From the first days of Euro 2024, the famous commentator and journalist, master of sports of the USSR Gennady Orlov considered the national teams of Spain, France, Portugal and Germany to be among the favourites. The round of 16 is already over, but everyone is still standing. True, in the next stage this circle will be halved, as we are waiting for the matches between France and Portugal, Germany and Spain. But this will be on Friday, but for now we are discussing the past stage with our expert, with a forecast for the next one.
— What trends did you notice in the round of 16? — There are four components in football that must be developed in every team. I defended my doctoral thesis on this topic at Lesgaft University. The first is physical fitness, the basis of the basics. This is what has always distinguished Soviet footballers. Of course, Portuguese footballers are more technical than Slovenian ones. But excellent physical fitness allowed Slovenia to equalise in regular time and in extra time. Keck’s boys are powerful and strong; thanks to these qualities they even out the class difference. By the way, their defender Biyol spent several years at CSKA. I looked specifically: in 2022 he was sold for 4 million euros to Udinese. Obviously they fell short: today Biyol is one of the strongest central defenders in Europe.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Jaki Bijol
Photo: Lars Baron/Getty Images
— What about the second component? — The second component is technique, working with the ball. The third is tactics, which is determined by the coach. Belgium is not much inferior to France in terms of composition and their battle was almost equal. But Tedesco has much less experience in the national team than Martinez’s predecessor, and even more than Deschamps.
The fourth component of success is psychology. And here we must pay tribute to the Turkish national team. The Austrian players are objectively more technical, but the Turks showed spirit and physical preparation. The most powerful guys – they simply hold their own! Montella said after the match that spirit and psychology would help them in the quarter-finals. These are qualities that German teams have always been proud of. How do you find them? If you have everything in order with the three previous components, then the fourth is automatically generated. Self-confidence, not overconfidence, is the most important thing. The European Championship confirms the relevance of this formula.
— Yesterday, Georgians were welcomed as heroes in their homeland. Have you completed a historic mission? – Yes, indeed. The President of Georgia awarded them the Order of Honour. The Georgians demonstrated this honour at the European Championships: they supported their nation and proved that they know how to play football. In the first half, they had enough strength to compete on equal terms with the Spaniards, but in the second half they got tired of what to do. To play against such a team, you need to be twice as fit as your opponent. No problem, Georgia has everything in store: a young and promising team.
Georgian national team
Photo: Fake Images
—Are Cristiano’s tears a sign of weakness or greatness? – This is greatness! I read Hamann’s statement here. I remember this German midfielder well. He said something like: everyone calls Cristiano a team player, but in reality he is an egoist. And how can he cry when so many spectators are looking at him, at the team? Did you see how his teammates ran to calm him down? This is the most touching moment! I have never encountered such a situation. He is older than everyone who is there and they console him: they say to him: Papa Cristiano, don’t cry, we are with you! This shows that he is frank, sincere and these tears come from the realization that he is letting the team down. This is how football, the game should be treated! No director comes up with a script like this episode. But then Ronaldo recovered and was the first to take the penalty after the match. As captain of the team, Cristiano knew that he had to start the series. And he scored! In one match, Ronaldo showed spirit, skill and human weakness. Are there people who don’t cry at all? These are a kind of zombies.
I will never forget the episode when some idiot threw a banana at Roberto Carlos. And this man, a football star, a world champion, burst into tears! Because he is sincere and he gives himself to the game, to his team and to the fans. That is why Ronaldo has so many fans. Of course, there are opponents and envious people. But in any case, players must be treated with respect.
And how upset was the Belgian defender! Is he to blame for the own goal? My friend Alderweireld was in the Belgian national team before (laughs) and Vertonghen played with him. It was a pity that the ball hit his foot and changed direction. One can only sympathise with the person.
Jan Vertonghen (foreground)
Photo: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
—Why did France and Belgium show such discouragement? — France is not playing well. And the Belgians are too. I think Deschamps underperformed tactically. It is no coincidence that Griezmann was already expressing his dissatisfaction with the game after the first few games. And physically, things are not in order: it seems that Kanté is the only one who runs for everyone. Maybe they will recruit more. The finalist will have to play seven games. This means that we need to distribute our forces at a distance. In my opinion, Holland has improved game after game. And the appearance of this substitute, Malen, showed that they have reserves.
– Mbappé and Ronaldo have 0 goals in the match. Anomaly? – Both are team captains, but Ronaldo plays more usefully. Although it is difficult to compare them. Cristiano is 39 years old. Messi himself did not play the same way at the last World Cup as he did 10 years ago, but he was a real team player and everything went great for him and for Argentina. And Ronaldo is also useful for his team. And the French do not have any team action in attack. Some kind of failure occurred, there are not enough penetrating transmissions. But I would wait until the end of the tournament to draw deeper conclusions about the contribution of Ronaldo and Mbappé to their teams’ play.
Kylian Mbappé
Photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images
— Is Costa the main character of the round of 16? – Of course, Costa! He scored three penalties on the move. The goalkeeper is half of the team; he always was, is and will be. And they also played 0-0, which means they also made a “cracker”. In second place I would put Demiral, the central defender of the Turkish national team. This is the epitome of an athlete: what power! He not only worked in defence, he also scored two goals in attack.
Montella apparently had an amazing training camp on the eve of this tournament. They all played their championships. How was it possible to instill such confidence and spirit in them? By the way, Guus Hiddink also did very well in 2008. It seemed like a small meeting, but he united the team in an amazing way. Montella is also like that now. Maybe that is why foreign coaches are sometimes needed.
— Are there any analogies between Russia 2008 and Türkiye 2024? – Why not? The same dedication. Remember the 120 minutes of the match against Holland. When Arshavin grabbed the ball on the left flank in extra time, I shouted in the report: “Where does the strength come from, Andrei?” And he crossed to Torbinsky, and scored the third. Semak, by the way, was the team captain. However, he never boasted about his position and played as such. The current Turkish team is, of course, physically stronger, but in terms of dedication it reminds us of our 2008 team.
– Did Bellingham and Kane save Southgate from obstruction? “It’s clear that the whole of England is unhappy with their team. The fans are upset. They may be tied with the Swiss, but of course… Everyone thought the British would take first place, but they have not yet impressed.
“But the Dutch finally got going.” — We played very well against the Romanians! He started. And Malen, who came on as a substitute, scored two goals, and how masterfully he did it all! The Netherlands has very high potential: they can try to be in the top four and reach the final. The chances are high. I didn’t really like Koeman as a defender: he scored a lot, but he broke bones. And as a coach, of course, not Rinus Michels. However, everyone improves, including Koeman as a specialist. He draws conclusions for himself and gets back on his feet. And his team is good and Gakpo is able to score against any team: a crazy shot. In general, there can be surprises in this part of the grid. I witnessed how the Greeks became European champions in 2004, when nobody expected this from them. And anything can happen here, because the grid eliminates, among other things, the real contenders for first place.
Dutch fans
Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images
– Who can repeat the path of the Greeks 20 years ago: the Swiss, the Turks? — Switzerland has a good team. Yakin works with them efficiently. They have everything. But why get ahead of yourself? Let the strongest win. For example, I don’t like it when they say: “We play to win.” Like Arnautovic after the last match. Guys, why didn’t you win then? The Georgians, for example, deservedly lost to the Spaniards, but there are no complaints against them. But their fans have big complaints about the Ukrainian or Serbian teams. There are different ways of acting in the tournament. Yes, those same Austrians gave their all. Who can blame them for a bad match? They played well, but they turned out to be stronger.
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– Spain – Germany – early final? — The Spaniards are now, in my opinion, the number one candidate to win the European Cup. But in their confrontation with the Germans it is very difficult to predict anything. There are already such masters on both sides. There are players who are not only able to create – like Rodri, Kroos – but can also score. Here, in the most important and main fights, individual skill will be felt. They often say: order beats class. But in the quarter-finals class should come to the fore. The Spaniards have an excellent midfield, three good forwards. Morata may be inferior to Williams and Yamal in terms of efficiency, but he also brings advantages. And Yamal is simply amazing. The boy will turn 17 the day before the final, but he keeps up the pace for the entire 90 minutes. This means that the physical foundations have already been laid. However, the German team is playing at home. German teams have been famous for their winning spirit for 50 years, since the 1974 World Cup. They are always close to the end. But the Spaniards are still young. This is good from the point of view of enthusiasm and dedication. They are hungry for victories. But they are less experienced. Here it is difficult to give preference to anyone. There is something to build on for both teams. It will be a very interesting match.
