Nerves from Imran as excitement builds for Wembley showdown
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00:006-2. Oh, no, sorry, sorry, that'll do.
00:07Good morning, welcome to Golf News, kicking back to the chat show all about the beautiful game,
00:12but will it be beautiful for England or Italy as they face off in the Euro 2020 final?
00:18The tournament started in Rome on June 11th and it ends in London tonight.
00:22I'm Imran and as ever I'm joined by my guests Matt, Shamsir and Sahil to look ahead to the game.
00:28Now, look, a lot has been said about England's 55-year wait to reach a major final, but they've
00:36come close several times in the past. I mean, they got to the semi-finals of Italian 90, Euro 96
00:42and the 2018 World Cup, only to falter on all three occasions. This is their first final since
00:491966, where they will meet the Italians, who I think have been easily the best team in the
00:55tournament so far. Guys, we'll do a prediction right at the end, so don't say your scores just
01:00now. Tell me how you see the game going. Will it be cagey? Will it be open? Will we see the flair
01:06of Italy or will England contain them? 6-2. Oh, no, sorry, sorry, that'll do.
01:16I think it'll start out cagey, first 20 minutes. You know, we've seen quite a few games in this
01:22tournament where the first 20 minutes have been a kind of weathering of the storm, as one team
01:26really goes at the other. I think this will be more like the opening round of a boxing match,
01:30where they'll size each other up, they'll look for weaknesses, they'll see which wing is working
01:35better, whether it's better to go to the middle or do the Shamsir special of the right-footed on
01:42the left wing and cutting inside, all these different things. So just trying different
01:47things out, sizing each other up. But as the game goes on, whoever gets that opening goal,
01:55the other team will then just have to let loose. And it could go either way. You know, you could
02:00see that it might be one freak decision that goes 1-0 for England or 1-0 for Italy. I don't see it
02:06being a really dominant display by one or the other, especially at least in the first 45.
02:11And then whatever, like I say, one little chance, one little break will make the difference. Then
02:17the other team will just have to cut loose and that's when it'll just become, here we go, great
02:22fun, seatbelts off, let's just go downhill and we'll just go, we'll go mad. And it'll just be,
02:28it'll be great fun, all kitchen sink stuff, you know, it'll just, it'll be great. So hopefully
02:33the goal will come early and then we'll just have an absolutely classic frenetic final.
02:38You're right, Matt, if an early goal does come, that will change the complexion of the game
02:41completely. But you're right, I think KG start for sure, feeling each other, feeling each other.
02:50Seeing how they both are playing and yeah, I don't see, but unless there's an early goal,
02:54it will definitely change the way the two teams go at each other. Shamsu, how do you think the
02:58game's going to be? Yeah, we can talk about all the cliches in football, you know, like
03:03it's going to be weathering the storm in the 20 minutes. You never know what's going to happen
03:07after watching this Euro. It has been absolutely great. You know, it's a great watch, many of the
03:11games, you know, it was some, some of the games were completely unpredictable. But one thing is
03:16for sure, two tired teams are there because both of them have played 120 minutes and Italy had
03:23one extra day to rest and to refuel themselves. That could be an advantage, but then there is
03:29the fans behind England. But you know, the players after all the tiring season they had,
03:38they all must be mentally drained as well. But there is that extra motivation to win the
03:44major trophy after like five decades, even for Italy, you know, like they haven't won the European
03:49Championship since the 1968. So it's a long wait for them as well. It's the same for England.
03:55They haven't been to a major final in like 55 years. So like, in all honesty, it has to be a,
04:04you know, a nervy start and everything, but you never know what's going to happen in football, man.
04:09That's true. I mean, Italy was the host nation when they won it in 1968.
04:13England are the host nations now. So maybe that's, maybe that's a bit of luck.
04:17Sahil, what do you think? How do you think the game will be?
04:20Um, I think, you know, I have not seen England play. I've seen England play with fear in many
04:25of the games, other than the Ukraine one, you know, against Denmark, they were playing with
04:29fear as you could have seen. And yes, I understand why, you know, it was a semi-final and they had
04:34that semi-final curse. So here in the final now, both team have everything to lose now, you know.
04:41So I think England, I just think that England would come out with flair because
04:46they have the freedom now, you know, they've reached the final, they've finally achieved it.
04:50Now they will obviously, both teams will be looking to win it. But I just think that England
04:54will come out with a more bigger flair than Italy. That's what I think.
04:59England with more flair than Italy, that'll be, that'll be the opposite of what we've seen.
05:06I wouldn't say they haven't been defensive, but they haven't really exploded onto the scene up
05:10until the knockout games where they, well, especially against Ukraine, where they showed
05:14that they can definitely attack and be a threat going forward. But Italy, I think throughout have
05:20proven just how good they are attacking wise, but they've still got that old Italian DNA,
05:26they don't give in, they can hold the lead. But Matt, do you think England will be more
05:30attacking than Italy today? I don't know. I was about to say something,
05:36maybe we'll talk about anything that's going to happen in football. And I think what Sahil just
05:40said is more unlikely than what I was going to suggest, and that was that one of them will get
05:45disqualified and Denmark will make it just like they did in 92. But I think that England having
05:51more flair than Italy, nah, that's not going to happen, I don't think. I think that they're at
05:57Wembley, they'll play the normal Wembley game, they're not going to try anything different,
06:01and they'll just, they'll play the English way, which is pass it forward, get it out to the wings
06:07and find Harry Kane, wherever he is. That's the England way right now. But Raheem's playing a
06:16different way just now as well. But in terms of will they be more attacking? I think they
06:24might need to be, because I think they'll definitely want to go for it. They don't want,
06:30they know, like you said, everyone's tired. Italy have had an extra day, if this goes to extra time,
06:35England will tire quicker. There's only so much that your heart can give you before your body
06:41starts to break down, and that extra 24 hours will be vital for Italy. When England were watching
06:47that game against Spain, they might be going, oh, this is good, they're, I look, absolutely tired,
06:52but they didn't realise that they were going to have even just as equally exhausting game
06:5624 hours later. So they'll, they will attack, they'll have to attack if they want to and make
07:02sure that they stay on top of this game, and they'll definitely want to see it open in 80 minutes.
07:06Think about winning a tournament, as we've seen, it's not always the best attacking team or the
07:12best, most attractive playing football team, team with the best passes and that. They don't always
07:17win. There's a way to win tournament football, as we all know, and that is to, you know, to dig in,
07:24to get that result, to do the right thing, the game management, all those things are going to be so key.
07:29Shamsir, what do you think?
07:31Yeah, it's after all a results business, right? You know, nobody is going to remember, you know,
07:36how you won it, you know, like, all that they're going to remember is that the name is
07:41there on the trophy, that's it. But for Italy, you know, like, they have shown their weakness
07:47against Spain, especially after losing Spinozola. They looked a bit nervy, you know, like,
07:54especially when Spain pressed them hard. So, they really struggled, especially Bonucci after
08:00the game, he told that was one of his toughest games ever. So, that shows, you know, like,
08:04how hard it was for him. So, these two, like, Bonucci and Cellini, they're like 70 combined age
08:12they have. So, you know, they might be having tired legs already because after playing that
08:17exhausting game, you know, 120 minutes and with the with the pacey players that England have and
08:22the press masters like Mason Mount and everyone. So, if they can start pressing from the front,
08:29you know, that will put Italy under massive pressure. But then the same thing can be
08:33talked about England as well, you know, like, what Italy has been really tested throughout
08:38the tournament, whereas England haven't been that much tested, you know. So, Italy have been
08:45winning different ways in the tournament, you know, they have had more possession in games,
08:50they had less possession in games, they won ugly, they won with flair football, they won
08:56by all means. But England, on the other hand, we have seen how they have been playing
09:01throughout the tournament, apart from the Ukraine game, which was expected anyway, because Ukraine,
09:06we all know how Ukraine is. Apart from that game, you know, England were second best in kind of,
09:12you know, like flair. But like what I've mentioned, you know, the research business, they did
09:18the job. And the one thing is that, like what Matthew mentioned, the English way of defending,
09:22that was brilliant throughout the tournament for England. And they will be relying on their
09:27defence to overcome the final as well. For Italy, like you have mentioned, you know, like England's
09:36frailties in the semi-finals and everything. Italy have been really at the wrong end of
09:42couple of finals in the Euros, you know, like in this century itself, in the 2000 and 2012.
09:48The 2012 Euro final was an absolute disaster for Italy, you know, Chiellini and Bonucci were there
09:54at that game, you know, they got absolutely dismantled by Spain by 4-0. So that thing will
09:59be there in their mind and Chiellini and Bonucci will be extra motivated to win that. Even Chiellini
10:06got injured in that game, you know, so he must be extra motivated to give his all and everything.
10:10But you know, the fans are behind England. Anything can happen. I'm not calling for any team
10:16for tonight.
10:17England are looking to win from Serie A to Inter up their first European Championship.
10:23Italy are looking for their second. Like you just mentioned, they've lost their last two
10:26final appearances. Who do you think is going to be feeling more pressure tonight? England or Italy?
10:31Is it a bigger game for England or for Italy?
10:33I think it's for England, definitely. The bigger game is for England. Because with the pressure
10:40they have, they have reached a final after like 55 years. The bigger game is for England for sure.
10:46And you know how the English media is, how the English fans are, you know, they all want it.
10:52It's like a holy grail for them. So they all are behind this team and there are talks about giving
10:57knighthood to Gareth Southgate after winning and having blonde hairs for all the players after the
11:04game. So these things are... I think the blonde hair will be an extra motivation for the Italians.
11:11Because nobody wants to see all those English players in the blonde hair, man.
11:15So that will be an extra motivation for the Italian players.
11:19Who's going to feel more pressure, Sahil? England or Italy?
11:21Oh, of course, it's going to be England. You know how the media is of England.
11:26I mean, for example, whenever you're playing in the Premier League, all the Premier League
11:30players are getting hyped up. I don't see the Serie A or French Leagues getting hyped up.
11:35So it's going to be more pressure for England. And now it's more pressure, obviously, because
11:38it's at Wembley. So, you know, the pressure is there. They have not won anything like this in
11:44so long. They had the best teams before, the likes of Gerrard, Beckham. They never achieved
11:49anything with this. Now these youngsters, like how Shamsher had said last call, you know why
11:54they're connecting? Because they're all like friends together. They all hang out like the
11:58likes of Declan Rice and Mason Mount. So, you know, of course, it's going to be more pressure
12:03for England, you know, and you're right, like how Italy also lost in the final of 2012,
12:08where they lost 4-0 to Spain and Chiellini had got injured. And he's going to, that guy's going
12:12to come with an extra boost. And I wanted to say one point, like, you know, yes, England are playing
12:17on a home turf and your fans are behind them, but they should not, you know, fans are behind them.
12:21That does not mean it's going to be easy for them. Never. Because France had lost to Portugal
12:25in their home turf and they lost to a Portuguese team, which was not even strong. I got to say,
12:30that was not a strong Portuguese team. That's a good point, Sahil. I mean, obviously, if the game
12:35goes against England, if they, you know, suddenly concede a couple of goals, those 65,000 fans
12:40like that will turn on them and the pressure will just, it'll be huge. Matt, how do England
12:46cope with the pressure tonight? They're fully professional. Like I say, their bodies might start
12:55giving out if it goes to extra time, but the heart will be there, the mind will be there.
13:00And that's all that they can do. They know how to go about their game. They've been in
13:05pressure situations before. It's nothing new to them. It's new to them in an England shirt.
13:10They've all been in these situations before, unless you're Harry Kane, because he's never
13:14won a trophy. The key factor that they've got to do is, just like I said before,
13:26just play your own game. It doesn't matter who you're playing, it doesn't matter what it is,
13:31it's just another 11 guys and it's another 90 minutes. And that is what they've just got to do.
13:36I don't really think they have pressure to cope with, because as I said, they should know how to
13:45deal with this because they've been there before. And if anything, Gareth has got, I mean a great
13:52Gareth close personal friend, he's got them all as a unit and a bunch of friends. He's not got
14:08them with a leader in each department and all this sub-compartmentalising everything. He's like,
14:19you're all my boys and we're all in it together. Because remember, a lot of these guys, he knew
14:24from the under-21s as well. So he's known these boys since they were boys and he's got them like
14:34a family and I think that's a good key for them as well. And I have to add on to one more thing
14:40to that. When we're talking about Gareth Southgate, the other guy on the other dugout is Roberto
14:46Mancini who has done it in the past, not with the national team, but he has won so many trophies
14:53unlike Gareth Southgate. Gareth Southgate and his pedigree is like taking down Middlesbrough to the
15:00Championship from the Premier League. So when you look at two managers, Roberto Mancini has won the
15:05Premier League, won the Italian League, won the Cups, so many things. So that could also be vital
15:12when it comes to the final hurdle. It's all about mentality. It's not about how you play,
15:18how you come up with the game, everything. Because if you have that mental thing, you can
15:24surpass everyone. And for Italy, even after the 1968 Euro win, they haven't won a Euro
15:32Championship, but they have won a couple of World Cups after that. And the recent one was in 2006. So
15:40they got the know-hows and everything when it comes to the big tournaments. So that could also
15:46prove to be vital. And like what Sahil mentioned, the media pressure isn't there
15:52much for these guys because nobody ever thought them to be one of the favourites
15:56before the tournament started. They were like eighth favourite to win the tournament.
16:00And what they have achieved is something absolutely incredible. For England, always when
16:06the games were at Wembley, there was the expectation of getting, with this group of
16:10players, the media always expected them to do well in reality. And they did it. So for Italy,
16:19they can, with their know-hows and everything, they can win this battle, I believe.
16:24That's a very good point, Shamsir. I think the tactical battle on the touchline is going to be
16:28absolutely key here. Southgate against Mancini. I mean, between the two, Mancini is fantastic.
16:34I was hoping that somehow my own team would go out and get him as our new manager. We got
16:41Rafa Benitez instead. But Mancini has proven what a good manager he is, the style of football that
16:47he plays. He knows how to change it around to suit each individual game. Sahil, if you were
16:54a football player, who would you rather be playing for, Southgate or Mancini?
16:59Good question. The obvious, Roberto Mancini. You know, that guy won the Premier League for
17:04Man City in 2012. And he is a good manager. And he's proven to be a good manager. And
17:09what he's done for this team since they missed out on the World Cup of 2018. So
17:14without a doubt, of course, I'm going to say Roberto Mancini. He's 33 games without a loss.
17:19That's not a joke, man. That's really not a joke. After Italy not qualifying for the World Cup,
17:25it's like India not qualifying for a cricket World Cup, right? So for me,
17:29surely Mancini is a fantastic manager. But if I'm a lazy player, I would like to play for
17:35Gareth Southgate more than Roberto Mancini. Because Roberto Mancini is more demanding
17:39than Southgate. The other thing is also, if you're 33 games unbeaten, Sahil,
17:47what a one to lose it if it was tonight.
17:52Yeah.
17:52Because they're one off the record as well.
17:56It's a big one. It absolutely is a big one. So after decades of pain and misery,
18:01England have got the chance to win a major title. But they're going to have to do it,
18:06possibly without Phil Foden, who apparently picked up a foot injury in training.
18:11So he might be a miss. And even though he hasn't played that much in the knockout stages,
18:16we know that he's a danger coming off the bench. So if he's not going to be there,
18:21that could be a big loss. Obviously, they've got plenty of other talent there. Sancho, Sacco,
18:26Mount, Grealish, plenty of places to come. Italy are going to be without Spinozola. He ruptured
18:32against in the quarterfinals. So it looks like Mancini will play Chelsea's favourite Chelsea
18:37boy Emerson, who started the semifinal against Spain. Look, the teams are going to be announced,
18:43obviously, before kickoff later tonight, 11 o'clock kickoff. So it's a while away yet.
18:48But if I was Gareth Southgate, I would want to revert back to a 3-5-2 that he used against
18:55Germany. And in midfield, this might surprise a few people, I would bring in Jordan Henderson
19:00to play alongside Bryce and Phillips, because that will give them a bit more energy in the midfield.
19:08And I think they've got to try to stop Italy from playing that flowing football,
19:13because I think that will be key to their chances. If you guys were picking the teams,
19:17what would you do tonight? I wouldn't change it around too much. I mean, I think that what's been
19:24working has worked quite well. I don't think Foden will be that much of a miss, because he's not
19:28really been featured in as he progressed. He looked great early on in the opening match against
19:35Croatia. But I think that they seem to have found the kind of start in the living. Yeah,
19:40he's got a wee tweak here or there, whether it's three at the back, four at the back.
19:44The three at the back worked quite well last time, and I think that that's the way I would go.
19:48The actual players in the middle, I mean, again, we come back to the Grealish conundrum.
19:54He looks great when he comes on, but do you keep him in that impact role, or do you actually
20:00risk it all and start him and then throw the whole plan that's got you to the final
20:05out the window? And I think we all know the answer to that one. I don't think Grealish is going to
20:09start. So I think you're going to see a very familiar team to the one that started against
20:14Denmark. For me, you know, like Spain has shown us how to play Italy. So you have to match them
20:22in midfield because they play with three midfielders, and you have to stop Jorginho
20:28playing his football. You have to cut the passes to him because he's the register there, and he
20:36just controls the tempo and everything in that midfield. So if they can stop Jorginho from
20:41playing his football, you know, like they have to cut the services to him, that'll be the best
20:46thing for England to do. So the first thing they have to do is that they have to match the
20:50midfield and they have to keep pressing them because Italy will start in the front foot for
20:56sure because under Mancini, you know, they are that kind of a team, you know, they'll just
21:01press you from the beginning. And their defence is attack, basically, you know, that's their
21:07motto in this tournament and ever since Mancini has taken over. So you have to counter-press them
21:13and if you sit back and start absorbing the pressure, you know, they'll take the control
21:17of the game completely from you because if you sit back, that means Jorginho will have full
21:21control in that midfield. That is a suicidal attempt, I would say. So what they need to do
21:26is that they need to hurry their midfielders, Italian midfielders, they have to stop Jorginho
21:32from playing, Barella from playing, Beratti from playing. So it's going to be, you know,
21:37it's easier said than done because these are like way too technical players, you know, they can,
21:41even if you mark them, you know, they know how to pick a pass. So I think the battle will be won
21:48in the midfield and England have got players like Henderson, Mason Mount, who can… I like what
21:55Imran said, you know, bringing on Henderson, you know, a cool head, an experienced head into that
22:01midfield against Beratti and Barella would be a good choice, you know. But I still think
22:07Gareth Southgate will go with a 4-4-2 and maybe Mason Mount… I'm saying 4-4-2, no, 4-2-3-1
22:15and Mason Mount will be dropping back in the midfield and he will be helping out
22:20Calvin Phillips and Declan Rice. That's what I believe. And like what I've mentioned,
22:26you know, the battle has to be won in the midfield if England has to win this game.
22:30This is why, Shamsir, I was saying, I think for this particular game, you'll be surprised, I think,
22:34to some that Henderson, I think, needs to start this game. Because exactly for the things you've
22:39mentioned, Jorginho especially, you know, being the guy that gets Italy ticking with all those
22:43passes and keeping the possession, I think possibly a man-time marking job might be needed
22:47just to eliminate him out of the game. And then Phillips and Rice, the other two midfielders,
22:52and I think Shaw and… I think Trippier gets a start as well. I think we play Trippier right
22:58back. I think we play Walker, Stones and Maguire, the three centre-backs. Shaw, Trippier on the
23:03flanks and in the middle, you've got Henderson, Rice and Phillips keeping it nice and strong and
23:07tight. And then up front, you leave Kane and Sterling, you know, to try and weave some magic
23:12and get England a goal. I think that will be… but you're right, the midfield is going to be the
23:16absolute key to this game. Saheel, what do you think? Do you think any sort of tactical changes
23:22for this particular game? I mean, Imran, you said like, you know, the famous 3-5-2 of Garrett
23:28Southgate, which the formation he loves to play against the high-profile team, which he did against
23:32Germany. Not the biggest fan of it, but that's how the dirty football has been played. So he'll
23:37have no choice but to do that. And maybe, yeah, you're right, you know, Henderson might come in.
23:42But I thought there was a… I thought, you know, we might discuss the dilemma, like, of Saka or
23:46Sancho starting, you know. There's still a right-wing dilemma, which I've seen, like, you know,
23:51Sancho had started against Ukraine and Saka started in the semis. You know, obviously, I don't think
23:55Grealish will get a start. Very unlikely. He made a decent impact against Denmark. But if England
24:01are struggling, Grealish will come on. We all know that. So, yeah, I mean, Imran, you're right, you
24:06know, it's going to be a 3-5-2. Maybe Henderson might come in. I did not expect that, but most
24:11probably he might come in. So it's going to be that dirty tactic from Southgate again.
24:16Dirty tactics. We haven't mentioned one player who looked quite nervy in that Denmark semi-final.
24:23And that's the key word.
24:25That's your man. Your man.
24:27Yeah, my man. Well, he's like an imposter for England, isn't he? He doesn't look like an
24:32Everton player when he's playing for England. He's hardly made any mistakes apart for in the
24:36semi-final where he looked really shaky, you know, when he conceded that free kick. I think
24:40he could have done better there. But then after that, his confidence just seemed to drop. His
24:44driving was erratic. His kicking was terrible. His decision-making was suddenly, he was suddenly
24:49the goalkeeper that all the pressure. So look, he's now in the biggest game of his life. You're
24:55right. It's going to be 65,000 fans there. You know, if he makes any sort of mistake, they're
25:01going to, well, I hope they don't, but if they get on his back, you know, it could be a disaster.
25:07How do you keep Pickford playing, you know, like he's played up until the semi-final?
25:11What do you tell him?
25:13I was thinking, I was thinking what you were saying there earlier. Maybe it's going to be
25:16like the most brilliant episode of Scooby-Doo and it's actually Joao Luigi Buffon in a mask
25:22and he's just been waiting for them to get them against Italy and then, you know.
25:26Like Scooby-Doo.
25:28Yeah. But yeah, no, but it's a funny one for Pickford, isn't it? Because
25:36if there's somebody that's going to have nerves in that England team, it's got to be him.
25:43And yeah, he had a few bloopers in that game against Denmark. I just, I really hope for
25:51England's sake he doesn't do a Rob Green, you know, like he doesn't do something like that,
25:58because as I think earlier in the tournament, we were talking about the Slovakia game and
26:03even the David Marshall goal, how these memes stay with you for life, especially if you're
26:12a goalkeeper, they don't remember you for your saves, they remember you for your howlers.
26:16Ask David Seaman, people still remember the Ronaldinho one.
26:23Everybody, I mean, I could mention Rob Green off the top of my head.
26:26I was like, oh yeah, it was against the United States. I had to think about that,
26:30but I can still remember the goal. So if he was to do a clanger, it would be
26:38earth shattering, especially in England. He'd be quickly requesting Benitez for a transfer
26:44over to Italy or somewhere, because I don't think he'd want to be staying in England for a while.
26:48Not to Italy, not to Italy, definitely not to Italy.
26:51Anywhere, anywhere. Siberia, anywhere.
26:56We've played the game at a decent level and when you start having your own teammates to start
27:01telling you to calm down, like John Stones and Maguire were against Denmark to try and calm
27:07his nerves, that sometimes makes you more nervous, doesn't it? Because you know, suddenly you're
27:11letting the team down and you're trying to second-guess yourself a bit more. You're trying
27:15to improve yourself and you sometimes become a bit more erratic. So what would you say to Bigfoot
27:19if he were the manager?
27:21I wouldn't say anything to him, because that'll add more nerves to his already nervous system.
27:28So I would just say, you play your natural game.
27:34I would say, you just play your natural game. But his natural game is even more dangerous.
27:38That's another thing. So I don't know what the coach can tell him. So just tell him,
27:44how you've played all this while in this tournament, just play like that. But
27:48then he'll be saying, I don't know. I don't remember. But this is the thing. It's a big
27:55game. Like what we mentioned in the earlier discussions, these boys, they will be definitely
28:02feeling pressure. But some of them are Premier League winners. Some of them are Champions
28:07League winners. They have won the big trophies. They have played the crunch situation. They have
28:12been clutch players for their clubs in many occasions. One player who hasn't been is Bigfoot.
28:19And on the other end, it's Harry Kane. So these two players will prove to be vital,
28:26because they haven't won anything with their clubs. They haven't played brilliantly in any
28:31of the crunch games. Obviously, in many of the Premier League big battles, Harry Kane has scored
28:37goals. But he hasn't won anything for Spurs. Same goes to Bigfoot. So these two will be feeling
28:43the more pressure than anyone else in that England squad. Because Harry Kane with that
28:49added burden now. He is picking the form at the right time. So the expectation is on his
28:55shoulder to score the goals along with Raheem Sterling. Raheem Sterling is a completely
29:00different story for him. Because he was at the end of all of abuses and everything from the
29:04English media, from the English fans. So for whatever he does, it's a great thing. Even if he
29:11ended up on the losing side, it's okay for him. Because he has carried that team all this while
29:15with all the abuses he had in the past. So I wouldn't blame Raheem Sterling for anything,
29:20even if they lose this game. But the pressure will be on Harry Kane. And like you have mentioned,
29:24the nervy boy from Everton.
29:26That's a very good point, Shams. You made a very good point that they haven't. Especially
29:32Pickford. He hasn't been in a very big game situation. The biggest game he's probably been
29:36in is probably the Merseyside derby.
29:37And you remember the blooper.
29:41Yeah. I mean, if anyone doesn't remember, it was a 91st minute. Van Dijk had a shot
29:47looped up in the air. It was going over the bar. For some reason, Pickford, I don't know what he
29:51tried to do. He tried to parry it over. But all he did was tip it onto the bar. Open goal for Origi
29:56and Liverpool won 1-0. So big game situations make a huge difference.
30:00Was this the Bravcom moment?
30:01Yeah, that was his volleyball moment. All right, let's have some predictions then. Look, as we know,
30:06Italy are transformed under Mancini. They've been, I would say, the best team in the tournament by
30:11far. But as we've touched on, England are hit in form at the right time. And I can see this
30:18going to penalties. I can see it going all the way to penalties. And after finally beating Germany
30:24in a knockout match, I think England are going to get another monkey off their back.
30:29I think they're going to prevail in a penalty shootout. Saheel, what do you think? Give me
30:33your prediction. Okay, yeah, I mean, I'm going for England win. So I'm going to go for 2-1
30:43England. Yeah, let's go. Another own goal and a penalty coming on the way for England. Let's go.
30:49Matt, what do you think, Matt?
30:52I think England are going to win. I think 2-1 may be the right score, actually. But I think
30:58it'll go the other way with... I think Italy will score first. But then England will be forced
31:11into playing, but then actually they'll find that that's a better way for them to play.
31:14And you know, they'll actually start going forward more. They'll start finding... Grealish
31:18will come on. They'll be finding those balls to Sterling. Kane will get on the end of them,
31:23and they'll end up winning 2-1. 90 minutes.
31:26Oh, wow. 90 minutes.
31:29Yeah, for me, I have to say a few things before my prediction. The penalties, if it goes to
31:35penalties, I think England will win it. Because I don't think no other team has done the same
31:41thing. Like winning two games in penalties in a Euro Championship. I don't think any other team
31:46has done that before. So if it goes to the penalties, I think England should win it.
31:50And the England-Italy game, when it last went into penalties, it was in the 2012 quarter-finals,
31:56I believe. And Italy won that game. That was in the quarter-finals. And another thing.
32:03Whatever happens, for forgotten Southgate men, whether it's the joy of win or the
32:09despair of loss, they have inspired the millions in the country. They can just pick up the ball
32:18and just lace up their boots and follow their dreams. They have shown the path
32:22to the next generation. It has been an absolutely incredible run. But I think that run will reach
32:28only until the finals. Because I think Italy are way too strong as a team. They play as a team.
32:36And they have been tested throughout the tournament. They have won different ways.
32:40So I don't know the scoreline. I think Italy could break the hearts at Wembley.
32:47Oh, Italy could break hearts. We've got tips for England and Italy.
32:51We'll see who was right, who was wrong.
32:55And I have been calling for an Italy win from the very beginning.
32:58Emre, I have been calling.
33:01From the very beginning. That's it from us. In the meantime,
33:04head to gulfnews.com for all the latest news. And there's only one thing left to say.
33:09Come on, England.
33:12It's coming to Rome.
33:13I'm a neutral observer.
33:19So he's got no comment. Thanks, guys. Bye.