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As we edge closer to the star-studded UEFA Euro 2020 final between Italy and England at the Wembley Stadium, there's a lot of excitement amongst both sets of supporters. I said at the start of the tournament that I fancy England to go all the way this time around and also mentioned that if there's one team that frightens me a little bit, it's Italy! In that sense, it's somewhat fitting that both sides have reached the Euro 2020 final and have done so by being two of the best teams in the competition so far.
Both semi-final ties went to extra-time and I could see at the full-time whistle that England and Italy were absolutely tanked after two grueling games of football. The England players had their hands on their knees after the win against Denmark; they showed incredible physical and mental strength to make it through to the final. As football fans, watching players in that state is a good feeling, as you feel like they've given it their all.
I spoke earlier about how Italy would react to conceding a goal in the tournament when they were on an impressive run of clean sheets, and their response to conceding against Austria was a positive one. Similarly, England's reaction to going behind against Denmark was largely positive, as they took the game to their opponents in the second half and improved progressively as the game went on.
Both sides are feeling good ahead of what could prove to be an eventful Euro 2020 final, but who will come out on top? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, I've selected five players who could play a key role in deciding the game at the Wembley Stadium.
#5 Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips | West Ham United & Leeds United, England
I think of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips as one entity for England. You see the relationship between them - the way they play off each other and understand their respective roles has been superb to watch at Euro 2020. Gareth Southgate has opted to start both of them in each of England's last eight competitive games, indicating the solid bond they've forged in midfield.
The way England have been able to dominate games and see off teams over the course of Euro 2020 is largely down to Rice and Phillips and the control they give in the center of the park. Defensively, they ensure Jordan Pickford and the rest of the England backline don't face too much in the way of an attacking threat, while Phillips has also shown that he can make a defining contribution in the final third, as he provided the assist for Raheem Sterling's goal against Croatia in England's Euro 2020 opener.
The center of the pitch is absolutely vital, with Italy boasting the likes of Jorginho, Marco Verratti and Nicolo Barella. With Rice and Phillips, though, England have got two governors in midfield; they'll get stuck in, make tackles and also look for the odd pass into the final third if the situation calls for it.
Italy have been fantastic and are a dangerous side to come up against, so they'll obviously create their fair share of chances. England have been resolute at the back and have conceded just once at Euro 2020 so far — which was a Mikkel Damsgaard free kick in the semi-final against Denmark — but Rice and Phillips will have to be at their brilliant best to snuff out everything that comes their way. They gave it their all to emerge victorious against Denmark, but Italy will pose a different kind of challenge to them in midfield. In terms of effort, though, it'll be quite similar, so it'll be interesting to see who comes out on top at the Wembley Stadium.
#4 Harry Maguire | Manchester United, England
Harry Maguire came into Euro 2020 on the back of an impressive season with Manchester United despite starting rather slowly. However, he picked up an injury at the business end of the season and missed the UEFA Europa League final against Villarreal. After missing the first two group stage games at Euro 2020, he returned for the clash against the Czech Republic and has been an indispensable member of the team since.
He looks like a leader and his defensive positioning is top class. A lot of players have been contributing for England and you could even argue that it's a team filled with leaders, but Maguire hasn't been fazed at all at the back and has been exceptional alongside John Stones at the heart of the defense.
As the leader of the backline, he comes under tremendous pressure, but so far he's passed every test he's faced with flying colors. He will come up against the wise heads of the Italian backline in Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini and will be a massive set-piece threat for England. He's already got one Euro 2020 goal to his name and will look to add to his tally in the final. Defensively, whether the ball is played in the air on the ground, he'll be tasked with snuffing out everything that comes his way.
He took his time to get going in his first game against the Czech Republic, but he's been magnificent since then and has produced the goods consistently for Gareth Southgate. He's a massive figure for England and will definitely be one of their key players against Italy.
Also Read: Paul Merson column - Italy vs England: 5 key battles | Euro 2020 final
#3 Andrea Belotti | Torino, Italy
I know Andrea Belotti is not a guaranteed starter, but what he offered for Italy after coming on as a substitute in the Euro 2020 semi-final against Spain was quite staggering. He's a very strong and willing runner, but more importantly, what he did immediately after coming on scared me a little bit. He jumped up and brought down one of Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal-kicks with his chest, indicating that he's a slightly different kind of center forward to Ciro Immobile.
Harry Maguire and John Stones have both been exceptional over the course of the tournament, but coming up against a striker like Belotti could prove to be quite challenging, even for them. As I said earlier, though, it remains to be seen if Roberto Mancini will opt for Belotti or decide to stick with Immobile for the Euro 2020 final. Regardless of who starts, I think Belotti will be involved at some point in the game and could be a player who makes an impact off the bench for Italy.
Like several other Italian teams we've seen over the years, the current crop simply won't give up until the last kick of the game. In the final, everything matters just a little bit more, so a player like Belotti is someone Italian fans would love to see on the day, while England fans will look at him as someone they don't want to come up against.
#2 Federico Bernardeschi | Juventus, Italy
Federico Bernardeschi is another player who came on as a substitute in the Euro 2020 semi-final against Spain and made a positive impact. This is a player I've been following for a while now, but when I watched him warm-up on the touchline, I realized how quick he actually is! He hasn't featured a lot at Euro 2020, but he's a player who excites me a lot whenever he takes to the pitch for club or country.
He's lightning-quick and is also a tremendous crosser of the ball, so he can be a big threat in the final third of the pitch. The main feature of Kyle Walker's gameplay is his pace, as we've seen over the course of Euro 2020, but Bernardeschi could trouble him with what he offers. He's very flexible tactically and can play on either flank, so that's another dimension for England to deal with.
Whether he starts or not is another question, like I mentioned earlier with Andrea Belotti, but he can cause England a problem or two if he gets his chance at some point in the game. Italy are a dangerous side and are deservedly in the final because they have a quality squad. I'd love to see Bernardeschi have a great game, but not on Sunday of course!
#1 Phil Foden | Manchester City, England
I could've gone for someone like Jack Grealish — who gets loud cheers from the England faithful every time he's on the pitch — or Federico Chiesa — who I've spoken about in detail in a few of my other columns — but I've gone with the youngster Phil Foden.
We all know what he's capable of, but up until the point he got on the pitch against Denmark, I hadn't seen the same Phil Foden I admired at Manchester City. In the Euro 2020 semi-final, he looked sharp, hungry and fearless, as all his standout qualities came to the fore in what went down as a lively cameo from him. Even for someone with my experience, the emotional side of things tends to dictate what you think of someone's performance, so I'll admit that I felt the excitement each time he got on the ball.
He picked up a knock earlier today and might not be fit enough to start, but he will be very close to the top of Gareth Southgate's substitute choices if he's passed fit for the Euro 2020 final. The beauty of the England squad is I could've so easily gone for many other players, as the manager has consistently made changes to his team throughout the competition.
There's a lot of fluidity in the team and Southgate has got a lot of options to choose from for the Euro 2020 final. We can try to work out the game plan of each of the two sides, but once you go out on the pitch, you have to deal with the situations as they come at you. I'm just glad I'm not going to be on TV for this one, so I'll kick back, relax and watch the game as a fan.
There is a lot of positivity in the England camp and the way they dug deep to finish the job against Denmark is a demonstration of what they're capable of doing. Italy will definitely be stronger opponents, but there's still more to come from England and I hope they turn up in the Euro 2020 final to finish the job at the Wembley Stadium.
Also Read: Jim Beglin column - 5 players who have surprised everyone with their performances at Euro 2020
