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CR7 vs Mbappé, passing of the baton
The Euro quarter-final clash will bring together two old enemies: France and Portugal. This morning, the Portuguese press is talking about this match and is gently starting to put pressure on the Blues. On its cover A Bola echoes the statements of Nuno Mendes, the PSG player, who was at a press conference yesterday.We are very motivated. This is Nuno Mendes’ guarantee in the countdown to the quarter-final against France.“, writes the sports daily. Same story for Record who puts forward another statement, in order to warn the French about a possible penalty shootout.Nuno Mendes believes penalty shootout helped Seleção“, writes the media, because as Nuno Mendes explained, this gives “a lot of confidence” to the Seleção. On the other hand, in France, we remember Cristiano Ronaldo fondly, “the Portuguese friend” who will challenge the other star: Kylian Mbappé! “Since the 2006 World Cup semi-final, CR7 has had mixed fortunes against Les Bleus. His long-distance duel with Mbappé is expected.» Progress believes for his part that “Mbappé-Ronaldo, it’s the final act. The clash between France and Portugal will also be that between Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo. If the two stars are not at the top of their form, they remain at the center of the game before what could be their final confrontation, like a passing of the torch.» A duel that promises sparks!
Nico Williams doesn’t want to hear about transfer window
The other shock of these quarter-finals of Euro 2024 is the match between Spain and Germany. And the two nations have already been warming up for several days through the media. This morning, the revelation of the Roja, Nico Williams gave a long interview to the newspaper AS in which he pays a nice tribute to Toni Kroos, whom he knows well for having regularly faced the German midfielder with Real Madrid.Kroos has eyes in the back of his head. He is a great passer. The truth is that he is a very complete player. We will have to run a lot in defensive tasks, but the team will thank us for it“, he said. In this interview, he also discussed his future, taking the example of his brother, while he is announced in the biggest European clubs this summer. “My brother is a very important person to me. He has been through a similar situation to me. He has also received offers from outside Athletic Bilbao, but I said that I did not want to know anything about what comes from outside, transfers or stories. They know how I am, my personality, and I do not like to know because I get distracted easily. I prefer to focus on one thing and move on. Because if one thing or another comes to me, in the end my head does not work very well. My agent, my parents and my family know me perfectly and know that I do not want to hear anything until the end of the European Championship.” The message is clear !
Southgate’s strong choice
In England, the Three Lions are also fumbling tactically! Heavily criticized since the start of the competition, Gareth Southgate, the coach, is going to have to change things! And according to the Daily Telegraphthe English will have “use of three defenders. Southgate considers tactical change after Guehi’s suspension. Change is being tested in training ahead of Switzerland game“, confirms the media. The Daily Mail goes in this direction this morning and reports that “Southgate ponders move to three at the back.» The Three Lions could therefore present themselves in 3-5-2 against the Nati, Saturday evening. A strong choice on the part of the coach, but the local press expects even more from the players and Phil Foden has understood this well and believes that the players have their share of responsibility as the Daily Mirror : “We will share the responsibilities” said the Manchester City player.Performance is not just the responsibility of the coach, players must take responsibility.“The message has been received, England is expected to deliver on Saturday!