The story so far: Spain's form, England's draw, and our favourite moments! | Euro 2025 #8

0:00Hi, I'm Max Rushton, the host of The Guardian Football Weekly, alongside me, Barry Glendening, my co-host. Hey, Barry.

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1:18Rachel: Welcome to Upfront. I'm Chloe Morgan. And I'm Rachel O'Sullivan. The group stages are over and we are raring to go for the quarterfinal knockouts with a very tasty last eight lined up. Today, we're looking back at the best of the tournament so far, discussing England's side of the draw. And with the help of Barcelona-based presenter Alex Ibaseta, we'll be taking a closer look at Spain and their form at the moment. So stay tuned for all of that and much, much more. Rach, we've done it. We're into the quarterfinals. The stage is set. The last eight are set. It is Norway versus Italy. Swindon? Sweden versus England.

1:57Rachel: God, they get in. Fucking hell. Yeah, Swindon Town. They haven't a hope against Spain. Sweden versus England. Spain versus Switzerland. France versus Germany. We'll talk about the draw itself a little bit later. But what has been your moment of the tournament so far? Yeah, I mean, we've got a really great question actually that sort of leads into this from a listener, Hannah, who wanted to know what has been your favourite game to capture too?

2:22Chloe: God, that's really hard. I think it's probably got to be Switzerland versus Norway. That opening game, I think capturing the emotion of both Lia Valti captaining her side at a home euros and also Ada Hegeberg, captain of Norway, back in the team again. And you could see the emotion on her face too. And, you know, a lot of the time it is the moments on the pitch and the action on the pitch. And, you know, major tournaments are hard to shoot. You don't always get what you want. Like, it's one thing having a bad game and putting that to bed and thinking next week would be better. But when you're shooting 12 games in a row and you have a couple of games where you miss the moments because they're the other end or you're the other side or the players run the other way, it can get, like, frustrating as the games go on.

3:12Chloe: So, you know, when you capture a moment, it can be really special. And I think actually it was capturing the emotion in both of those players' faces, singing their national anthem and just seeing Switzerland play so well. You know, I just I think that was probably the most enjoyable game. And there have been some good games throughout so far that I've really enjoyed. Sweden, Germany was chaotic. And, you know, the England Netherlands game was the first game where I switched ends at halftime and that really paid off. So those kind of ones are really nice and they're the ones that give you energy going into the next game.

3:44Chloe: You're like, right, I've got a celebration here. I'll get a celebration at the next one. And it kind of energizes you, I suppose, going into another game. But yeah, nice question. There's been plenty of moments. And listen, I've got like 12 games of photos to edit. So apologies for not getting everything out very quickly. But that takes a while and I've had a lot of other stuff on.

4:02Rachel: Mate, it's been absolutely chaos for you. I mean, you know, in the midst of the tournament, you've obviously been doing like garbage smelling stadiums. You've been doing Swiss walks. You've been doing eagle spotting. Like it's been relentless for you, mate. So yeah, don't apologise. We know that you're up against it. There's more coming. I think in terms of sort of like some of the best moments that I've personally felt. I mean, the Lauren James opening goal in the Netherlands game, I thought was absolutely phenomenal. It was like the, because obviously we come off the back of such a horrible defeat with France.

4:31Rachel: We didn't know how the Netherlands were going to show up. We didn't know how England were going to show up. And I think that first goal, I think it just reassured us all that actually that was just a blip, that actually it was just a moment. It wasn't great. But like Lauren James and the way that she scored that goal, how assured she was and how confident the England team then felt going into that game and sort of dominating things. I think it was just such a lovely moment. I think it was like a pivotal moment for me in the tournament that I could kind of like just take a little bit of a sigh of relief.

4:59Rachel: that it wasn't going to be squeaky bum time, that we weren't all going to be sitting here today thinking, Christ, can't believe we're out. Yeah, so I think that was definitely one of my favourite moments. I think the Sweden versus Germany game, only because of the incredible handball, I think. You were impressed with that save, weren't you? 100%. I mean, we were speaking on the group chat about how phenomenal the reaction time was, how cat-like the save was, and just how blatant it was, actually. I mean, Fairfax, it was, she tipped it right around the post. Yeah, I mean, the worst thing I think about it is that, like, sometimes you just have those brain fart moments, like I've had them before, where you just do something so stupid and so, like, outlandish and so kind of just not, your brain just for that second just doesn't, it just doesn't lock in at all.

5:49Rachel: And I think, obviously, her mentality is save the ball, make sure that it doesn't go in, because you're hardwired in that way. that's like you're protecting the goal and you don't want your team to concede and you just do everything in your power so like there are some moments that and i just felt so sorry for her because you could see how upset she was when that happened she was just like what the fuck um yeah um and then obviously like she was quite upset sort of walking around the pitch nice to see like the uh the players consoling her as well um but yeah it was just a very like it was a what the fuck tournament uh tournament moment so i wouldn't say it's my favorite but it was definitely kind of I had to watch it again.

6:23Rachel: I was like, did that just actually happen? I was like, what? Okay, outside of the big nations then, who do we think you've been most impressed by so far?

6:35Chloe: Switzerland again. I'm really delighted that they got out of the group and they've shown a real bravery and confidence. And I've been really impressed with quite a few players in that team. but also Finland I think I expected a lot less from Finland and I think they have a relatively new manager they have some young players in there and I was so impressed with how they took on Norway they played with a real confidence and a real clear style of play and I was really impressed with them I was pleasantly surprised by Finland and you know it's a shame they had to go out but it would have been at the expense of Switzerland I think it would have taken Switzerland over Finland getting through to the knockout stages.

7:19So for me, I think maybe those two have been, yeah, have kind of pleasantly surprised me.

7:26Rachel: I would have to say, I definitely agree. I think Finland, I think, have been the most surprising just in terms of how they've taken the game to teams. They've kind of come out of the blocks with this kind of fearlessness and this kind of, maybe that's that kind of underdog mentality where you're not expecting, there's a weight of expectations on your shoulders. people aren't expecting massive things for you and to progress really far into the tournament but at the same time they've given it absolute beans so I've been really really impressed with them I think Italy another one that I've been super impressed with I think again they have taken games to teams they've not been afraid they've been very attacking they've been very front forward they've been I don't know I've just been really impressed by kind of you know the the excitement as well around them I think like the fans have got behind them I think the passion

8:08Chloe: 100 % they're so close to the Italian border that like there was plenty of Italian fans I think for me and we'll talk a bit more about Italy later on but they haven't set the world alight but they've improved and impressed and improved as each game has gone on and I think they're building at the right time and maybe getting better as the tournament goes on is obviously desirable if you're going into the knockout stages so and they're in arguably a favourable side of the draw so yeah I didn't put them in my teams that have impressed me just purely because I thought they've been good, but I know there's more to come, if you know what I mean.

8:46Rachel: 100%. And I think I have to echo what you said about Switzerland as well. I think it's always nice when you see a team really come into itself and especially like a host nation team. Like we saw, you know, how much it meant to the host nation in when we had the Australia World Cup and how the fans got behind them and how much excitement there was and how much kind of like the momentum really built, like built throughout the country. And I think maybe we'll start to see that if, you know, Switzerland pull it out of the bag in the quarterfinals, maybe we'll start to see. I know, I know, I know it's a big if.

9:15Rachel: Are you okay? I know it's a big if, but you never know. Like, you know, tournament hosts, they're going to have a sea of Swiss fans everywhere. Obviously, I mean, they've got probably the toughest matchup in the quarterfinals with Spain. But at the same time, you don't know. Spain have conceded goals this tournament. I don't know, you're right. invincible. Do they have an uphill battle? 100%. Is it the size of the fucking Matterhorn? Yeah, but you know what? They know how to climb that, so it's alright. 100%. Yeah, they ski things like that in their sleep, so let's give them a bit of credit. Any standout players for you in the tournament so far, mate?

9:54Chloe: Right, I feel like you might talk about Vicky Lopez potentially, so I'm going to talk about a player who I've so enjoyed watching and that is Geraldine Reuteler for Switzerland. There's a bit of a theme here. There's been quite a few Swiss players, I think, who have impressed. But I've just been, every time I've watched Switzerland play, she catches the eye. And she was the driving force in that first game against Norway. She picked up three player of the match awards in every group game. Imagine that, picking up player of the match in every group game at a Euros. Like, just incredible. She's been an engine and, you know, she's played a little bit deeper at times.

10:29Chloe: She can play higher up where I think she's a bit more impactful. but yeah she's massively stood out for me and I can't help but watch her every time I see Switzerland play and be impressed with her and even just listening to a game that I might not be watching it's her name they talk about a lot and so she's a player that I'm going to remember after this tournament for sure obviously there's big names and but I do think that one although can I talk about big names actually and player of the matches just while I have it in my head poor Sweden and And in the game against Denmark, after the game, like UEFA announced, they're like, we'd like to wish congratulations to the player of the match.

11:08Chloe: And it's like, Philippa Engeldahl. And then they put up a picture of Jan Stotir from Iceland. And everyone in the stadium started laughing and they were like, oh, oh, never mind. And then they took it down. They were like, apologies to that, ladies and gentlemen. The player of the match is Philippa Engeldahl. And then they put up another picture of Jan Stotir. And I'm like, obviously someone has labelled the file wrong in the system, okay? That is not Philippa. And eventually, third time of asking, they got Philippa Engeldahl up on the board. In the Sweden-Germany game, they were like, we'd like to announce the player of the match and it's Philippa Engeldahl.

11:43Chloe: And everyone was a bit like, all right, okay, that's a bit random. Not random, but like, not perhaps the player who thought was going to, oh, okay. And then they're like, oh, I'm so sorry. We need to take that back. The player of the match is actually Johanna Rittin-Kannard. I was like, mate, you were having an absolute nightmare when it comes to Sweden. Stop while you're behind.

12:01Rachel: Dig up, guys, my God. Christ. I mean, a lot of people will be looking at that and thinking that's just not good enough. But I think actually those moments do happen. I just think, like, fucking hell, you've just got to write it out. Yeah, 100%. I think sometimes you need those little funny anecdotes. But yeah, I think in terms of the standout players for me, I would definitely say, I mean, Sandy Baltimore, I found absolutely fascinating to watch. I mean, I know she's probably like a bit of a top pick for some or for most people. But yeah, I just think like the energy, the passion, the aggression that she's shown.

12:33Rachel: Yeah, I think. Yeah. I mean, you could probably choose about four or five for the French players. But for me, Baltimore is. Yeah, I just think she's such a spicy like character. I just absolutely love like, go on. You thought I was going to go for Vicky Lopez. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe we can give her flowers in the next section. 100 % and I think like if I was going to talk about anyone the Spain team I'd probably do you know I'd probably touch on Esther Gonzalez I think there's been like she's so like again one of these players has really taken like every single game by the horns and also she's popped up in the moments that have really mattered for Spain there's been a couple of moments where the game could have potentially gone either way but like the timings of her goals I think of like put Spain back into a confident position again and I think yeah she always excites me when she gets on the So I would say, yeah, in terms of stand-up play, yeah, I would say, yeah, Sandy Baltimore, Esther Gonzalez.

13:24Rachel: Obviously, you can talk about the big names. Alexia. Alexi Puchayas has had one of the best, you know, tournaments we've ever seen. Player of the tournament vibes so far. Yeah, like, she's obviously been outstanding. I mean, that kind of goes without saying. I mean, most of the Spanish players really have. But, yeah, I've got to say, like, if you're going to give people, like, credit for maybe the ones that haven't maybe been given enough credit, I'd say probably those two. okay coming up after this a deep dive on Spain

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15:29Rachel: To help us take a closer look at space tournaments so far, we've got Barcelona-based reporter and presenter Alex Ibaseta on the line. Alex, thank you so much for coming on. How have you enjoyed the tournament so far, mate, and trying to keep up with all the get? you forget sometimes like how difficult it is to kind of be across all the games as they're unfolding it was last night i was kind of enjoying my evening just like spending time with the friends we were i think we were painting yeah we were painting and at the time it's like nine like 9 35 and i was like ah there's games i was like so it's just like it's kind of being crossing like obviously the people that i was with are journalists or not football and they were like but Spain's not playing I was like I know but like I need to watch I need to watch every game I was like do you understand I was like every single game I need to watch and they were like oh okay and I was like can I I was like will you guys be mad if I go sit down on the sofa and watch TV for a bit thanks basically you try to have a life outside of football how dare you I have a life outside of football and I miss the football match it doesn't you can't have both can you let's talk a little bit about Spain then they obviously had a hard group but they've made it look so bloody easy um how impressed have you been with Spain so far yeah it's definitely an interesting one isn't it I think everybody knows by now the potential that Spain have and I think everybody also knows by now that Spain is is very capable of bottling it um quite easily and a few times I'm I think the last year was kind of the the awakening of that of everybody realizing that no matter the players that you have obviously Alexia Puttiaz wasn't there and she's been key in this tournament, but I think 2022 was kind of, you know, an outside vision of how bad Spain could be and how good they could be, for example, against England.

17:16I know they lost that game, but that was the best game of the tournament. It's like, how do you have that group stage and then show up in a game like this? Spain just over the years have been historically inconsistent. So you go into a major tournament, you don't really know what you're going to get. But they've shown this tournament, this is exactly what we all expect of them. This is exactly the potential that they could reach at every single tournament, year in, year out, every single game. And, you know, you're seeing this and you're just like, you sit back and relax, essentially. I think from my point of view, especially, I'm just kind of like, wow, you know, finally, you know, you show up to big moments, to big games in a very impressive manner and kind of, you know, they're kind of overachieving, I think, as well.

17:56You know, everyone expected them to play well, but the amount of goals, what is it? It's 11 plus against Italy. 14. 14 yeah 11 plus 3 that took way too long in my head to figure out 14 goals in 3 games is just ridiculous you know you expect them to do well but I think they're really overachieving with the expectations everybody has for them

18:17Chloe: You touched on Alexi Puteas there she's obviously been a huge part of that 3 goals 3 assists 2 player of the match awards already what is clicking for her in Switzerland because it's so lovely to see her back particularly after that ACL injury There's no stopping her when she's like this I think what's most special about Alexia, when she's playing so well, she's genuinely enjoying it. And you see that assist that she gave to Athenea against Italy. She pulls these things out out of nothing. And you saw when she was coming back from her ACL injury, she was really, really focused on playing well.

18:51And she wasn't necessarily enjoying it. So you didn't have that freedom that you see Alexia and that you enjoy. But I think finally this season, especially the second half of this season and now in this tournament, She's really let go and she's finally coming back to, you know, quote unquote, her old self before the ACL injury of just, you know, fully enjoying her football, appreciating her teammates, appreciating what she has to give and appreciating her experience, I think, as well. I think mentally for her, that's been that's been a big one as well. Kind of realizing that she is one of the veteran players and kind of enjoying that process as well, being with the youngsters.

19:24you know there's an ongoing joke of making all the tiktoks with the youngsters and kind of just kind of letting herself go in an environment where she usually might have been a bit more tense you know she's yeah just kind of if she sees a tiktok it sounds really stupid but she's letting herself go in an environment where she's usually really really focused and really tense and really that and she's just enjoying it and I think that's a lot of players that's when they're most dangerous And I think Alexia, this tournament has really just freed herself. You know, I think she feels the pressure, probably puts more pressure on herself than the outside noise.

19:59But she's kind of embracing it and realizing that this is probably, you know, one of her last opportunities for Euros. Because, you know, come four years, she's already 30. You know, she's going to be 34 the next tournament. Oh, sorry.

20:12Chloe: I thought you meant she's already 30 in four years' time. I was like, OK, calm down. OK. I'm not good at math, but I'm not that bad. No, but initially I was like, okay, some of us are, let's just calm down with the old ages. We don't have to talk about ages. It's okay. It's okay. But I think it's also that pressure of realising that this is kind of the one. And it's a lot for her teammates as well. So I think finally Alexia, you know, I think Claudia Pina said it in a post-match. She was like, you know, there's no stopping her when she's playing like this.

20:42Rachel: You talked there about some of the youngsters, Alex. I mean, Vicky Lopez has been absolutely blowing people away with her performance. There was a lot of fear, I think, going into the tournament with obviously Bob Matty having the hospitalisation with viral meningitis. Lopez steps in, steps up to the plate, big shoes to fill, absolutely smashes it. I mean, did you see that coming from her? I mean, the expectation on her shoulders was massive, but my God, she's kind of fulfilled that, surely? Yeah, definitely. She's, I think it's not necessarily a surprise that it's happened, but it's a surprise that she's gotten the opportunity.

21:17she's been able to take it and kind of enjoy it the way that she has she's had a really really good season for Barcelona but obviously she's not going to be a key a title player I mean we saw it now you know Aitana's there she's not going to be starting and Vicky's also been victim of kind of I think Salama as well they're kind of they don't have one position you know they kind of fill in the gaps wherever is necessary depending on the game depending on the strengths and Vicky is one of those players you know you can put on her wing just as easily as you put her in the midfield I think Claudia Pina is kind of an example of how to thrive in that environment.

21:50But at the same time, the bad part about thriving in that environment is that you get put in the gaps that need filling, not necessarily where your strength is. But I think Vicky has been playing most of the season on the wing and now you put her in the midfield. The good thing is that she is with two of her club teammates, so it obviously does make the process a lot better to kind of fit into that midfield and fit into a style play that she's surrounded by a lot of Barcelona players. So naturally, I think that position and that mentality and that pressure in a big tournament alongside her teammates felt kind of natural, because if you put someone else from a different club in there, you know, replacing Aydana Mbemati in the midfield, say, I think it was Teresa Abeyera in the 2022 World Cup that had to replace Alexis Porteas in that midfield, and it didn't go as well.

22:35But you have Vicky Lopez at the ripe age of 18, just absolutely killing it. And she made it her own. She knows how to dominate spaces, her technique, her mentality her key passes I think in the beginning I think it took her a bit of time to kind of get used to playing on the right side of the midfield especially playing with the wing playing with the full back but she's so good like it just makes no sense she's genuinely just one of those and you compare it to I mean Yamal you know they're two teenagers that are just so so good but they're good because they're enjoying their football like they're just naturally like that they don't feel as much pressure they're just there to play football.

23:12And I think that's so, so special when you look at, you know, the comparisons of everybody knows La Mini Man. It's like, no, no, no. Vicky Lopez is literally the same exact player in the women and men. And it's that parallel is really, really fun to talk about.

23:24Rachel: There's this like new breed of like teenagers. Like we see the same thing with Michelle Adjumang. You think, my God, they should be a little bit nervous surely going into this major tournament. And actually they just go and smash it. Like they're just having to think about with their mates.

23:34Chloe: We have seen some signs of vulnerability in the Belgium game. Obviously in Italy game, it did a good, strong first half, but obviously conceding against those two teams, are there any concerns defensively? I think naturally. I think historically Spain have always been very, very, very concerning on the defensive front. But I think now you just kind of have to accept it. And I think they've accepted it and they know that they can concede. They probably will concede, but they can outscore it by three goals at least. So you kind of have that to compensate. I think Spain historically, again, it's just kind of...

24:10It goes through players that they have, you know, centre-backs like Ireri Paredes, who's not really good on a foot race, has to do a lot of last-ditch tackles and puts Spain in jeopardy a lot of the times. Maria Mendes, for example, replacing Ireri Paredes in that opening match, you can tell she doesn't have that much experience on big stages. She plays for Real Madrid, Grands, plays Champions League, but on the national team she hasn't really had that exposure to big moments and key moments, especially in the centre-back position. So Spain naturally have just been positionally kind of weak, I guess you can say.

24:45I mean, you have it in a better place. Now, you know, she's kind of getting older and that. But on her peak, she was genuinely, you know, one of the best. Mabilon was one of the best in the world. So that centre-back playing has always been good, but it has been the weakest point of the team always. And then on the other side, you have to find one at the end of the day. And fortunately, it's them. But then on the other side, you have what is the style of play that Spain have. possession-based football, putting up your fullbacks to overlap the wingers, to get the gap between your striker and your centre-backs as small as possible.

25:19That's going to create a lot of space in behind for a lot of players to run into. Again, weaknesses. You create space in behind, you have fast players running into you against slow centre-backs. Those are the weaknesses that Spain have and have always had. And it's been, again, a victim to style play and players there. but they know what they have. They're not, you know, it's not like they're trying to hide or they're trying to compensate for that. I think they do really, really well to the offside trap against Belgium worked really well. Against Italy as well, there was a lot of counterattacks that were offside, so they know what to do but at the end, no one's perfect and it does get by and I think defensively, Spain could be better but at the same time, when you're scoring three goals to outscore your defensive mistakes, I think they can kind of get away with that.

26:04Rachel: I think like you said there Alex there's so much kind of confidence around the Spanish squad even if they you know there's a lapse of judgment or you know they're not quite at the standard that you expect them you always kind of feel very confident that everything's going to be okay and they'll start to smash it again in a couple of minutes time I mean in terms of sort of the engagement I suppose with the Spanish squad like back home what's the how the public been taken in how the fans back home kind of been taking this tournament because it's um it's felt really kind of unusual I suppose in uh in England there are loads of watch parties happening but at the same time it feels a little bit more muted than I think obviously not having the home tournament that we did in 2022 but but what I feel like we've seen like so many Spain fans being in attendance at the games in Switzerland I mean yeah what's it like kind of being home and kind of seeing the excitement grow around the team is obviously one of the favorites to win it this year yeah it's definitely interesting the mute is kind of it's just I think it's in these moments that you realize how many people are in one city because everybody just has their own life and you can easily just not even know that there's major tournaments.

27:05I mean, I think even if it was at home, there's still so many people that would be incapable of finding out that there's a major tournament happening in their home and much less when it's away. I think the right people know, if that makes sense. If you're in the sports world and you're in the football world, here in Barcelona, there's a lot of Barcelona fans. Most Barcelona fans will know that Alexi Porteas, Aitana Monmati, Vicky Lopez are playing in Euros and they're following that. I go to my gym, you know, people are like, oh, Spain are playing today. I knew that. I was like, I watched the game the other day.

27:39So that casual, you know, fan. But I think what's, I guess, annoying as well is that they need to be a football fan first. You won't really get casual fans into the women's Euros away from home. But in general, you know, there's a lot of excitement. There's a lot of expectation as well. When you talk to the people that have seen, especially the Barcelona fans, they have expectations for their players, like Alexia Porteas, and then one with them, you're like, yeah, Alexia Porteas goes to the Euros. She's going to win. Why wouldn't Alexia Porteas not win a Euros? She's the best player in the world.

28:12So you kind of have that mentality here, which is quite interesting. So they're following it from afar, which I absolutely love getting questioned, oh, how they do the other day, how is this player doing? So it's really, really interesting, especially in a city like Barcelona.

28:26Chloe: You can tell I didn't write this question, Alex, but is there an extra motivation for Spain to face England and knock them out this time?

28:36I think it'll be, yeah, I think everybody kind of knows that rivalry that has kind of developed between England and Spain over the past few years, starting from probably that 2022 Euros was kind of the key one, because then the World Cup final was their revenge tour, essentially. And you kind of just have revenge towards just ongoing in a circle. You win, we win. Exactly. So you have that. And we saw the last game of the Nations League here in Barcelona. Spain got the upper hands. Well, Claudia Pina got the upper hands, to be specific as well. So now England kind of have that in the back of their heads.

29:13Like, right, last time we lost against them. And it was a really good game. I think England had a lot of chances. So it's a rivalry that it's going to be there, I think, for the next few years, especially with the young players up and coming for both squads. England still have their young players that need to gel in a bit more. I think Spain, I think thanks to Barcelona having a lot of the youngsters kind of makes it a bit easier. England players are kind of scattered around a lot more teams than Spain are. But I think that rivalry is going to be there for a long time. And I think any game, especially when it's a knockout round in the Euros, I think Spain here kind of have more sense of revenge because of the 2022 Euros.

29:53I think that's going to be more of a motivating factor than England losing the last game of the Nations League.

29:58Rachel: Before we even get to the point where England and Spain may or may not face each other, obviously Spain take on Switzerland in the next round. The taking on the hosts in the quarterfinal is no mean fee, even if obviously Spain probably expected to win that one. How do you see things unfolding with Switzerland? Do you think anyone can actually stop Spain if it's not Switzerland? I think it'll be quite interesting. obviously Switzerland have, A, they have the home crowds. As cliche as that sounds, it does have a feeling to it, especially for the Swiss players. Switzerland have absolutely nothing to lose.

30:35They're going to throw it all. If they pass, they pass. If they don't, it's one of those games that you know that you'll most likely are going to lose. So you kind of throw it all and say that you lost and gave it all. You're not going to go in there. They're not going to defend with 10 players in the back because that's what's the point of that. There's literally no point of that. So I think Switzerland also have that pressure of showing a country that doesn't usually watch women's football how good they are. And it's hard to do that against one of the best teams of the tournament. So it's a big feat for them to kind of go into that.

31:10I would probably be so, so nervous. I think because of that pressure, less pressure of progressing in the tournament, more pressure of kind of proving yourself to... And it sucks that they have to kind of feel that way, that they have to prove themselves to a country that usually doesn't watch them and kind of prove themselves to gain fans and gain recognition for what they do. And it's going to be hard, but I think if they have that mentality of let's go all in, we have nothing to lose, they have key players that can make key decisions. I particularly like the right side of the pitch. The youngsters going up, not being afraid to take 1v1s, not being afraid to take touches.

31:46Leo Valti, we know her really well. is capable of kind of dictating rhythm. You know, when you're going against Alexi Podias and Idan Abonmati, it's hard, but Leopoldi is, you know, a player capable of that. So it'll be interesting. Spain is going to be really, really hard to shut down, especially, I think it's just, they're so relentless on the attack. If they've scored two, they're like, why not score two more? And I think we saw that against Belgium. It's like as good, I personally think Belgium was probably the best team that defended against Spain, which is ridiculous to say considering how many goals they scored.

32:23But it's just, it's inhumane to ask, you know, players to defend 90 minutes. It's just, it's not possible, especially when you have the probability of Spain scoring so high. But I think Switzerland are going to show up. Maybe it's a close score. Maybe it's kind of the game that Spain scores the least goals. But at the same time, I think Spain's mentality right now is kind of, you know, no stopping no matter what. if you score two goals you keep going no matter what so it'll be hard for switzerland but you know you have to you have to have a bit of faith in the underdog sometimes as well have a safe

32:55Rachel: flight heading out to switzerland to get involved in the action and then send us some paintings as well definitely that'd be really lovely i'll send you a photo of my painting when it when it's i have to finish it because i accidentally used the wrong painting and then the paint and has to dry but anyway i'll do that and during the next match amazing deal thank you so much alex thank you Thanks, Al.

33:28Rachel: Before the tournament, we thought England winning the group would mean potentially colliding with Spain in the semifinals while finishing second would mean a quarterfinal against Germany. They've ended up avoiding both of those situations. They face Sweden next and then potentially the winner of Norway versus Italy. Rach, this kind of feels like a bit of an advantage for England in terms of not having another kind of top contender for the title in and amongst the next couple of rounds. I mean, what's your take on this? You've kind of lucked out. Sweden will not like hearing you say that.

34:02Chloe: Apologies, Swedish fans. I hate getting ahead of yourself. getting ahead of yourself. I just think the Sweden game is the one you focus on. I find it really hard to talk about the what-ifs and if other than maybe Spain, I think it's quite difficult to talk about any team and who they might play and how it might go in the semi-finals because you just don't know. So I think Sweden's going to be really tough for England. I think, look, if you were to ask players which side of the draw they'd rather be on, yeah, of course, they'd say they'd rather be on this side of the draw. Otherwise, you've got France, Germany and Spain on the other side.

34:38Chloe: But Sweden is not going to be an easy task and whatever team gets through in the other quarterfinals will be feeling super confident if they manage to get through to a semifinal. So, sure, I'd say that maybe path of least resistance perhaps or the least difficult rather than the easiest, but I just wouldn't get ahead of yourself too soon.

35:01Rachel: oh it kind of feels like touch wood one of those moments um i mean sweden are aiming to get revenge for their heavy defeat in the semi-finals of euro 2022 um yeah i think you're completely right rage i don't think you want to be sitting there sort of saying okay well this is the easy route because there is no easy route when you get to quarterfinals in the semi-final stage of any major tournament but at the same time when you look i suppose at the opposition you could have potentially faced yes it does look like a slight advantage to be faced up against teams that are lower ranked that you feel like you might have a better chance against.

35:31Rachel: So I think I'd be willing to say, yes, it's advantageous, but no, there's absolutely no guarantee that this is a sure win and this is the easy route per se. That's the only thing I'd say. Well, Norway versus Italy are the two other nations in England's half and they're kicking off the quarterfinals on Wednesday night. One of these two will be making the semifinals, which is pretty bloody huge. Do you think that Italy are going to come out on top in this game? What are your kind of predictions for how this one's going to go down? Because I think, like we said in the pod previously, I found Italy to be so entertaining, so passionate, so energetic.

36:08Rachel: And Norway still had this kind of inconsistency about them. We just don't know what kind of Norway is going to show up.

36:15Chloe: I think if Italy played like they did against Spain, they have a very good chance of beating Norway. I think both sides will look at this quarterfinal and say, I'm really glad I'm in this quarterfinal and not any of the others you know even coming up against Switzerland I think would be tough for them because of the home crowd advantage and the fact that Switzerland have made history getting to a quarterfinal would just buoy them even more so I think both sides will be relishing it and think they can gain the upper hand I still think Italy will edge it based on performances in the tournament and I know Norway have won all of their games but we've spoken about how just unconvincing they've looked and for me I think Italy have improved game on game and perhaps the nature of some of their draws or the fact that they they stayed in to keep their tournament alive and they showed up against Spain and I know it was 3-1 but like one of those goals coming in injury time like there's a lot of positives they can take from those performances and I think they were arguably challenged more to get to that quarterfinal so I think they can draw a lot on that experience and I hope they continue on their kind of path of improvement because I think each game you've gone okay they've gotten a little bit better they've gotten a little bit more assured they've shown up a little bit more and yeah that will I won't say culminate in the quarterfinals but I think hopefully step up again in the quarterfinals and potentially see them through to a semi.

37:38Rachel: 100 % I mean either way they finally made the quarterfinals of the Euros for the first time since 2013 which is obviously a massive massive feat for them and really lovely to see Signe Gorpse announced herself on the big stage with her performance against Iceland. When she was asked about playing the course final, she said, I feel I've put in a good application in any case. I mean, how impressed have you been with her rates for this tournament?

38:00Chloe: Yeah, and I probably would have picked her as a player that stood out, but I think across three games, I've seen other players stand out across three games. I think her game against Iceland was unbelievable. She had two goals and two assists, and I saw her play for Bran when I went over in May, and I think I said it in the previous podcast, I messaged Sophie and said, remember the name Sydney Gupset, because I think we could see her playing in a big club very, very soon. And she's gone and made that even more likely with the performance she put in against Iceland. So another weapon for Norway.

38:29Chloe: It's just a case of Gemma Granger working out how best to use her weapons. And I think, again, sometimes it's a case of putting all of your best weapons on the pitch, but just not really making the right jigsaw puzzle. Do you know what I mean? And sometimes you have to sacrifice a good player for the right player. and I don't think putting all of the good players is always the right option, if you know what I mean, because you're not necessarily getting everything to run smoothly together. So it'll be interesting to see what team Norway put out.

39:01Rachel: All right, do we have any semi-final predictions at this stage? Just to round up again, we've got Norway, Italy, Sweden, England, Spain, Switzerland, France versus Germany. No? I think maybe Spain, France in the quarterfinal, semi-final. Spain, France, okay. That's the only one? Yeah. otherwise anything goes you can do the other one

39:22England and Italy yeah that's why that's my take let's see if we let's see if we get it right

39:30Rachel: um we're back on Thursday to react to that quarter final between Norway and Italy and preview England versus Sweden remember make sure you hit subscribe so that you never miss an episode thank you so much Rach thanks Gael

39:57Rachel: Upfront is a Stack production and part of the Acast Creator Network.

40:07Rachel: Hi, I'm Max Rushton, the host of The Guardian Football Weekly, alongside me, Barry Glendening, my co-host. Hey, Barry. Hello. Now, although every American found this during the World Cup. For the two that didn't, what can they expect? Found us and fell in love with us, Max. They can expect three episodes each week of occasionally insightful analysis covering the Premier League, Champions League and beyond. Football Weekly is back. Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Thumbtack presents Uncertainty Strikes. I was surrounded. The aisle and the options were closing in. There were paint rollers, satin and matte finish, angle brushes and natural bristles.

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