EURO 2024: AFTER RABIOT, SPAIN HAS AN ENGLISHMAN IN ITS SIGHTS BEFORE THE FINAL

After overinterpreting Adrien Rabiot’s comments about Lamine Yamal before the Euro semi-final against France (2-1), Spain is increasing the pressure before its Euro 2024 final against England on Sunday (9 p.m.) by targeting Gary Neville for a statement about Marc Cucurella.

Spain is using old tricks to boost its motivation ahead of its crucial Euro 2024 fixtures. Three days before the final against England on Sunday (9pm) in Berlin, fans and observers are mocking former England international Gary Neville for his harsh remarks against left-back Marc Cucurella (25, 9 caps) when making his predictions before the start of the competition.

“The fact that he is a left-back is a good example of why we think Spain will not win”

“He didn’t convince at Chelsea,” the former Manchester United defender told ITV. “He played a few games towards the end of the season. He’s aggressive, tenacious, a very active little full-back. His price tag still surprises everyone today. The Spanish defence has a lot of experience now, but there’s something missing from Spain that makes you think they’re going to go all the way. I have to say the fact that he’s a left-back is a good example of why we think that.”

Installed as a starter on the left of the defense by Luis De La Fuente, who had also retained him in all the Spanish youth selections (U19, U21, U23), Cucurella had a very solid Euro. Which provoked amused reactions from the Spanish press and many supporters on social networks. Trained at FC Barcelona, ​​Cucurella only played one match there with the pros before launching his career elsewhere in Spain (Eibar, Getafe). He joined Brighton in 2021 for 18 million euros before signing with Chelsea for more than 65 million euros the following summer. His 59 appearances with the Blues did not convince Neville too much.

In the semi-final against France, the player held his own against Ousmane Dembélé despite the loud boos from a large part of the German public who criticized him for his handball in the penalty area that was not whistled in the quarter-final against Germany (2-1, aet). The full-back could this time be the additional source of motivation for the Spanish in their quest for a fourth Euro title. Before the semi-final, they had targeted Adrien Rabiot by making a big deal out of an excerpt from a seemingly innocuous statement by the French midfielder about Lamine Yamal (16 years old).

“We saw that he was a player who knew how to handle pressure very well,” Rabiot had said before the match. “He has a lot of qualities. He is capable of playing with his qualities at club level as well as in a major tournament. Afterwards, it is always complicated to manage a semi-final in a tournament like this, but it will be up to us to put the pressure on him above all, not to leave him in comfort and to show him that to play in a Euro final, he will have to do much more than what he has done so far.” A goalscorer, Yamal had teased the former PSG player several times at the end of the match. “Speak, speak,” he had said to the camera before taking responsibility for his tackle: “it was for the person who knows it is for them.”