Sideline Story

Who surprised the most among Euro’s last 16?

Euro 2024 saw some unexpected results after the group stage, good or bad. Who triggered the biggest shock? Who disappointed the most? Who stands out as the favorite so far? We try to unpack those in this episode of Sideline Story. Also, we touch on the Chinese elements appearing in the continental tournament and what roles they have played.

Duration:: 25m
Broadcast on:: 28 Jun 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

[Music] Hello and thank you for joining us on Sideline's Story, your destination for sports, news, analysis and discussions. I'm Brandon Yates and today we'll be chatting about the latest action from Euro 2024. We'll discuss the teams that have reached the last 16, players and teams that have impressed or disappointed, trending Euro 2024 topics on Chinese social media and predict who can go on to win the title. I'll be getting into these topics with my two fantastic co-hosts Fuyu and Tianyu and Fuyu. Welcome back. Thank you so much. Yes, we're very happy to have you back and I think this is a topic that we're all going to enjoy talking about. I know we all love football and European international football in particular is very, very exciting. The biggest football event of this summer. For sure, for sure. And I think there is like we've mentioned in previous podcasts, there's something magical about the euros. I've always enjoyed watching, you know, European, continental international competition at that level. And I think even at this point, as some teams have already reached the last 16, we've seen some very impressive performances, some surprise performances. But I think even at these relatively early stages of the competition, just getting to that last 16, I think we've already seen some teams that have really laid down a marker and announced themselves as serious title contenders already. So from your side of things Fuyu, which teams have impressed you the most so far at this point of the competition? Well, now I think it's a good time to talk about Germany, but I wouldn't call them title contenders yet. I know I've said this that after they won the World Cup in 2014, I'm not a supporter anymore. But this year, I have a few reasons to watch out for Germany. Number one is the return of Tony Cruz. And second, there are a lot of still a lot of Bayern Munich players on this German squad. And some Leverkusen players that have come through after an incredible domestic season. Nearly crowned Bundesliga champions. Unbeaten. Well, incredible success. And in case you haven't noticed, I put Tony Cruz ahead of Bayern Munich when it comes to my expectations. And I think it's just exciting to see a veteran getting back, getting that callback. And he is one of the few players that have earned that, which I'm going to talk about. And not just any veteran, right? I mean, literally one of the greatest midfielders I think of the most positive generations. I mean, in terms of the qualities that he brings, the experience that he brings, the titles that he's won, he's just a world class player. Yeah. And if you look at the stats, he's still got it. His passes, his coverage, and... I mean, what are you doing at Real Madrid? I mean, Real Madrid are still dominating domestically and on the European club competition stage. Yeah. And I think that's one of the reasons why he's so sharp, why he blends seamlessly into the national squad, despite hiatus. He still seems to have that desire. Similar to the likes of Luca Modrich, who's obviously his teammate at Real Madrid. So it seems like age isn't a factor for them, in terms of their diminished desire to continue to achieve success. And that seems to have filtered into the German national team with Cruz's return. And it seems like players like him have also been very dedicated in terms of how they take care of themselves. And like you've said, staying sharp, putting in the numbers in terms of stats. So even though they are at the latter stages of their career, they are and are seen as veterans, they are still performing as well as the youngsters in the squad, plus all of the experience that they bring. And like I've said, they don't have any diminished desire. And I also think the fact that Germany are hosting the Euros, it's kind of a perfect time for Cruz to return to the national set up because it is on home soil. And if he can be a part of a team that achieves Euro 2024 success in Germany with the national team, I mean, it will just be another feather in his cap and just another title to add to his seemingly endless list of individual and team titles with, like I said, as an individual with Real Madrid and with Germany. Yeah, playing this tournament at home was also something I was going to mention. They enjoy that home support. So yeah, I think this German squad will go further in this tournament and back to some of Tony Cruz's stats. He like so far within the group stage, he had more than 300 passes, which equaled his own record from eight years ago. So that says just how consistent and how he's managed to maintain this high level of performance. And you'll probably find most of those passes were completed passes if you know Tony Cruz. Yeah, and also he helped this German squad complete a very efficient, I mean, they very efficiently go through the group stage. And also, what I'd like to see even more from Tony Cruz is creativity, something that he is known for. So I think these qualities and the fact that they're playing at home will really help this German squad do very well at this tournament. I think he's got some good creative players around him as well. The likes of Gundawan Musiala, of course, Florian Wertz going forward. So he's got a lot of support in terms of that creativity. But I agree, I think I would like to see him place even more of a stamp on the games that he's playing and lay down his dominance, because I do think that he has the ability to do that. Tiana, from your side of things, have there been any other teams that have really caught your eyes so far? Yeah, I would say the most impressive team so far are like you mentioned, Germany and also Spain. Yeah, Germany seems to have been reborn as a different team. Under coach Nagosman, they have found their like right formula for initiating attacks. You know, we used to talk about how Germany was so obsessed with ball possession that they lacked the ability to convert their advantage into real goals. But now with the return of Tony Cruz, he has taken up the role of a commander on the back line, where there's less body confrontation, and he can organize the tempo of the team in a very comfortable manner. He's a very reliable source in the midfield. There also seems to be a lot more players taking on the goal scoring responsibility for Germany, which has been a problem for them in the past. They've generally had a lot of creativity and a lot of possession, like you mentioned, but they didn't really have finishes. But now it seems like a variety of players are really stepping up and scoring goals at critical times for this team. Yeah, for sure. And that has given the three attacking midfielders, namely Musiala, Gondowen and Florian Wertz. What a lineup. Yeah, a world-class player. And to have Tony Cruz behind them. You don't actually don't even need a striker with that. Yeah, with a support of Tony Cruz, they have more freedom in the front to have him holding up the ball and creating space for some of those other players. Yeah, create spaces and chances in the box. I think the young people in the front, especially Wertz and Musiala, they have injected a lot of vigor and variety into this game. I'm sure by offense, we'll be hoping that Musiala can bring that into next season. Yeah, but I'm not sure if he can still keep up that form. I'm here an intense European champion. And you'll be targeted after this year is because he's now displaying what a world-class player he is. Yeah, he's insane. And also Spain is probably the team that changed the most from my view. Yeah, to their defensive records. Yeah. I mean, they've been absolutely rock-solid at the back, which I wasn't expecting. Their playing styles have changed a lot. They have abandoned the Tiki Takaka style. Well, I don't think they have the players to facilitate that style anymore. They don't really have players that are very good at dominating position. Yes, they've got Pedri. Yes, they've got Rodriguez, but I mean, you can't compare them yet to the likes of Iniesta, Chavian Busket. So, they've still got very classy midfielders, but I don't think they have the players that can really just hang onto the ball and be patient and wait for chances to kind of create themselves. Now, they seem to be more aggressive in terms of sending the ball forward and actually just trying to pressure teams and trying to create spaces out of nothing, whereas previously, they kind of just held onto the ball and waited for something to happen. Yeah, I think after the retirement of, like you said, the best, like midfield-free in history, Busket's Chavian Iniesta. Yeah, yeah. It doesn't get better than that. Well, besides maybe Cruz's moderate gender, and Casa Miro back in the day. Yeah, yeah. And this Spanish team has started to play the traditional double-wing power play, the two-wing's Nico Williams and LeMing. Yeah, two youngsters that have been tearing it up at euros with some support from Ferran Torres. They have played very critical roles for this team. They also, another set of players, despite their young age, seem to have no problems with the big stage and nerves or anything. They seem to be playing with total freedom and total confidence at their age is phenomenal. Yeah, they have incredible ability in dribbling and impressive speed, and most importantly, both of them played, like you said, way more mature than their real age. And especially Yamo, there are reports saying that at the age of 16, he has brought his homework to me during his homework events. Yeah, I've seen videos doing his homework. Yeah, well, preparing for the euros, I was insane. It makes me feel bad, and I was a teenager. I would always find some excuse to not do my homework. Those guys performing in one of the biggest global football tournaments, and still has time to do homework. Yeah, putting on one of the most noticeable performances, a good message to your kids out there is possible to be world-class athletes and still do your homework. Yeah, I hope his teacher reduced some of the workload for him. For his good performers on the euros. And if you didn't watch the game against a game between Italy and Spain, and you checked out a score, it's a bit late in Beijing, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You might think that it's a pity that Italy only lost by a small margin, but the truth is, if without Donaruma, Italy could have conceded two or three more goals. Yeah, and we saw what he did against Croatia as well. He's an amazing goalkeeper. Yeah, but I also think that while Spain are seemingly wasting a couple of chances, the fact that they are so rock-solid at the back and they don't seem to concede any goals, it doesn't really matter because it does look like with all of that attacking flair that they have. At some point, they will score. And the fact that they've got the likes of Macho and Danny Caviol at the back, and so many experience, and even Cucarella's been performing incredibly well at the back, they've got that foundation, and you know, Rodry in midfield who, as we know from watching the Premier League, has also just been sensational for Manchester City, and has carried that into the national team and Pedry from Barca. So those young attackers don't seemingly have that much to worry about because they've got such a rock-solid base behind them. So I think even though sometimes they can be wasteful and not take their chances, which could be down to a lack of experience from some players, because they've got such a good foundation behind them, it doesn't really seem to matter at this stage. It might come back to buy them later in the competition, depending on how far that they get, but in the group stages, it's worked incredibly well for them. I've also been particularly impressed by Portugal. I think they've been very, very good at this stage. I think that Ruben Diaz and Peppe at the back have been really great. Yeah, I mean, 41, I think he's been immense. Bruno Fernandes also performing incredibly well, hopefully he can take that try and save Manchester United in the next season, single handedly maybe. A couple of other players, Vatinho. Vatinho, what is Bernardo Silva as the name from City has also been really, really good, and even Ronaldo has chipped in at some point with a couple of assists, and he's also been performing really well. Although it does seem like Ronaldo's fame could potentially be a problem if Portugal continue to progress, because I think they've had a couple of issues with their pitch invaders, and I think they've also had to tighten up security and that sort of thing. So it seems like Ronaldo's fame is actually having an impact on the Portuguese national team. Yeah, so it'll be interesting to see how Portugal do as the competition progresses. There have been a couple of surprises in terms of the teams that have reached the last 16. Tian, are there any teams that you can single out at this point where you thought, wow, I wasn't expecting them to get to the last 16? I think Switzerland has been quite a surprise. They actually, I don't think they have that level impressive lineup like Spain. Yeah, I think that one actually, initially in our last podcast, I think those were one, Switzerland was one of the teams that he picked out to potentially be a surprise package. Yeah, I know what you mean, because Switzerland seemed like the team that you wouldn't be surprised to see them qualify, but you'd be surprised that they were. I was considering their career, but I wasn't expecting them to get through. And pretty successfully too, and being able to get a result against, I mean, they didn't win, but to get a draw against Germany, I think for any team is a pretty impressive result. Yeah, I think they were playing in a very organized and flexible manner. Granny Jaka and Akanji have formed a very stable defense line for the Swiss side. I think that's something that maybe people didn't expect to see when they thought of Switzerland. When you actually look at that team, I often talk about the spine of a team, and I think Switzerland have a very solid spine. They've got Sommer as a keeper, who's highly experienced, and I've always been a big fan of his shot-stopping abilities. Akanji has been great for city this season. Shaka has been immense for Leverkusen and the Bundesliga, and I think Imbolo at Front has also been doing good work with some support from Shaqiri, who scored a wonder goal in one of his games. I can't remember which game it was, but Shaqiri's always been one of those players that you can't really predict, kind of like a Balotelli type of player, where they've got the talent, but they aren't able to reproduce it on a regular basis. But he's stepped up with the good so far for Switzerland in these early stages. So they've got a nice combination of experienced talent and solidness in that team, that I think has paid dividends for them so far. Yeah, so they have leadership in the backline, offering setting the course of the ball, and their high-pressing strategy has worked out pretty well in the game against Germany. What we've seen from Leverkusen and the Bundesliga, so I guess that kind of comes from the likes of Shaka. Yeah, and they have caused a lot of trouble for the host nation. Their midfielders have very good stamina and are very competitive too, right? Yeah, they're able to shut things down. Yeah, they're able to cover a white area on the pitch. I think Tony Cruz just had the most uncomfortable match so far on Europe, a player against Switzerland. He probably thought, "Oh, I should have just retired. I could be sitting on a couch in my million-pound mansion right now watching it." Yeah. And because he had to face frequent body confrontations from Swiss players. They probably talked to him specifically at 6. Listen, you should probably be re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-time at all men. That's not tactics. Cruz couldn't find his teammates with passes very well, as the Swiss side did a very good job in pressing ahead. I'm actually quite surprised that Italy even made it through to the last 16. I know they're the defending champions, but when I look at that team, no real stars, no real match winners in that team that I can identify. So were you also a little bit surprised by Italy's performances and getting through to the last 16? I really wasn't expecting them to get there, to be honest. I have expected them to get through, but the way they get through is quite impressive, I suppose. Italy definitely surprised me by getting through to the stage, but I also think they deserve a lot of credit for the resilience that they've shown. We've also seen some impressive performances from a couple of individual players. For you, any stand-outs for you? I'll say Angola Canté. It's so good to see him back, similar to Tony Cruz. He's one of the players that earned a call back to the national team. And before the tournament even started, all of the coaches, all of the players, in all of the press conferences, where you thought they'd be talking about Mbappe, and all of the other star players that they kept saying, "We're so happy to have Angola back." And even the likes of Tyrion Rí and Patrick Vier, and a couple of panelists that work for TV shows, they kept going on and on about Canté, because I think football players and just football people recognize the amount of great work that Angola Canté does for any team that he plays for. Yeah, and that's one part of the story. And besides that, there are also a lot of questions and doubts about his return, because after all, he hasn't played for the national squad for two years, and he's been away from Europe. So I understand where those doubts are coming from, myself included. I'm a big fan of Angola Canté, I've spoken about that I think two or three seasons ago when he was still at the Premier League. And to be honest, before the start of Europe 2024, I didn't know if he still possessed those qualities, such as his wide coverage. He's just an engine that never stops running. Just kind of just think no matter where he plays or no matter how long he's gone out for, he seems to have this engine that just really outdoes any other player that you can think of. Yeah, he's an inexhaustible energy. And he's good with the ball at his feet too. I think a lot of people underestimate what he can actually do with the ball. In the games against Austria and the Netherlands, he definitely proved that he still got those qualities. And I'm just so glad that the show made the right decision to include him again in the national team. Can you imagine how happy the midfielders around him are when he's in the team too, because they also have to do a lot less running when he's in the team. Probably find his teammates are like, yes, less running for us. Canté's back. Yeah, so Canté deserved to be voted the player of the match for those two games. And here I want to bring back that joke from China, which is coming back along with Angola Canté. And it goes, there's no bump. You cannot overcome, but there's Canté, which you can never beat. Yeah, it's a mountain, not a bump. Yeah, and it actually makes a lot more sense if you speak Chinese, because in this joke, bump is can and canté is can too. So it's only one word difference. So we could call him in goal or bump? Yeah, I'm supposed to get to that. A nightmare. Which is very fitting for his playing style. He really is a bump in the road. If someone's got the ball, it's going to be very difficult to get over that bump. Yes, a nightmare for players from the other side of the game. But a dream for his teammates. I mean, what an incredible player to have on the squad. Yeah, can you any standards from your side? I think like we said, there's a group of young players that are really shiny and this is Expo. Like I said, in Germany, Musialian words are playing pretty well, especially Musialia. Sometimes watching him play reminds me of watching Rinaldino. Oh, big comp Harrison to make. Those are some big shoes to fill. Very big shoes to fill. Yeah, he's got talent. I think he's just as creative and agile and finished. Big comp Harrison's being made just as creative as Rinaldino. Wow, that's going to cause some debate. And also the two Spanish wingers, Nico Williams and Yamo, have been quite outstanding. Yeah, when they're not doing their homework, they're doing amazing things on the field. Maybe they're doing great work off the field too. Maybe they're getting straight A's who goes. Yeah, they're going to be playing important roles for the Spanish squad for quite a long time in the future. I agree. Yeah, and also some of the old guns have proved that they are still top level players. Among them, Pepe is definitely the most surprising one for me because he's already 41 years old. The uncle at the back for Portugal. We've got an uncle at the front and Rinaldino. The uncle at the back. Becoming the pivots for-- But it's pretty remarkable how we've got these youngsters 17, 18 year olds that are tearing it up. But we've also got people that are 20 years older than them. They're also really competing at the highest levels. That's what's amazing about international football, is that you get a whole bunch of different generations that are competing at the same stage. You'll probably find that the likes of Yamo and Nico Williams were still very young children staring at the TV, watching what they've been playing in the same competition. And even in their own team, you'll probably find that Lemini Amal and Pedri and some of those players were watching the likes of Danny Caviol and some of those players watching him on TV. And now they're in the same team. It must be the most surreal experience. Yeah, it's like drinks come true. Yeah, literally. Yeah, talking about Pepe, he's definitely a beast. It seems like he's always been a beast though, right? It's always just been one of those players that attackers are very scared of. Yeah, he's still the same person, except he's now a 41-year-old beast. Yeah, but it seems like age has left him nothing on him, but more maturity and composure. If anything is more deadly now than he was when he was a youngster, because I think that he was incredibly intimidating as a young player, but maybe a little bit brash and sometimes made some bad decisions. But now he's still got that fear factor, but he's also, like you said, a lot more mature, a lot more experienced. So having that at the back for Portugal, I think has been very valuable alongside the brilliance of Ruben Diaz from City. Yeah, he's got like a get rid of all the bad habits and keep all the good ones. He's like 14 years older than his defender partner Ruben Diaz. But the impact I would say Pepe had on the pitch was also a lot larger, because sharp movements, sharp movements, beautiful tacos, and always appearing on the right position. Another example of, no matter what age you are, if you take care of yourself, you can really still play for as many years as you'd like. And Grinnell does another outstanding example of that. Yeah, it's actually really touching to see how these veterans players are still having top-class performance, because you don't know how much efforts they had to take to maintain their forms and adapt their body to the intense tempo of the games. Absolutely, and I think I'd have to agree with both of you. I think those have all been the standout players so far. We've mentioned a couple of others like Bruno Fernandez for Portugal, so there have been a lot of standout performers, but I think the ones that we've mentioned now have really been top-top draw. Of course, we have our own opinions, but there's also a lot of opinions emerging on social media about Euro 2024. It's an incredibly popular tournament in this country. Tiami, from your side, anything trending on Chinese social media at the moment with regards to Euro 2024? Well, I think one of the trending topics on Chinese social media right now is how England, with literally the best squad, struggle so much in the games, because Chinese fans are lashing out at England manager Gareth Southgate, questioning his coaching ability and fielding strategy. He's reluctant to give chances to co-pomer and Kobe Maynu. And the whole Trent Alexander in the middle thing, yeah, it's very bizarre. He's obsession with using Alexander Arnold as a midfielder, have really stirred up the fury among England fans. Some say watching England play was like watching a bunch of world-class players, playing for the first time together. Were you from your side anything that people are talking about? Yeah, there are a lot of Chinese sponsors for Euro 2024. A couple of ones that I didn't know about before came to China, but I've noticed on the screens like, you know, Ali Pei and a couple of others as well, yeah. And they're all involved in very creative and innovative ways. For example, Chinese car maker BYD, they are providing official vehicles. New energy vehicles for official transportation. Very cool. Yeah, so it's exciting to see Chinese companies bringing their new ideas and their technology to this stage. Other Chinese sponsors support Euro 2024 like Home Appliances maker Hycents, is providing solutions for VAR on the pitch. So they're not just sponsoring, they're actually actively participating in the competition and actually helping out and creating solutions for day-to-day issues that some of the players and officials are dealing with, that's great to see. And it's just great to see that some of those innovations and some of that creativity from China and Chinese brands is being shown on the world stage. But that's all we have time for on this week's episode of Sideline Story. Thank you so much for joining us. And of course, we will be back next week with our latest topic and we'll see you then. [Music]