morning.
The Euros began last night and with Kai Havertz starting for Germany and Kieran Tierney behind for Scotland, there was plenty of interest from Arsenal. It wasn’t a good night for him, but it was fair to say that it was a much better night for Kai.
Trailing 1-0 early on after a shot the goalkeeper should have done better, Havertz set up the impressive Jamal Musiala for his second. There was a fairly lengthy VAR check to decide on a penalty kick, but in the end it wasn’t the case. But just before half-time Ryan Porteous was shown a red card for a terrible challenge on Ilkay Gundogan, leaving Scotland down to 10 men and a fine. Havertz stepped up to score, and he was good from there, which is probably always the case in the end.
The question was really about how the scoreline would end after 90 minutes, and I would say I was a bit worried about Scotland. Even at 11 v 11, you could see there was a significant difference in quality and performance levels between the two sides, with Germany having 15 more shots in the second half (45) than in the first. Things could have been worse. Niclas Fullkrug’s fourth goal came as follows: What a great ending., and Emre Can added a fifth goal with another shot that the goalkeeper might have done better. Scotland’s goal came through Antonio Rudiger’s header, an own goal of real quality.
So, a very good start for Germany, but a rotten start for Scotland, who will have to lick their wounds before facing Switzerland on Wednesday. It will always be difficult for them in this opener, but now they have to find a way to pick themselves up and get going again. I’m not sure Roy Keane’s post-match advice is particularly helpful.
“Oh my gosh, when you play football at this level you have to hit people, you have to hit them the right way, you have to hit them aggressively, you have to do it the right way. You face them like Scotland did tonight. It’s no use saying ‘we had a game plan’ after the game. “Everything that comes out is just trash.”
I understand what he’s saying to some extent, but better organization and players doing things like positioning, tracking runners, etc. would probably be more useful. It wasn’t a good night for Tierney either. I thought the moment he celebrated the goal kick victory was a little strange. I 100% understand holding on for points at 90 minutes, but at 3 minutes? It stood out. Arsenal are hoping that a good tournament on the big stage will spark transfer interest for the left-back, so hopefully things improve for him and Scotland in the next few games.
In the early part of today’s match, Hungary will face Switzerland. and Granit Xhaka, formerly of this diocese. In the afternoon there’s David Raya in action for Spain, and tonight there’s a tasty match between Spain and Croatia when Jorginho’s Italy take on Albania.
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Elsewhere, David Ornstein reports that Reiss Nelson has told Arsenal he is interested in a move this summer.
🚨 Reiss Nelson has informed Arsenal that he wants to review his options for a possible transfer this summer. #AFC Approach rejected in January + if they decide to sell, they’ll want ~£20m including add-ons. #CPFC, #FFC, #NFFC & #WHUFC Among the 24-year-old winger’s suitors @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/8tWdun34v0
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 14, 2024
I think this is the right thing for him to do at this point in his career. One Premier League start in four years tells its own story, and heading into his mid-20s he should be going somewhere and playing regularly. I have to admit that Arsenal’s valuation is a bit optimistic. I think we’ll do well if we get even half, but we’ll see how it goes.
Okay, let’s leave it there for now. If you need something to listen to this Saturday, I’m starting a Euro podcast on Patreon. You can sign up for $6 per month here: patreon.com/arseblog.
For now, have a good time.
