, so Italy have gone home and Portugal survive. Yet Italy have been by far the better team. Luck of the draw. If Iceland had not scored a late winner against Austria, then Cristiano and his chums would have been in the other half of the draw, playing England in the last 16 and France in the quarter final.
They will instead be meeting Wales in the semi-final. One thing that Wales’ progress has done is remove all and any excuses that England might have clung to for their own lack of progress. In fairness, Belgium were the first top notch team that Wales have faced in the tournament so far (England quite obviously not being one). I thought that although they had a chance, Hazard and company would probably come good. And it was a closer match than the scoreline suggests, but Wales defended better, and took their opportunities when they came. I certainly think they could beat Portugal, although a lot will depend on how they perform without Aaron Ramsey, who has been one of the standout players of the tournament.
Ramsey’s form has been an eye opener for many, who are justified in wondering why he rarely plays with such influence at Arsenal. Obviously the Wales system is different, with a 3-5-2 formation. Ramsey plays as one of the two more advanced central midfielders with a licence to roam. It is actually an echo of the system Arsenal played under Bruce Rioch, and maintained for the season when Arsene Wenger took over. However, Arsenal have played four at the back since the summer of 1997, although at times, they have often gone with only one true holding midfielder, especially in recent seasons, Ramsey has only really enjoyed one period (at the start of the 2013-14 season) when he consistently matched the form he is now demonstrating for Wales.
I think the certainty of the Welsh system under Chris Coleman has certainly helped Ramsey, and dare I say it, there seems to be greater team spirit amongst the Wales players than there is at Arsenal. So organization and determination. Remember all those Wenger quotes praising the “team speeerreeet” and “mental strength”? Uh? These are two areas in which the squad is patently lacking and nothing is going to change until the comfort bubble culture at the club changes, and that can’t happen until a new manager arrives. Imagine Antonio Conte or Diego Simeone were arriving at the Emirates. We would see a different level of performance.
I digress. I think Wales can actually get to the final even without Ramsey, but ultimately, it will depend on keeping Cristiano Ronaldo quiet. He has had one decent match out of five so far in the finals. Another player who is running on empty. However, Portugal have managed to be fairly tight defensively so far in the knockout rounds. It’s a difficult one to call. Having beaten Belgium though, the Welsh have no reason to fear anyone.
Germany v Italy was an old school classic, a war of attrition from which the victors might suffer. The Germans lose four players for the semi-final, three to injury and Matt Hummels to suspension. They will have to dig deep to compensate. Mesut Ozil played superbly, although the quality of his team-mates might be a factor here. They do not waste opportunities with the same frequency that we see from the Gunners, but then again, Theo Walcott hasn’t got a drop of German blood in him. It just shows what Arsenal could achieve if they were prepared to pay the going rate for quality rather than pile the cash in the bank. Ozil needs talented players to work off. The Italian defence is better than any park the bus merchants that come to the E******s in the Premier League, but Ozil and company were able to breach it. It was only the lunacy of Boateng that meant extra time and a penalty shoot out were required.
As for the pens, what can you say? Germany miss three out of five and still go through. Madness. As for this trying to psyche the keeper out nonsense… I can only assume Zaza did not try that in training. How ironic that Conte put him on just for the shoot-out. As for tactics, interesting to see Joachim Low thought about the opposition and how specifically to counter it by changing his formation. He is an excellent manager and one wonders if he will ever manage at club level or simply remain as the German boss until he calls it a day or is relieved of duty. Six consecutive major tournament semi-finals is some going.
France gave Iceland a hammering, but even in defeat the Icelanders played with spirit and scored twice. In terms of their defensive resilience, I think this was just a game too far for them. In addition, France have improved as the tournament has gone on, and seem to be hitting their optimum at just the right time. Even Olivier Giroud is looking like a top quality forward (although it helps a lot to be playing in a 4-4-2 with Griezmann as his partner) and so far, you have to say that Karim Benzema has not been missed. With no suspensions and no injuries, and with home advantage, the dice seem to be falling for the French. Although in the perceived tougher half of the draw, they have so far faced the Republic of Ireland and Iceland. Now they face a depleted and quite possibly tired German side. It might be a tournament of surprises, but I don’t think too many would now be surprised to see them lift the trophy next Sunday.
So in conclusion, a tournament in which certain of Arsenal’s internationals have been playing very well – Ramsey, Ozil, Giroud and also Koscielny have made the last four. If the Gunners were the equal to the sum of their parts they would have some team. Thoughts after the semi-finals on Friday.
