England-Slovakia, Southgate’s selection has so far disappointed on almost every front: redemption in sight against Calzona’s men?
Three disappointing performances in an all-too-capable group did not stop Gareth Southgate’s England from finishing Group C ahead of the pack, scoring five points in three games. A narrow victory against Serbia in the opener, pierced by a Bellingham goal, and two draws against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0): this is the path, so far, of the selection of the Three Lions, which despite not having enchanted at all from the point of view of the game continues to be considered one of the main favorites.
England, in fact, has landed in the most affordable part of the scoreboard. One only has to take a look to see that Kane and his teammates have a sort of “highway” ahead of them all the way to the final (the only ones who can challenge them, on paper, are Italy and the Netherlands). Surprises, however, always remain around the corner, especially for a national team accustomed to failing important appointments and disappointing expectations. It is no coincidence that the last title won by the English dates back to the infamous 1966 World Cup. The highly criticized Southgate, in any case, expects his side to start carbonizing as early as the round of 16 with Slovakia, which qualified as the best third behind Romania and Belgium in Group E. To have reached the knockout stage is a great achievement for Francesco Calzona’s selection, which has shown that it has a clear identity, a proven game and has already been able to take the scalp of a big name, Belgium, beaten in the opener 1-0.
England-Slovakia, Southgate relies on Kane’s scoring streak
Some say he has been underserved, while others claim he has not yet clicked. The fact is that Harry, Kane, England’s goal scorer and captain, has so far scored one goal in three games.
Average that does not suit him, since – especially with the jersey of his national team – he has accustomed us to quite different numbers. In the round of 16 he too will necessarily have to raise his level and he is the only one who seems to have what it takes to “wake up” an attack that has produced too little in the first three matches. Another one from whom something more is expected is Phil Foden. The Manchester City outfielder was one of the best on the field against Slovenia and, after touching down in his homeland in order to attend the birth of his third child, he is ready to make a difference: we expect at least three total shots. The liveliest, besides the two of them, could be Alexander-Arnold and Mainoo, who are likely to make up the midline. In Slovakia, watch out for Schranz, already on 2 goals, but Kucka and Haraslin are also likely to make themselves dangerous. On set pieces, however, England will have to watch out for Hancko. Finally, Duda and Vavro could receive a yellow card, but England’s Rice also runs the risk of being cautioned.
Share comparison
Kane scorer Plus is listed at 2.00 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 2.25 on Snai. Schranz at least two total shots Plus on the other hand is quoted at 2.00 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 2.25 on Snai.
