2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship: Saturday's Day 11 Takeaways
The European Under-21 Championship semi-finals were completed Saturday, with two high-scoring affairs keeping fans worldwide entertained. Portugal destroyed Germany, 5-0, before Sweden shocked Denmark, 4-1, in a Nordic derby.
Here, B/R offers its top takeaways from the day's action and enters reflective mode for those leaving the competition at the final stage.
Portugal hit stride
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Good luck, Sweden. If this is Portugal in stride, we're all in trouble, aren't we?
Calls for Goncalo Paciencia to start this semi-final were loud, as throughout the group stage, it's arguable Os Seleccao lacked cutting edge, but Rui Jorge ignored them, continued with his striker-less 4-4-2 diamond and was rewarded with a performance for the ages.
A 5-0 victory over Germany—at any level—is a remarkable achievement; when you consider the listless nature of Portugal's attack during the group stages, the turnaround is quite stunning. From toothless to deadly in the space of three days.
Jorge's diamond dominated in midfield, and not even Johannes Geis, brought in for Leonardo Bittencourt on the opposite XI, could stem the tide. Bernardo Silva ran riot, William Carvalho bossed, Sergio Oliveira didn't put a foot wrong, and Joao Mario chipped in with a goal. Again.
Portugal hit stride for the first time this tournament, flexing their muscles in unison to create an unexpectedly one-sided game. That midfield is simply too much for anyone at this age level, and Jorge's men stand the overwhelming favourites ahead of the final on Tuesday.
Horst's inevitable humbling
From minute one of this tournament, Horst Hrubesch's teamsheets have been under the microscope. Questionable calls and mind-boggling selections have irritated fans and analysts alike.
Philipp Hofmann starting the first game did not work, and Hrubesch should not have waited 72 minutes to take him off. The absence of Leonardo Bittencourt from three of the four starting XIs was bizarre, while the ineffectual Max Meyer was dropped three games too late.
Tactically, Germany played out from the back even in the face of a high press, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen's short game well off the mark and piling the pressure on his own suspect defence. None of the three centre-backs used were able to start attacks from deep, leaving die Deutsche altogether caught between what they wanted to do and what might actually work.
Shades of England, really; if Gareth Southgate garners flak for not getting the best out of what is perceived to be a strong Three Lions group, Hrubesch deserves thrice the amount for essentially sabotaging a star-studded squad.
Unbeaten through the groups is a decent record, and it's easy to see Portugal are a cut above the rest in this tournament, but Germany never played to their full potential and, in truth, looked poor for three out of four games.
Sweden are going to win the championship, and there's nothing you can do about it
Sweden are undoubtedly the storyline of the tournament; they've harnessed that giant-killing gene, forged in a two-legged play-off against France to earn the right to play here and utilised it to great effect.
They've beaten Italy and Denmark, drawn with Portugal and, perhaps comically, lost to England. In a tournament marred by inconsistencies across the board, the Swedes have made the least mistakes, played with the most consistent approach and, crucially, know exactly how to approach each game.
We jest in the title—Portugal stand favourites for the title, something Hakan Ericson will readily acknowledge—and it will be a great test of Sweden's resolve to play Portugal again. The pattern of the game is forecastable—Portugal possession vs. Sweden's banks of four—and the question becomes whether or not Os Seleccao can bottle their goalscoring prowess from the semi-final and unleash it on Tuesday.
If not, the Swedes have a shot.
Rudderless Denmark
At no point in this competition did Sweden's semi-final opponents, Denmark, look like they figured out how exactly Jess Thorup intended for them to attack. What was the plan? What route should the ball take? It smacked of a lack of preparation and a lack of a game plan.
This writer ranked them as the fourth-best team heading into the competition, and while they did reach the semi-finals, justifying that rank somewhat, they disappointed; that's not in doubt.
They couldn't get it right up front, cycling through countless variations in search of success. Nicolai Brock-Madsen was slow, lumbering and ineffectual; Viktor Fischer could not get involved enough, wasn't aggressive enough and didn't link play; Uffe Bech struggled to do anything of note in the buildup game; and Yussuf Poulsen, on the flank, lacked touch, technique and the ability to stay upright.
Denmark were troubled all over the pitch, with defender Frederik Sorensen going off injured early in Game 1, the midfield shuffling incessantly and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struggling due to fatigue left over from senior duty and Bundesliga toils. At no point did it feel like they came close to uncorking their potential.
This was all remarkably apparent against Sweden, in their final act. Like an amateur chef blindly chucking spices at a classic dish, the Danes tried in vain to breach the opposition defence only to be hit by two counter-attacking goals.
Thorup missed the chance to secure a heroic achievement for his nation and his own C.V., but Denmark never got out of first gear.
