Euro Preview (1)
Simon B
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The Euro Cup is only 18 days away. Time is flying by as most national team managers are now releasing their squads for the upcoming European Championship beginning on June 11th, with Turkey and Italy kicking off the tournament in Rome.
The interesting thing about this Euro compared to years past is that there isn't one specific host country the way there normally is (for example in 2016, all the games were played in France). This year, a whopping 11 different countries are set to host games! I am surprised, because of all the international travel that’s going to take place while the pandemic is still raging in some parts of Europe. However, most players have been vaccinated (with at least their first dose) so there is less risk. But UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) has decided to go ahead with the initial plan.
Spain, Scotland, Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Azerbaijan, Russia, and England are all set to host at least one match, with London's Wembley Stadium hosting the Final on July 11th. What I do like is that the host countries will not host all of their own teams' games. For example, Spain will not play all their games in Spain.
Let's take a look at all six groups, and I'll give you my prediction as to who comes out on top in each group. This is a two-part article, so I’ll cover groups A, B, and C here, and D, E, and F in the second.
Group A
Turkey - Italy - Wales - Switzerland
I really like the way this group plays out. There isn't a real powerhouse among these four, so I predict exciting and close games all around.
I pick Italy to come out on top here. They have revamped their team with new talent by finally letting go of veterans who meant a lot to the country but weren't delivering on the pitch anymore (Pirlo, Balotelli, and long-time captain Gigi Buffon). They've been replaced with young and explosive talent such as Lorenzo Insigne, Alessandro Florenzi, Moise Kean, and Marco Veratti. Those new players will be able to keep alive the "Italian style" of football (very defense-first, followed by counterattack). They're the most skilled team in this group for sure.
Here’s why Wales gets my attention. Gareth Bale, at his best, is one of the most lethal forwards in the world and has a remarkable talent when taking free-kicks. The issue here is that, other than Bale, Wales really don't have any other significant difference-makers. Players like Hal Robson-Kanu, Aaron Ramsey, and Ashley Williams, were all decent in the Welsh squad's run to the semi-finals in 2016 but are all past their peak now. The emergence of Tottenham Hotspurs left-back Ben Davies may help to get the ball up to Bale but it's hard to see them going too far in this star-studded competition.
Switzerland seems to always qualify for big tournaments such as the Euro or the World Cup but they never seem to get very far. They're a team that considers itself extremely balanced. Their lineup isn't full of stars the way France or Belgium are but they have a steady lineup throughout. Their two big stars, Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, are most likely to provide the goal-scoring. If the Swiss can shut things down on defence and show a good flow when they have possession in the midfield, I can see them coming out of this group.
Then there's Turkey. I'm going to be completely honest with you here, I'm not at all familiar with Turkish football or their players that much. They're definitely in the bottom tier in terms of the teams in the tournament and, looking at their lineup, there aren't many mainstays on big European clubs so it is difficult to see them competing with the likes of Italy, Wales, or Switzerland. But these tournaments always have upsets, so you never know.
Prediction:
1.Italy
2.Switzerland
3.Wales
4.Turkey
2.Switzerland
3.Wales
4.Turkey
Group B
Denmark - Finland - Belgium - Russia
If there was ever a chance for an underdog to get into the knockout stages it's in this group. Belgium is the clear favorite to win here and they most likely will with ease but other than that it's all up in the air.
Belgium is the number one ranked team on FIFA's national team rankings. They had a real shot at winning the World Cup in 2018 (they finished third) and they are stacked with talent. One of the top goalkeepers in the world: Thibault Courtois, a very versatile defensive group (Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderwireld, Vincent Kompany, and Thomas Meunier) that can both play the flanks very well on offense and clear crosses into their box on defense, a world-class midfield lead by Man City's Kevin DeBruyne who can take over games at both ends of the pitch, and lethal strikers up front in the form of Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. Belgium's golden generation is coming to an end soon so they're all in for this tournament and if they don't come out of this group first, something has to go really wrong.
Then there's the two nordic countries, Denmark and Finland. Denmark is a lot like Switzerland in that they really don't make much of a splash in major tournaments like this one. They have some talent in Yussuf Poulsen, Christian Eriksen, and keeper Kasper Schmeichel but after that, the number of players that can be difference-makers drops off dramatically. This is the first time that Finland has qualified for a major tournament since I started to follow football so I've never seen them play. But I do know they have a talented striker by the name of Teemu Pukki, who has been the biggest goal-scoring threat and powered the Fins to this competition. If he can keep up that level of play, the Fins may be able to turn some heads.
Russia. I really don't know what to say here other than they're unpredictable. In Euro 2016, they weren't very good at all as they didn't make it out of the group stage. But in the World Cup in 2018, they were quarter-finalists and they knocked out former World champs Spain in the round of 16. I don't know if that team was just powered by the fact that they were the host nation three years ago but if they can have their entire team work together with the way they did in 2018, they have a legit shot at making it out of this group.
Prediction:
1.Belgium
2.Denmark
3.Russia
4.Finland
2.Denmark
3.Russia
4.Finland
Group C
Netherlands - Ukraine - Austria - North Macedonia
This is probably the weakest group talent-wise but that certainly doesn't mean that these games will be boring. Quite the contrary! Since there isn't a team that is miles better than anyone else, expect tight games and good competition from this group.
In terms of the clear-cut favorites, it's the Netherlands. They've got the biggest names and the most talent. Since the last big competition, there's been an emergence of Dutch talent all over Europe. UEFA men's player of the year award winner in 2019 Virgil Van Dijk will headline the defensive group and come up big for the Dutch in high leverage situations, players like Frenkie De Jong and Gerogino Wijnaldum will bring excellent play and vision at the midfield level and like any good team, they've got a special scoring touch. Theirs is Memphis Depay. A lot like Belgium in group B, if they don't win the group, something probably went drastically wrong.
In terms of the other three teams, it's a complete toss-up for me. They're all three lower-tier teams who don't really have a shot at getting anywhere past the round of 16. Of the three, I see Austria coming out of this group with the Dutch. They've got the best forward group of these teams led by RB Leipzig's striker Marcel Sabizer and they've got a mainstay on Bayern Munich's defense in David Alaba.
North Macedonia is the big surprise of this tournament. It's their first time at the Euros and just being part of this tournament is a huge thing for this tiny nation. Want to see what this meant to them? Just look at the Macedonian commentators call the game where they qualify. I love this! You see how a simple game can mean the world to a small country, and that's what International football is about.
Prediction:
1.Netherlands
2.Austria
3.Ukraine
4.North Macedonia
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