Euro 2020: How the Juventus stars fared in the round of 16

The round of 16 all but confirmed my suspicions after Matchday 1 that Euro 2020 (1) will be remembered as an all-time classic tournament.

IT. HAD. EVERYTHING.

Nevertheless, the group stages saw just two of the 12 Juventus stars competing this summer succumb to elimination (Merih Demiral & Wojciech Szczesny) meaning ten were involved in the first knockout phase.

Here’s how they got on amid all the mayhem.

Italy – Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa, Leonardo Bonucci & Giorgio Chiellini

Giorgio Chiellini (thigh) and Federico Bernardeschi (not very good at football) were absent for Italy’s slender victory over Austria at Wembley. Leonardo Bonucci, meanwhile, played all 120 minutes as Federico Chiesa proved the difference-maker off the bench.

Chiesa’s strike in extra time to hand a stuttering Azzurri the lead was instinctive and has drawn comparisons to Dennis Bergkamp’s iconic finish against Argentina at France ’98. The 23-year-old stated his name on the international scene and he’s set to displace Domenico Berardi in Roberto Mancini’s starting XI for the heavyweight quarter-final clash with Belgium.

As for Bonucci, his quietly impressive tournament continued. Statistically, he didn’t amaze: zero tackles, three interceptions, four clearances, 89.5% pass completion and three progressive passes, but it’s the confidence he’s exuding at the back that’s caught my eye. There’s a distinct composure with everything he does, something we haven’t seen in Turin for some time.

Wales – Aaron Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey failed to reach the heights of Matchday 2 against Denmark, as Wales were emphatically beaten 4-0 in Amsterdam.

The 30-year-old endured another uninfluential outing as the Danes seized total control from the ten-minute mark following Kasper Hjulmand’s switch to a 4-3-3 and Andreas Christensen’s deployment as a number six.

Ramsey struggled for the most part, although he did end the contest with three shot-creating actions.

He’ll now look to resolve his future with Juventus.

Netherlands – Matthijs de Ligt

Oh, Matthijs.

Following a warrior-like first-half display that helped shut out the Czechs, de Ligt’s hero status rapidly dissipated after an unfortunate sequence that saw him red-carded. Off-balance when attempting to defend a long ball intended for Patrik Schick, de Ligt inexplicably handled the ball that prevented the Czech striker from bearing down on Maarten Stekelenburg’s goal.

It was the turning point in the tie as the unfancied Czechs prevailed by a comfortable 2-0 scoreline, costing Frank De Boer his job.

Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo’s tournament came to a close last Sunday as his Portugal side fell to a 1-0 defeat against Belgium.

It was a productive campaign for the all-time great, but one that manifested the deficiencies we’ve seen in his overall play at Juventus for the past two years. While the statistics point towards a fairly influential display (four shot-creating actions, two key passes, three dribbles completed at a 100% success rate and a 0.3 xA haul) the eye-test paints an alternate picture.

Against an ageing Belgium backline, Ronaldo certainly didn’t make the impact that some projected following his productive group stage. His five goals, however, may still be enough to win the Golden Boot despite his early exit.

Spain – Alvaro Morata

Here’s a piece on Alvaro Morata’s stellar display against Croatia. Enjoy :) 

France – Adrien Rabiot

It was Veronique Rabiot, as opposed to Adrien, who made the headlines in the aftermath of France’s shock penalty shootout defeat to Switzerland.

Her son, in the events that preceded, looked out of sorts as a makeshift left wing-back as Didier Deschamps’ pragmatism proved Les Blues’ downfall. The 3-4-1-2 system deployed from the outset failed miserably and it wasn’t until Hugo Lloris saved Ricardo Rodriguez’s spot-kick early on in the second half when France started to play like the tournament favourites (Deschamps had reverted to a 4-3-3 by that point, with Rabiot at left-back).

While I thought Rabiot was fine defensively, registering five tackles and interceptions (only Benjamin Pavard had more), he was sloppy in possession (81.4% pass completion) and lacked the requisite dynamism for the wing-back system to work. He looked more at ease as part of a back four.

Sweden – Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski must’ve felt he was being coached by Andrea Pirlo on Tuesday night with Janne Andersson’s dynamics eerily similar to Il Maestro’s. 

Andersson opted to solve his striker issue by deploying Kulusevski alongside the blossoming Alexander Isak. It’s a role the precocious Swede performed several times of Juve last season.

Kulu’s performance was bright, littered with wonderful sequences, but it was Emil Forsberg, once again, who emerged as Sweden’s protagonist – this time in defeat. The Juve starlet notched a pair of shot-creating actions (behind Forsberg’s five) and a pair of key passes as his fluid function allowed him to roam in the opposition’s third and make the occasional dart in behind the Ukrainian defence. His team-high 20 pressures show that he also cut his weight – and some – out of possession.

It’s a shame we got to see so little of the dynamic youngster this summer.