Kolkata: Chelsea saw a complete turnaround of fortunes since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as they won the 2020-21 Champions League beating Manchester City in the final. Such has been the impact of the former PSG boss, it has reflected in the ongoing Euro 2020.
Chelsea had 17 players representing their respective nations from the very beginning of the tournament — the most by any club. However, with several sides making their way out of the tournament as it progressed, Chealse will still have seven players playing in the Euro 2020 semifinals with certainty at least one among these will lift the trophy.
While England will play Denmark, Spain will see high-flying Italy in the semifinals. Let’s take a look at the players.
Mason Mount
A regular starter for Chelsea, Mason Mount has been a vital cog for Gareth Southgate’s side. He started the first two group games. However, he came in close contact with Billy Gilmour who tested positive for COVID-19 and had to isolate himself for 10 days, forcing him to miss out on certain games. He returned during the quarterfinal clash against Ukraine and bagged himself an assist.
Jorginho
Italy’s show throughout the tournament have earned them every bit of appreciation that they deserve with Roberto Mancini’s side dominating enroute to the semifinal. Jorginho has had Mancini’s confidence and has paid the faith of Mancini with his everlasting presence in the midfield of the Azzuris.
Jorginho has helped his team possession with slick and constant recycling of the same. He has made sure his team remained on the front foot ever since. It is also very likely he will start during the semifinal.
Andreas Christensen
Denmark had the worse possible start to the tournament but made the most awe-inspiring journey to the semifinal. The team showed utter grit and determination moving forward.
Christensen had made the backline of Denmark strong and stable along with Simon Kjaer and Jannik Vestergaard. The highlight of the tournament for him would be the thunderous strike against Russia in their 4-1 win which helped them qualify for the knockouts.
Cesar Azpilicueta
The experienced Blues veteran started from the bench for the first two matches for Spain. Luis Enrique did bring him in for their must-win clash against Slovakia. He also scored against Croatia in a thriller and his presence will have a great impact against Spain.
Emerson
The brilliance of Leonardo Spinazzola kept Emerson mostly on the bench for the most tournament with his only appearance before the quarterfinals came against Wales in the group stage. With AS Roma left-back Spinazzola is set to miss out the rest of the tournament rupturing his Achilles against Belgium, and it looks Emerson will be called to fill in the boots.
Reece James and Ben Chilwell
Ben Chilwell also had to isolate himself like his teammate Mount for the same reason. However, upon his return, Chilwell did not get any game time from Southgate. He is yet to take the field for the Three Lions and hasn’t played a minute since the Champions League final.
Reece James featured only against Scotland during the group stages. It looks very unlikely that he would start ahead of Kieran Trippier or Kyle Walker during the semifinal clash against Denmark.
