Verratti goes from Euro 2016 nightmare to Euro 2020 final

Italy midfielder Marco Verratti has been instrumental in the Azzurri’s journey to the final of Euro 2020. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was unavailable for the first two matches of the tournament and the 28-year-old had fears that he would miss the competition, as he did in 2016. 

“Certainly after the injury, three or four days later, I thought I wouldn’t make it. It was a serious injury, the nightmares of 2016 came back,” said Verratti. 

The Italian suffered a knee injury back in May while training with his club side, which put him out of contention for the games against Switzerland and Turkey. The Italians dominated the games, winning 3-0 in both matches. 

With Italy winning convincingly and Verratti recovering from an injury, there may have been doubts about the inclusion of the PSG midfielder in the Italian starting XI for the rest of the matches. But, such is his importance and talent, that he has remained a key fixture in the side since playing against Wales in Italy’s third match of Euro 2020. 

Verratti has revealed that he is fit and in good condition since recovering from his injury. 

“But with hard work, thanks to the medical staff of PSG and the national team, I managed to come back, and I managed to come back in great condition. I managed to play four matches without pain. I’m really happy because it was hard to be out.”

The PSG midfielder will have to play a key role in the final of the tournament against England, which will be held on Sunday. Verratti knows how important his contribution to the Italian side is and has stated that he and the rest of the midfield “have to create the rhythm” to come out victors at Wembley stadium. 

Marco Verratti has been a threat in attack, while also being dogged and tenacious defensively. He has assisted twice in the competition so far, while also putting the hard yards in defense, averaging 3.3 tackles per game (as per Whoscored). His ability to dictate the tempo of the game with his passing has also been vital in Italy’s progression in the tournament. 

The Italians reached the final of the tournament after defeating Spain on penalties in the semi-final. The Italians are undefeated in Euro 2020, winning every game. They have scored 12 goals in six games in the competition and have conceded just three goals – all of which have come in the last three games. Italy will hope to breach the final frontier and win the European Championship for the first time since 1968, on Sunday.