Moments of release as the Euro 2020 pressure gets greater

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( July 02, 2021 [The Independent]( Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney Moments of release, as the pressure gets greater [Oscars image]( Those around the England camp can already see the transformation in Harry Kane. It was even commented upon how he was nailing more putts. He’s in the zone. That’s what a first goal does. That’s how a top striker thinks, as Gareth Southgate discussed. He pointed to the natural comparison with Alan Shearer. “I played with Alan in ’96 and the change in him once he got that goal [against Switzerland]. I remember being in China and it was another game without a goal and you could sense how it was for him. So that will be a high release for [Kane], there is no question about that. “I think the life of a centre forward is a lot of pressure. There is a huge expectation and although at times it would feel from the outside it is a glamorous position to be in and they certainly get paid well, but it comes with immense pressure and expectation and I think it is important as a manager to understand that and have empathy with that. Not only is there the public expectation but there is an inherent desire and drive that centre forwards have that if you win the game they don’t score and they are irritated. They cannot help that. That is the mindset of the top players. So that will have been perfect for him.” There might even be a better comparison than Shearer, given the stage of the tournament we’re at. While the England striker scored from the first game in 1996, Paolo Rossi didn’t start until the second round of the 1982 World Cup. He had faced even more criticism and pressure than Kane, but ended up being the most decisive player in the greatest prize of all. It’s just that Kane may not be the only player in the tournament who feels like Rossi. *** Alvaro Morata has been one of the figures of Euro 2020, and also offered one of the most engaging storylines. It was hard not to feel happy for him after he thrashed home that brilliant goal against Croatia - one of the finishes of the tournament - given everything he’s been through and the amount of criticism he’s received. Some in Spain wouldn’t be so magnanimous about it, as Morata and his entourage have irritated figures at a few of the major clubs. Either way, that goal also ensured the story isn’t over yet. There’s more to come, maybe much more. There is still the possibility that Morata silences a few of his critics in England, too. A lot still has to happen for that, but it suddenly looks that bit more likely. Spain have undergone their own psychological evolution in the tournament, and Morata personifies the team to a certain degree. It is as if the talent is there, but needs the release. It is also why the win over Croatia was so significant in so many ways. There was first of all the way Spain seemed to descend into their most parodic sense of farce yet. Just when you thought it was impossible for the joke about Spain’s possession to have a new punchline, they literally passed the ball into the net, before somehow squandering a 3-1 lead so late when they were so comfortable. But this is also what inspires confidence. There wasn’t the usual panic. Spain dug in. They fought back. The players who could have been the villains became heroes. Unai Simon made two crucial saves he had no right to make, one at 2-1 then another in extra-time at 3-3. Morata offered that goal. Spain ended up winning the game twice over, and they certainly have the goals to do that. *** This breathless tournament’s rest days have finally allowed a bit of space for other football news, although there is the possibility that club football might have forced the agenda again. The headlines have been that sensational. Both of the long-awaited managerial appointments at Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are mind-boggling. Neither are exactly popular with supporters. Everton ended up going with a manager, in Rafa Benitez, who has such strong associations with their greatest rivals having been responsible for one of their greatest moments. It could be argued that supporters should be more grown up about these things, but they do matter. They cut to the identity of clubs, and who you want to build attachment around. They also make it that bit more difficult for Benitez himself, since he will be afforded much less patience to build a team. He’s already fighting a tide. The wonder is why they didn’t go with an upwardly mobile young manager who - put bluntly - over half their fans don’t hate. It obviously isn’t to that degree with Spurs, but almost because of the fans were beaten into submission. The club ended up going to someone who they’d overlooked earlier in the process, in Nuno Espirito Santo. The episodes almost sum up the crossroads these two clubs are at. It remains to be seen whether they’ve gone down the right directions. *** Knock-out tournaments are much more unpredictable than leagues, as the last Euros gloriously proved, but there is still some value in trying to rank the teams to figure out who at least has the best chance. With that in mind, here are mine so far, based on performance, form and who seems capable of going to the highest level. It has been a last-16 of huge ructions, although only one of last week’s top five have actually been eliminated. That would hopefully be testament to our analysis, except it just happens to be the team we had on top - France! As it is, England’s favourable path and huge win over Germany puts them top, while it’s a little harder to say with Belgium and Italy since they face off. 1. England 2. Spain 3. Belgium 4. Italy 5. Denmark Top stories [Euro 2020 quarter-finals mark dividing line between pretenders and potential champions]( [Jack Grealish ready to be ‘realistic’ about lack of England starts at Euro 2020]( Miguel’s Dispatches We write to you from Rome, where it is an absolute privilege to be able to come to a city like this for a game of this magnitude in the times we’re in. The way journalists operate in these circumstances is that host cities allow some exemptions for media, but that means you have to operate in a bubble, where you can only go to Uefa-sanctioned venues: the stadiums, the base camps and the fan zones. As regards the latter, it is just strange to be coming to these games without supporters travelling in their droves and adding colour. It will be interesting to see how many of England’s ex-pat community turn out for the game. Quote of the day “To know you have given millions and millions of people happiness like that, after the year they've had, it's special.” Gareth Southgate, after beating Germany Reading the game quiz If Jordan Henderson plays against Ukraine, he will be one of only six England players to have played in two European Championship quarter-final matches. Name the other five. (Last newsletter's answers: Helmut Haller, Wolfgang Weber, Franz Beckenbauer, Uwe Seeler, Gerd Muller, Andreas Brehme, Stefan Kuntz, Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, Thomas Muller) Essential reading [Euro 2020: What the numbers tell us after group stage]( [Expert picks the best photographs from Euro 2020 so far]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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