England fans defended over ‘It’s Coming Home’ song
Former England midfielder Paul Merson has warned the Three Lions that they must nullify Italy star Jorginho if they are to win Sunday’s Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium.
England will face the Italians in their first major showpiece event since beating West Germany 4-2 in the 1966 World Cup final.
Harry Kane scored the winner in England’s 2-1 semi-final win against Denmark after a penalty was controversially awarded for a foul on Raheem Sterling.
The Tottenham forward’s attempt was saved by Kasper Schmeichel but the ball rolled kindly into Kane’s path and he thumped home the decisive goal.
England had to come from behind against the Danes. Simon Kjaer’s own goal cancelled out Mikkel Damsgaard’s stunning 30-yard free kick.
Arsenal legend Paul Merson has warned England's Euro 2020 squad about Chelsea's Jorginho (Image: GETTY)
A rampant Italy team, who are unbeaten in 33 matches, stand between England and a maiden European Championship title.
Roberto Mancini’s side needed a penalty shootout victory to overcome semi-final opponents Spain but have several key players who could cause problems for England.
Ex-Arsenal star Merson has picked out Chelsea's Jorginho as the individual who Gareth Southgate and his players need to keep an eye on.
“England must stop Jorginho if they want to beat Italy and I don’t think it’s going to be a low-scoring game,” Merson wrote in his Daily Star column.
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“Both teams have been so solid defensively in this tournament but they both have too much pace and movement up front so I think there will be a lot of goals.
“We have to stop that Italy midfield if we want to win the game because it’s that that makes them tick.
“It all starts with Jorginho, who is having a brilliant tournament. He’s been everywhere, and he controls games with his passing.
“England need to get after him because three passes from midfield and bang, they’re in.
England vs Italy Euro 2020 final: Head to head record (Image: GETTY)
“These two teams have been the best at the Euros, for me. But Italy will be worried about England because the home advantage of Wembley will be huge.
“Italy have looked vulnerable in recent games. You knew they’d be under the cosh against Belgium because they’re the No 1 team in the world.
“But Austria gave them a scare, and they were on the ropes against Spain until they showed their resilience, dug in, and found a way to win. We can beat them.”
The former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton agreed with Merson about Jorginho, who has appeared 141 times for Chelsea since signing in 2018.
The 29-year-old scored the winning spot-kick in Italy’s shootout victory over Spain and has had an impressive tournament.
Houghton exclusively told Express Sport: “He looks a totally different player to when he plays for Chelsea.
“He looks like he has more energy, and he gets around the pitch more. He gets tighter to people.
"With the back four and goalkeeper that he has behind him, he looks a lot more comfortable squeezing up the pitch. They have been really impressive, Italy.”