Several claim that England has the greatest pressure on them before the European Championship final. Antonio Conte, however, believes that the opponent has a weak point.
Captain Giorgio Chiellini (36) says that Italy are not afraid until they go into action as an “away team” at Wembley on Sunday night at 21.
The stopper star still suggests that he long ago noticed how strong the English European Championship national team looks.
Like Marco Verratti, who has previously stated that England have extra pressure on them since they have never won the European Championships, Chiellini is concerned with the English’s many qualities and broad European Championship stables.
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The Juventus veteran points out to the TV channel RAI Sport that he already saw England as a strong winning candidate before the championship. The statements are also reproduced by Football Italia and the Daily Mail.
– We thought we would meet Spain or France in the semifinals, since they were big favorites. They had all the quality needed and experience from championships. I thought France was one step ahead of the rest, so I assumed that our path to the final would be Belgium, France and England, says the 36-year-old, and continues:
– I immediately thought that England would be a serious candidate to win the European Championships. They have qualities and are physical strength, are solid and well organized. They may not be as entertaining, but very difficult to beat.
– The bench could have won the European Championship
Chiellini points out that England reached the European Championship semi-finals three years ago, and that the set-up, with six of seven matches at Wembley, has made it likely that they would reach the final now.
The Italian captain also admits that he is an admirer of the captain’s colleague at “Three Lions”. He says Harry Kane made a good impression on him already in one of his first international matches against Italy in Turin.
But not least, he is also impressed with the choices England manager Gareth Southgate has on the substitutes’ bench.
– England is not just about Kane. They also have a unique player who attacks from the edge. Their bench could have won the European Championship alone, Chiellini believes, and points out that Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Phil Foden took their place among the substitutes against Denmark.
– It will be a big football match, neither team will be afraid, and we will have respect for each other, says Giorgio Chiellini.
With as many as 32 games in a row without a loss under national team manager Roberto Mancini’s leadership, it is perhaps no wonder that the Italians also have the confidence in place.
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Pointing to England problems
Former Italy and Inter coach Antonio Conte knows English football well from his years as Chelsea manager. He is impressed with his home country’s performance in the European Championships, at the same time as he has some things to blame on final opponent England.
– A weak point is that the defense is stressed when they build the play from behind. They are not as good as Spain at getting away from the pressure. But, if you push them very hard and they still get out, you have to watch out for the speed they have in the attack, Conte analyzes to Gazzetta dello Sport.
– Unlike Spain, which tends to play the ball backwards, they always try to attack you one-on-one. Many praise Harry Kane for his ability to get the ball and play others on the team, as when England equalized against Denmark, Conte warns, and adds:
– He is of course good at it too, but it is in the field he is really effective. As a coach, I would always have had him there, because there he destroys the opponents.
The coaching profile points out that England creates balance with the two deep-seated midfielders, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips, but that the duo often play on the safe and rarely in the longitudinal direction.
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