“Our football is different”: Giants meeting at Wembley

“You have to keep a cool head during preparation. “I’ll be more excited later,” said Italy’s national coach before the classic against Spain in London. On Tuesday (21 p.m.) and thanks to the questionable British Corona strategy in front of 60.000 spectators, the Squadra Azzurra will meet Spain at Wembley - for millions of fans the anticipated final of the European Football Championship. “We know we need a big game,” said Mancini, who was the first team to arrive in London with the Azzurri in a good mood.

The Spanish national coach Luis Enrique took things a little easier. When the Italians got on the team bus in the morning, the three-time European champion's mister had probably just finished his final training session. Wearing stylish red sunglasses, he swore his team in for the giants' meeting in England. The goal? “We all want to get to the final,” said Enrique, whose personal duel with Roberto Mancini promises great football art. Mancini doesn't want to copy tiki-taka football The Italians have been unbeaten in 32 games, and the myth of the staid Azzurri, who only focus on defense, fell at the latest in this tournament. Mancini announced that his team would not copy Spanish tiki-taka football: “Our football is different, we will try to bring our game forward.” Defender Leonardo Bonucci promised: “We are very keen to show a great performance, this one To live the game with passion and to move forward.”

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Both football nations know each other very well from previous European Championship games, and both had painful experiences with their opponents. At the 2008 finals, the Spaniards beat the then world champions on penalties in the quarter-finals on their way to the title; in 2012, the Squadra Azzurra had no chance in the Spanish 4-0 final. “It’s a very bitter memory,” Bonucci admitted. Five years ago, Italy won the European Championship round of XNUMX against the Spanish. The opening goal was scored by: Giorgio Chiellini. “It’s a great incentive for us to face a strong team in such a stadium.” Giorgio Chiellini Italy's Giorgio Chiellini (left) has had a strong European Championship so far. © APA/afp / MATTHIAS HANGST

The captain (36) and Leonardo Bonucci (34) form the aging central defense of the Mancini team, which can hardly be overcome at the European Championships. Chiellini was already an integral part of the Italian team in 2008 - the European title on June 11th at Wembley would be his crowning achievement. “We have to work very well against the ball,” demanded Bonucci, who knows that it will be particularly important for him and his partner Chiellini. “It’s a great incentive for us to face a strong team in such a stadium.” Spain is getting better and better The Spanish ball artists, who had a bumpy start to the European Championship, have to find a way to get past both of them. Enrique is absolutely capable of this. The 51-year-old tactician plays in an offensive 4-3-3 system; Leipzig's Dani Olmo could return to the starting line-up in the semi-finals. Sergio Busquets (left) and Pedri (center) are among Spain's key players. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

In addition to captain Sergio Busquets, the key figure at this European Championship was teenager Pedri, the youngest Spaniard in the squad at 18 years old with a talent that is reminiscent of the greats at FC Barcelona. “Luis Enrique, the leader who created a team from nothing,” the newspaper wrote Sport . “The coach gave us a winning mentality.” Nicolo Barella In London, “details” would make the difference, said striker Gerard Moreno in an interview with the newspaper Sport . Journal of Sport focused on an analysis of the midfield, in which Italy's "geniuses" Lorenzo Insigne, Marco Verratti and Nicolò Barella are said to be better than Busquets, Pedri and Koke. “The coach gave us a winning mentality. We go into every game to win it,” Barella said on Sunday. Fans are not allowed to go to England without quarantine The fans at Wembley are happy – even if there will be a lot of English people. This was “very unfair,” said Mancini. Because of the strict Corona rules, Spaniards and Italians are not allowed to enter the country without quarantine; tickets are mostly only given to spectators who live in Great Britain. “We need you!” tweeted the Spanish association on Monday in the direction of the British Spaniards. European Football Championship: 1st semi-final Italy – Spain (21 p.m.)

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“Our football is different”: Giants meeting at Wembley

A few hours before the crazy semi-final in London, Roberto Mancini showed no signs of tension.

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