That concludes our blog for the day, but over to some match coverage where Daniel Harris will be reporting on the weather by the looks of things.
Reminder that politics and football do mix.
The French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has criticised the footballer Kylian Mbappé over his call for young people to vote against the “extremes” in parliamentary elections this month.
“I have a lot of respect for our footballers, whether Marcus Thuram or Kylian Mbappé, who are icons of football and icons for youth … But we must respect the French, we must respect everyone’s vote,” Bardella told CNews TV on Tuesday.
“When you’re lucky enough to have a very, very big salary, when you are a multimillionaire … then I’m a little embarrassed to see these athletes … give lessons to people who can no longer make ends meet, who no longer feel safe, who do not have the chance to live in neighbourhoods overprotected by security agents.”
About Turkey v Georgia….Sid Lowe suggesting conditions mean it may not go ahead.
Fixing a hole where the rain gets in and it keeps my mind from wondering where it will go pic.twitter.com/56RRCyvt7c
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) June 18, 2024
This is getting worse and worse...waterfalls in all four corners now... If it's like this, got to be a risk it doesn't go ahead?
— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) June 18, 2024
Belgians refuse to blame sweaty shirts for Slovak shock
Why did it look like the Belgium team were running their own wet T-shirt competition during their Group E match against Slovakia on Monday? While the Slovaks, dressed in all white, looked fresh as daisies, KDB and co looked as if they had sweated out their body weight trying to keep up.
A succession of sticky images raised the prospect of Belgium having done an Aston Villa, where the men’s and women’s teams asked the supplier Castore to provide a new kit for the second half of last season because the original version absorbed so much perspiration it began to weigh players down.
Not the case, says Adidas, which has designed the kit that the Belgium men’s team have been wearing since March (as well as the shirts of Spain, Italy and of course Germany). The problem, rather, was an excess of humidity. “Our jerseys are built with breathable materials and HEAT.RDY technology to maximise air flow – however moisture was visible given the humidity in yesterday’s match,” a spokesperson said. “We constantly gather player feedback, also after yesterday’s game, and as a result both adidas and the RBFA [Royal Belgian Football Association] are confident in the performance of our RBFA kit.’
We checked with the RBFA and it confirmed there had been no complaints from the players, so look forward to more wet Belgians when they play Romania on Saturday.
More scenes from the England presser. Photos supplied by our No 1 man, David Hytner.
More Stockport love.
Kobbie joins the late Genesis P-Orridge in being a famous person from Gatley, on the fringe of the Manchester overspill.
The football drought will soon be over, and Daniel is already manning the Turkey v Georgia coverage.
Homeless Euro 2004
Teams from Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden paraded into Hamburg’s fan zone at the start of the week-long event organised by local charity Anstoss (Kickoff) and was funded by donations.
Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, has gone up the Castle Blankenhain stairs to speak to the newspaper journalists. Expect to hear more from him later in these pages.
Sir Keir Starmer says a new Labour government will look into kick-off times and ticket pricing. He’s been chatting to something called Football Weekly.
However, Starmer dismissed suggestions that the package of football regulations could include a proposal to levy a 10% charge on transfers that would then be distributed to lower league clubs.
Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow sports and culture secretary, suggested on Monday she would be open to such an idea, saying: “I’m going to look at absolutely everything that might help increase the financial sustainability.”
But Starmer told an LBC radio phone-in on Tuesday: “Let me just kill that one. We’re not looking at that … We will get that football governance bill in. It’s much needed for fans, but that isn’t part of it.”
West Ham are the latest club to raise prices and cut concession tickets. Their fans are enraged.
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Mainoo answered a question on the racist chanting from Serbian fans with notable poise. “I’ve not. I only heard about it on the way over but as it is an ongoing investigation I will leave it to Uefa to decide whatever is going on with it.”
On Ten Hag staying on at Manchester United: “Happy to be building with him, got two trophies hopefully there’s more to come. Peace of mind to know what manager we have when we return. I’m so grateful for him, he put so much trust in me to play in the team. I can’t thank him enough.”
On a delayed start to his first Manchester United season: “[My injury] was a tough one to take. It took me a day or two to sink in. From then it was focusing on getting back and trusting the process and medical team so that I would be in better shape and position to be back.”
There’s a question on Stockport from L’Equipe’s reporter. The motto there these days is “Stockport, it’s not s**t”, and Kobbie relates that he, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer have been kicking back and reminding themselves of youth teams back in the day, their back in the day being as far back as 2014. Are Mellor Boys still going?
Fuller transcript will follow.
“I’m ready to play, whether that’s off the bench or starting. Obviously, there’s other great midfielders in the squad in the Premier League or abroad like Jude [Bellingham]. I’m trying to train hard and be ready when I’m called upon.”
On playing against Danish teammates: “They’re both great team-mates to me, Rasmus is young like me so I am always around him. I am trying to learn and pick up from Christian. If I’m to play on Thursday I’ll have to put that aside.”
“It’s such a good squad, we’ve gelled real well.”
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Kobbie’s up, and being asked questions about, er Erik ten Hag, and drinking pickle juice. “It’s always been a dream to play for England,” he says, throwing off questions of playing for Ghana. “I’ve always been confident in tight areas,” he tells famed freelancer Henry Winter, who draws from Kobbie that futsal is one of the foundations of his skill on the ball.
It’s not been a great advert for German logistics, this tournament. Or weather, which reminds of that grainy footage of the 1974 World Cup, which looks like it was played in Ireland in mid-March. The fan parks, as first shown off at the 2006 World Cups, have had their problems, too.
Per Reuters – Berlin’s two Euro 2024 fan zones, which attract tens of thousands of guests for public viewing of matches, will be closed on Tuesday due to an extreme weather warning.
Germany’s weather service has forecast heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail for the wider area around the capital later in the day. There are no matches in Berlin on Tuesday but fans would have gathered at the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag areas to watch Georgia take on Turkey in Dortmund before the evening game in Leipzig between Portugal and the Czech Republic.
“Safety of the visitors is the top priority,” said Moritz van Duelmen, of organisers Kulturprojekt Berlin. The fan zones are expected to re-open on Wednesday.
The interview room is filling up at England HQ, the dart board to the left of the stage.
Kobbie Mainoo will shortly appear at England’s press conference. In European football, managers send out players starting the game under discussion; we shall see. But my watch is over, so here’s John Brewin to take you through the rest of the afternoon.
Cadbury have made a Jude Bellingham shirt out of chocolate, of course they have.
A totally sane country.
“Re tongue-swallowing,” begins Stephen Halliday, “I actually watched something very recently that informed me that it’s impossible to swallow one’s own tongue. This was news to me as it’s always slightly scared me that this could happen and what if it happened and nobody knew what to do. Anyway, can’t remember where I saw that but see it I did! Doesn’t take anything away from quick-thinking players over the years who have come to the rescue of a colleague who may have, or probably hadn’t, swallowed their own tongue.”
I guess they called it swallowing one’s tongue but what it actually was the tongue blocking an airway. Bryan Robson, though, who did it – or didn’t do it – against QPR in January 1989, is still nails.
It’s a funny thing really: everyone thinks they should be able to start on England and they’re right, they should, except no one in their right mind can diss chips, curry, or chips and curry.
Here’s the thing: schnitzel is better than baguette, but you’re not comparing like with like, whereas anyone who prefers fondue to goulash needs a swerve.
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This is excellent.
“Euro ‘88 is the first major tournament I can remember watching,” writes Kári Tulinius. “I really liked that Soviet side, and Rinat ‘The Cat’ Dasayev became my hero, as I wanted to play in goal. One of the main reasons Marco van Basten’s strike was so special is that he beat one of football’s greatest ever goalkeepers.
Mine is Mexico 86 but I was still fully amped-up with wonder for Euro 88. I liked Dasaev too, but the definitive Euros keeping performance is Peter Schmeichel in 1992 – without him – and, in fairness, Brian Laudrup and Flemming Polvsen – no chance Denmark win that.
“It’s the big mans birthday today too!” emails Chris Webb of Andy Linighan.
Happy bests, here’s his 1993 FA Cup-winning goal; as he’ll no doubt remember, also that day I got suspended from school for setting the floor of the science lab on fire.
“My actual favourite bit of the Savage announcement,” returns James Humphries, “is Heskey being brought in for a ‘position-specific role’. I assume that means he’s gonna knock the team talks down for Owen or Vassell?”
He’s going to coach the strikers who don’t score to get even better at it.
The statement here is sensational.
Macclesfield FC can confirm that Robbie Savage has been appointed first-team head coach with immediate effect. As a result of achieving two promotions as well as reaching a play-off final and Isuzu FA Trophy semi-final within the club’s first three years, it came as no surprise when Robbie was offered a senior role elsewhere recently.
Robbie subsequently agonised over this on numerous levels as it would have meant him relinquishing his role at Macclesfield FC – in addition to his shareholding. This was something which the board was not prepared to let happen and it was unanimously decided that Robbie should be given the chance to prove himself here at Macclesfield FC as he launches his coaching career with us.
How many levels constitute “numerous”? We must be told.
I’m looking forward to seeing Turkey this afternoon – most particularly to watch this lad but also because Vincenzo Montella has got them playing exciting, enterprising football. Kenan Yildiz is another with huge potential, who’s also pretty nifty now, and if they find their tempo, Georgia are in trouble.
Also going on…
And then there’s this vintage Bazza from Euro 92.
OTD 92 - "Broleen, Dhaleen, Broleen ... brilliant!" pic.twitter.com/kKnHYFTZyT
— Daniel Harris (@DanielHarris) June 17, 2019
Back to Euro 88, though, at that tournament I discovered the fantastic Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko. What a player he was – as Rangers fans will attest.
I mean this is its obvious rival, but any more for any more?
is this great Euros goal also the greatest shinner of all time?
In other news: Joey Barton has apologised to Jeremy Vine and agreed to pay the broadcaster £75,000 in damages to settle a high court libel claim. In a pinned post on X, he said:
“Between 8 and 12 January 2024 I published 11 posts which accused Jeremy Vine of having a
— Joey Barton (@Joey7Barton) June 18, 2024
sexual interest in children, and created a hashtag which made the same allegations, which were viewed millions of times. I recognise that this is a…
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Real talk: he’ll never top this.
By the way, was anyone expecting N’Golo Kanté to still be able to run about like that?
Oh and here he is again! “Caramel wafer clearly the superior Tunnock’s product, though, you madman,” he advises.
Last time I was in Scotland was for the pre-season Man United v Lyon game. I know, I know, but when else am I getting to watch my team at Murrayfield? And what a row that place must make when it’s full. Anyroad, outside the ground I found them doing 99s which would then be rolled in sour (but not sour enough) sugar. I have infinite respect for this innovation.
'“Re: not following the pattern,” returns James Humphries. “That’s the thing, isn’t it? I expected a loss (though god help me, I thought we’d mebbe sneak a result, because evidently I do not learn), but we were... flipping... abject. Worst I’ve seen us play since, iirc, the first game of Stevie Clarke’s regime when we got done 3-0 in Kazakhstan. My English mate has been very gracious about it, considering, but bloody hell. Still, Portugal-Czechia should be good, eh?”
A win and a draw from the last two doesn’t seem impossible, but Switzerland just have a way of getting out of groups. That should be a tussle.
First it was Albanian fans taunting their Italian rivals by snapping uncooked spaghetti in front of them.
Then the Austrians followed suit, breaking baguettes in the faces of French fans before their Euro 2024 clash.
Fans flocking to Germany for the month-long tournament are entertaining themselves with good-natured “food wars” looking every bit as spicy as the games themselves.
As well as the desecration of national foods in the streets - which has sparked more laughter than outrage - food banners are springing up in stadiums.
“Fondue better than goulash” read one at Switzerland v Hungary. “Eat Pasta, Run Fasta,” said an Italian poster at the Albanian game. And “Kielbasa (sausage) better than gouda,” boasted Polish fans against the Netherlands.
The food insults have, however, so far proved a bad omen.
Albania lost 2-1 to Italy after their pasta-breaking and Austria were beaten 1-0 by the baguette-loving French.
Host nation Germany is counting its blessings that widely-feared hooligan trouble has been minimal, with more snapped pasta and bread than broken bones and bottles.
“Thank God the violence has not been there. Instead we’re seeing a lot of fun and banter between fans like these hilarious ‘food wars’,” said food stall-holder Roland Koch in Hamburg.
“Just don’t mess with our ‘currywurst’ - or else then there will be trouble, I warn you!,” he added, referring to the ubiquitous sausage and spicy sauce on sale at his kiosk and seemingly every other street corner in Germany.
Goodness me, I’m not surprised England and Scotland have been kept out of this. That said, I’ll fight anyone who desecrates Irn Bru or Tunnocks Tea Cakes.
Mbappé could miss France's remaining group-stage fixtures with broken nose
Tangentially, you don’t see many players swallowing their tongues these days. I was advised this is because tonsils are no longer removed – can anyone confirm or deny?
On tonsils, by the way, that is a minger of an op and no mistake – the inability to swallow meant bare jelly and ice cream, which sounded good to a six-year-old. It was, in fact, the opposite of good, but it did seem to stop ear infections, so.
And here is it coming up – beautifully so – on Final Score.
That clip is one I discovered researching – OK, Smyth sent it me – Joy of Six ‘houses, ‘housing and ‘housery.
Bright has a quiet one with Linighan…
“Bonjour Daniel,” begins Andrew Benton. “You don’t see many broken noses in top flight football do you (or do you)? Could Kylian Mbappé’s be ‘La fracture du nez la plus célèbre de l’histoire du football international’?? Are there other famous examples? Let’s hope he doesn’t get a ball in the face next match. Vive l’MBM!”
When I think broken noses, I think Steve Bruce, who famously never played at international level (though he did get a run-out for England B) and Andy Linighan (courtesy of Mark Bright). And whenever i think of them, I wonder how Raphaėl Varane – almost unbeatable in the air – remains so excitingly handsome, conk in pristine nick.
“I’d rather have a broken hand than another 90 minutes of that absolute [redacted] we put up against Germany,” says James Humphries. “Might turn down the free tickets though.”
Yeah, it’s not following the Scotland tournament template of brave resistance against the better sides and embarrassment against the lesser. I can see that must be disconcerting.
I am, though, looking forward to seeing how Marc Guéhi does in the rest of the competition. Some players are earmarked to be elite from an early age, and others just rise to every step-up in level. He seems to me to be in the latter group, but at some point things will get much harder – at which point we’ll see what he’s really got. What we can be almost certain of, though, is that his mentality is spot-on.
Obviously there’s plenty of chat about England. Now that you ask, I’d not be binning Phil Foden after one poor game – though I do wonder if he’s England’s best left-wing option. In midfield, though, I don’t really get why Trent Alexander-Arnold is deemed the right pick. A beautiful player, obviously, but midfield is about consistency and the best in the role are the best short passers not the best long passers – think Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Keane, Scholes, Modric, Kroos and so on. England have loads of routes to goal and loads of players who can create one out of nothing; what they lack is control, and a bloke in the middle of the pitch who may or may not hit a good ball or shot at some point, instead of someone who knows the role and can do a bit of everything – Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton – doesn’t make loads of sense to me.
A reminder of todays fixtures: we see the first of our Group F sides, so it’s Turkey v Georgia at 5pm BST – I’ll coax you through that one – then it’s Scott Murray bringing you Portugal v Czech Republic.
In that regard, though, I’ve previously absorbed internet aggravation for saying the order does matter. A team hoping to make something happen need a friendly start; a team confident it’ll make something happen want a friendly run-in.
Sky Sports News, of course, are majoring on the day’s big story: the revelation that every Premier League side will play every other Premier League side … both home and away! More news as I get it.
Would you take a broken hand for whatever the compensation might be? What would you be prepared to endure to get to an unmissable game?
Thanks Luke and afternoon all. Football is alright isn’t it?
That’s all from me. Over to Daniel Harris.
In news story form, here’s the thing about Niclas Füllkrug accidentally breaking a supporter’s hand with a wayward warm-up shot before Germany’s opening win over Scotland.
I sense hospitality tickets will be forthcoming for one lucky fan.
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Bertrand is asked on Sky what went wrong in England’s Euro 2016 humiliation by Iceland.
“It’s tough to say. If you sit back and, you know … it’s hard to blame any one reason. It’s just one of them things. It didn’t really happen on the day. There’s probably lots of small elements as to why it didn’t work.”
An answer roughly as convincing as England’s display that night.
Anyway … yeah, go on then.
Steve McClaren priceless reaction to England going 2-1 down to Iceland in 2016 pic.twitter.com/PRZyR3NnnD
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) June 10, 2020
The former Chelsea and England full-back, Ryan Bertrand, has retired from football.
Remember Munich 2012? What a performance.
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Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Napoli – a truly original footballer, a free thinker and someone capable of seeing/doing things no one else can – will be lining up for Georgia against Turkey. Tune in if only for that reason.
Georges Mikautadze, who has been banging them in for Metz in Ligue 2, is also one to watch, along with Giorgi Chakvetadze of Watford.
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You’ve got a little over five hours to wait for your first helping of Euro football goodness today.
With that in mind, here is the Turkey team guide:
And whatever you do, don’t forget to read Sid Lowe on Real Madrid’s Arda Guler.
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Labour will not introduce a 10% tax on Premier League transfers, Sir Keir Starmer has said after reports his party was considering the move.
Shadow culture and sport secretary Thangam Debbonaire sparked reports Labour could introduce the transfer levy on Monday when she said she would “look at everything” proposed in the recent fan-led review of football governance.
Here is David Squires on, among other things, Albania “throwing a frankfurter in Italy’s carbonara” with that very early goal in Group B on Saturday night.
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“When you lose the first match, you know you must win the second,” Kevin De Bruyne said last night after Belgium’s profligate, VAR-plagued opening loss against Slovakia. Wise words.
“We’ll try to regroup now and be more effective in the second match,” added the Manchester City virtuoso.
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Barney Ronay spoke to The News Agents podcast about Kylian Mbappé weighing into the current political furore in France:
"Mbappé is so wealthy he's above worrying about sponsorships - he is free to say what he wants and it won't harm him."
— The News Agents (@TheNewsAgents) June 17, 2024
Are footballers nowadays more responsible with - or freer to use - their enormous platforms?@maitlis | @jonsopel | @barneyronay pic.twitter.com/E8dI1hu3HW
Olivier Giroud, Jules Koundé, Adrien Rabiot and William Saliba react to Kylian Mbappé’s broken nose.
He’s a very important player for France and they hope he’s back soon, that is the general gist.
“I can’t tell the team much about what needed to be better,” Domenico Tedesco said after Belgium’s opening Euro 2024 defeat yesterday. “We have created many opportunities. Great opportunities. If we had scored first, that would have helped us. But we had control and didn’t let Slovakia play their game. The only thing that wasn’t perfect was our finishing.”
The captain, Kevin De Bruyne, was also upbeat after the 1-0 loss against Slovakia: “Our second half was better,” he said. “We’ve created opportunities, pushed them and didn’t give away much. We didn’t play badly, it is only that we didn’t score. Of course it is now necessary in our second game to be more efficient.”
The substitute Loïs Openda, adjudged to have handled the ball in the build-up to Belgium’s second disallowed goal, is also confident of a turnaround.
“In the second half we did push well and play well, only the goal was missing. We have to work on that for the second game,” Openda said. “It’s not going to be with the knife between the teeth against Romania yet. We know how to play well, as we did during qualifying. There is no pressure, we have the quality, mentality and trust in our group. It will be fine.” (Reuters)
A significant positive from England’s opener against Serbia was that the opposition’s dangerous front men, Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic, were kept quiet.
Marc Guéhi’s performance in central defence was one of the main reasons for that, and here David Hytner reflects on the Crystal Palace man’s growth on the international stage:
Wrighty, Gary, Keano and Woodsy having a bit of banter in the ITV studio last night.
(Geo-blocked outside UK, probably, but I’m sure you will survive.)
Nothing but vibes in the ITV studio last night 🕺😅@IanWright0 | @GNev2 | @Laura_Woodsy pic.twitter.com/biP9UUhZjd
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 18, 2024
Has Kylian Mbappé asked Antoine Dupont if he’s finished using this scrum cap?
Gareth Southgate believes England have the individual star quality to drive their hopes of Euro 2024 glory.
The squad arrived in Germany on the back of the friendly defeat by Iceland at Wembley and plenty of concerns, particularly with regard to fitness – some of which endure. The players were confident that the match-winners would step up, which is precisely what happened with Jude Bellingham in the 1-0 win against Serbia on Sunday in the opening round of Group C ties. Bellingham scored the goal and dazzled in the first half before the second became more of a defensive effort.
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A Germany fan missed the hosts’ Euro 2024 opener against Scotland on Friday after his hand was broken by a wayward shot from German striker Niclas Füllkrug during the warmup.
Kai Flathmann was sitting to the side of the German goal before his team’s 5-1 demolition of Scotland when he was hit on the hand by an effort from Füllkrug.
“I have no words, crazy things,” he said on social media, posting a picture in hospital with his arm bandaged and in a sling.
“Bild [newspaper] is now reporting on this unfortunate incident and the German FA have been in touch with me as well.” he said.
He told the newspaper he only managed to catch the anthems while being removed from the stands on a stretcher, missing Germany’s opening triumph in which Fülkrug also scored. (Reuters)
Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Philippe Auclair and Paul Watson had a chat about the latest Euro 2024 developments last night. Someone even recorded and edited it, and you can listen to the result here:
“What was your summer like?” Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna was just asked on my telly. Steady on.
“It’s a contrast that we won the match and we are a little bit disappointed about Kylian,” Olivier Giroud said last night of the France captain’s broken nose sustained in the 1-0 win against Austria. “He’s going through his medical tests and I can’t say anything about his injury. But I hope he recovers quickly.”
“He is a very important player, he is our captain,’ said Jules Koundé. “If we lose him that will make a huge difference for the team.”
“I don’t think it’s that bad, I think he can recover quickly,” said the midfielder Adrien Rabiot. “Let’s see what the doctors say. We had the same case at Juventus with [Wojciech] Szczesny and he came back very quickly. He may miss the next game against the Netherlands but he will surely be back very quickly.”
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I’ve smoked a cigar, I’ve sung a song, I’ve danced with Eduardo; now I want to introduce you to a very interesting kid.” Carlo Ancelotti looked across at the thousands of celebrating Real Madrid fans spread out in front of him and at the 19-year-old standing nervously behind him, reluctantly thrust to the front by giggling teammates. “He’s very shy,” the coach told them. And then he handed the mic to Arda Guler, who said thanks, something about being a family, and hurriedly handed it back.
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Here’s Mbappé’s tweet from last night asking for mask ideas.
Des idées de masques 🎭😅 ?
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) June 17, 2024
Austria's Danso sends good wishes to Mbappé
Austria’s Kevin Danso sent a message of sympathy to French striker Kylian Mbappe, who broke his nose in a collision with the defender on Monday night.
“I wish him a good recovery and I hope he can quickly get back on the pitch,” Danso wrote on X of the injury sustained in France’s 1-0 victory over Austria.
“To French supporters: I am sorry that Kylian Mbappé was injured from our duel,” added Danso, whose back was turned when Mbappé’s face struck his shoulder.
France’s 25-year-old talisman was putting on a brave face, even asking social media followers to suggest ideas for a mask that may enable him to play in France’s next game against the Netherlands on Friday. That sparked a flood of memes online.
Mbappé left the field for treatment to his bloodied nose, but returned minutes later and sat down on the pitch, prompting boos from Austria fans and a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct.
France’s football federation said Mbappé was back at the team camp after hospital treatment with no need for surgery, and a mask was being prepared. (Reuters)
🇦🇹 Es war ein großer Kampf, leider mit unglücklichem Ausgang für uns. Trotzdem bin ich sehr stolz auf unsere Mannschaft, unsere Fans und auf mein EM Debüt. Danke euch allen für euren unglaublichen Support in diesem Stadion in Düsseldorf, was immer noch ein besonderer Ort für mich… pic.twitter.com/Tgau52lq1n
— Kevin Danso (@KevinDanso98) June 17, 2024
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Jacob Steinberg has compared Phil Foden’s indifferent England form to the experience of John Barnes under Bobby Robson.
Barnes himself has spoken this morning about precisely this issue:
“Bobby Robson used to say to me: ‘I want you to play the way you do for Liverpool.’ And I said: ‘If England played the way Liverpool do, I would.’
“Until England play like Manchester City, nothing will change,” Barnes told Talksport. “You’ll never ever get the best out of him … If Jude Bellingham is the No 10, Foden will be a bit-part player.
“It doesn’t matter what position he plays, the football, the tactics … unless it’s going to be like Manchester City, you’ll never see the best of Phil Foden [for England].”
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I just found myself admiring Kante’s lovely France away kit, in the Twitter photo below.
I’m pleased to see Lauren Cochrane ranked it the best at Euro 2024:
“This club has taken years off my life,” a Manchester City fan tells a well-known sports TV news channel, while reflecting on their imminent attempt at a record fifth straight Premier League title under Pep Guardiola.
A reminder that the 2024-25 Premier League fixtures are out.
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N’Golo Kanté’s display in France’s victory against Austria last night was described by Barney Ronay, our man at the Düsseldorf Arena, as “thrillingly zesty”.
N'Golo a terminé le match avec le brassard de capitaine ! 🇨 #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/EuS0X9D4qq
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) June 18, 2024
He was marginalised at the World Cup in Qatar, but Cristiano Ronaldo is firmly back in the Portugal fold under their head coach Roberto Martínez.
Will Ronaldo and Portugal, one of the tournament favourites, justify that status in their opener against the Czech Republic from 8pm BST tonight?
Here’s Andy Brassell:
Scotland are training now before tomorrow’s crunch encounter with Switzerland. Steve Clarke’s men are in an extremely tricky spot after that 5-1 thumping by Germany last Friday. The Swiss were impressive in their opening win against Hungary, too.
Last night, these French fans appeared to be offering their talisman out on loan, broken nose or not:
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For Karani, Euro 2024 in Germany has the distinct air of a home tournament about it. “That Turkey qualified, and the national team is now here is a really nice feeling for me and many others of Turkish origin,” he says, trying to suss out via a weather app if he can trust the forecast enough before the Turkey v Georgia game on Tuesday to put out the cushions on the terrace of his café in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district.
“Of course I’m proud. I hope we get far. A Turkey-Germany final would be the best outcome, though I admit in that case I would struggle to know who to support.”
Declan Rice and Ivan Toney are due to be thrust into the media spotlight by England today.
Episode 5️⃣ coming up today...
— England (@England) June 18, 2024
Today's guests: @ivantoney24 and @_DeclanRice 😁
Watch #LionsDen connected by @EE live from 2.30pm (UK) across all our social channels! 📲 pic.twitter.com/Qz0t1LWIPT
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The former England full-back Stuart Pearce, speaking to Jeff Stelling on TalkSport, says he thinks England didn’t press well enough from the front against Serbia. He also says he’d have brought Eberechi Eze on because the opposition “were there to be beaten heavily”. Sounds fair to me.
He also says Leipzig is a very nice place to visit and intends to return. I saw Depeche Mode in Leipzig back in 2017, and a very nice time was had by all.
Taking a moment or two away from MbappéNoseGate – why can’t Phil Foden replicate his Manchester City form for England?
Jacob Steinberg takes a look:
“I am touring northern Spain at the moment in my motorhome and had the misfortune to tune into Real Madrid TV,” emails Steve Horne. “Saw Dani Carvalhal’s [Champions League final] goal at least 20 times and then was treated to Kylian Mbappé doing the same warm-up sprint in a France training session at least 40 times.”
Thanks for the email and enjoy your trip, Steve, if not the Real Madrid telly channel.
Updated
Mbappé to wear mask due to broken nose
France captain Kylian Mbappé suffered a broken nose late on in his side’s 1-0 victory Euro 2024 victory over Austria, the French Football Federation confirmed after the game. Per Reuters:
The 25-year-old, one of the biggest names at the tournament, suffered the injury when he collided with the shoulder of Austrian defender Kevin Danso while challenging for a header. He was substituted near the end and left the stadium in an ambulance for X-rays.
“Kylian Mbappé suffered a broken nose during the second half of the Austria v France match this Monday in Düsseldorf,” a statement from the Federation said. “The captain of the French team was first taken care of by the medical staff and doctor Franck Le Gall, who diagnosed a broken nose. Diagnosis confirmed during radiological examinations at the Düsseldorf hospital. Kylian Mbappé has returned to the base camp of the French team. He will undergo treatment in the coming days, without undergoing surgery immediately.”
France face the Netherlands on Friday and Mbappé is now a doubt for that clash – a huge blow for France. “A mask will be made so as to allow the No 10 of the French team to consider resuming competition after a period devoted to treatment,” the FFF said.
Updated
Yesterday’s other reports. If you missed Stanciu’s screamer for Romania, seek out the highlights immediately:
Manchester City will begin their pursuit of an unprecedented fifth consecutive Premier League title away to Chelsea.
The match on Sunday 18 August will pit Pep Guardiola against his former assistant Enzo Maresca, who was appointed by Chelsea after guiding Leicester to promotion.
The FA Cup winners Manchester United will host the opening game of the campaign when Fulham visit Old Trafford on Friday 16 August.
It could be worse for Mbappé and France, of course. It could be a fractured cheekbone:
Preamble
Could Kylian Mbappé’s tournament be over? Will Cristiano Ronaldo, in the style of Kevin Phillips and Dean Windass, still be banging them in at 39? Why are there only two matches today? Are we going to have a summer? What’s for lunch? We’ll be seeking answers to all those questions and much more on today’s Euro 2024 news and buildup live blog. Email me with your thoughts. Let’s get into it.
