Germany once again standing in England’s way

During the last games of Group F, England went through all the scenarios in terms of which team they could face in the Euro 2020 round of 16.

In the end, they got stuck with perhaps the last team they wanted to face in Germany.

More from Playing for 90

• Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
• Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
• Barcelona put five past Real Betis
• Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
• Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory

History has not been kind to England when it comes to facing the Germans. They’ve been knocked out by Germany in the 1990 World Cup,1996 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa which featured the infamous ghost goal in a 4-0 defeat.

Given the previous results, it would come as no surprise if English supporters were feeling pessimistic. Manager Gareth Southgate is aware of the record but says it is irrelevant.

"“I don’t need to demystify it,” Southgate said. “The history is an irrelevance for them. “We’ve got boys born into the 2000s, which is obviously scary but it’s the reality of the group we’re dealing with.”Source: Sky Sports"

While it is true that the majority, if not all, of these players were not involved in any of those defeats but it is likely that they grew up supporting the national team and watching as Germany got past them in the big occasions.

A knockout game against Germany is probably not what they had in mind when they finished first group D.

Both the England and Germany manager are under question

Heading into the game, all eyes will be on Southgate and Joachim Löw. Both managers have questions surrounding them in the way they’ve set up their team.

Löw is in his final tournament with Germany and early on, it looked like they were set for a quick exit. They needed some heroics to draw against Hungary and ensure a spot in the round of 16. Since World Cup 2018, Löw’s future had been in question so it came as no shock when he announced he was stepping down after Euro 2020.

Still, it left some wondering why not step away sooner. Especially with Hansi Flick, his replacement, in the stands during the games in the group stage.

Germany were not all that great against France and Hungary but had their best game against Portugal. It’s become a question of which Germany we’re going to get.

As for Southgate, despite topping their group, he’s come under criticism every time the team selection is released. England has played some rather dull football considering the talent at their disposal.

His refusal to play Jadon Sancho and the scant minutes for Jack Grealish has become a thorn in the sides of supporters. For the first time in a while, England possess a number of young, talented attacking players and they aren’t taking advantage of them.

Then there’s also Harry Kane who has not had a good Euros, which has left people wondering whether or not he’s fully fit. He’s looked slow and not contributed much yet has become undroppable for Southgate.

With Germany in front of him, Southgate is unlikely to deviate from his plan.

For England, the match is going to come down to whether or not they let the pressure of their past failures get to them. As their opponents showed during the group games, Germany can be got at. Setting up too defensively, however, may play right into Germany’s hands.