Euro Preview (2)
Simon B
This is the second part of my European Championship preview. If you want to check out the first preview piece I covered groups A, B, and C in my earlier blog post,.
Without further ado, here are my thoughts on groups D, E, and F.
Group D
England - Croatia - Scotland - Czech Republic
I like the way this group has two teams that are going full out to win the tournament, and then two middle-class teams that aren't favorites to win but I'm sure will give the top teams a run for their money.
I'll start with England. They're young, fast, skilled and they've got nothing to lose because this is just the beginning of a long road of success that England has built for itself. They surprised everyone by making it to the semis in the World Cup in 2018, and it looks like their lineup has only gotten better since then. A back four of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, John Stones, and Luke Shaw, show a lot of promise: dynamic on offense and big and strong in their own box. Their midfield doesn't have the biggest names, but Mason Mount and Jordan Henderson have good chemistry with the front three (Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Jadon Sancho) and in combination, they will be very dangerous.
The Croats were extremely good in 2018, going all the way to the World Cup final for the first time in their country's history. Their golden generation is coming to an end, however, so this might be their last opportunity to win a major international tournament for a while. Croatia is specifically a defense-first team. They've got one of the best midfield in the tournament with Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, and Ivan Peresic. Domagoj Vida and Dejan Lovren are headlining one of the strongest defensive corps in Europe. Stopping goals won't be an issue for the Croats; we'll have to see if they will be able to score the number of goals necessary to go deep into this tournament.
I've never seen Scotland play live. As I look at their lineup, it's clear that while they may not be the most skilled team in this group, their big assets are the size of their players and the structure of their defense. Andy Robertson and Scott McTominay are the most important players for this Scottish group and they're what makes this team tick. If they can play their signature shutdown defense that capitalized on their natural physical heft and get some goals, they may have a shot.
The Czech Republic is your classic mid-eastern European team. They are not built around one or two big players like Portugal with Ronaldo or Poland with Lewandowski. The Czechs bring a“team-first” mentality to the pitch. They don't have any big names at all but their biggest specialty is chemistry. They are definitely the weakest team of the four but don't count them out. If they catch the Croats or English on an off day, they might just pull off an upset with their mesmerizing ball movement all over the field.
Prediction:
1.England
2.Croatia
3.Scotland
4.Czech Republic
1.England
2.Croatia
3.Scotland
4.Czech Republic
Group E
Spain - Sweden - Poland - Slovakia
This is easily one of the most exciting and complicated groups to break down. Some interesting choices were made by Spain’s manager; the Swedes are coming off a World Cup quarter-final appearance; and Polish talisman Robert Lewandowski is always here to amaze.
This is easily one of the most exciting and complicated groups to break down. Some interesting choices were made by Spain’s manager; the Swedes are coming off a World Cup quarter-final appearance; and Polish talisman Robert Lewandowski is always here to amaze.
Spanish manager Luis Enrique dropped an absolute bombshell last weekend when he announced his squad for the tournament. He did not pick any players from Real Madrid, arguably the top club in Spain. This means that team captain Sergio Ramos will not take part. There is still a load of talent on this team, though. Jordi Alba, Diego Llorente, and Marcos Llorente bring some good experience on the back end. Sergio Busquets and Thiago Alcantara headline an offense-first midfield and Alvaro Morata is probably their best options up front. This team doesn't really have many scoring options at the forward position so it will be interesting to see who will provide the goalscoring. Spain’s can be extremely effective if they have good chemistry and work as a team instead of as individuals.
The Swedish squad was dealt a huge blow when top player Zlatan Ibrahimovic got injured with his club (AC Milan) a couple of weeks ago; he will not play in this tournament at all. Ibrahimovic was the scoring touch that they needed to be a top team in this tournament. He didn't play at the World cup three years ago but Sweden still managed to be a great defensive team and make it to the quarters without Zlatan (who took a break from international duties) before falling 2-0 to England. At times they struggled to score and were a boring team to watch. Marcus Berg and Emil Forsberg are their primary options upfront and their performance will determine how far the Swedes go because their defense will most likely be solid as it was in 2018.
I'm super excited to watch Poland this summer because of one man: Robert Lewandowski. He's coming off one of his best personal seasons ever with Bayern Munich and he is the best goal scorer in the world hands down. The thing here is that Lewandowski doesn't have much of a supporting cast around him. Arkadiusz Milik is probably their secondary option upfront for scoring. They've got a pretty weak midfield and defense, though, so preventing goals is going to be a challenge. They do have a top keeper in Wojciech Szczęsny, who, if he's at his best, will be able to keep them in games.
Slovakia is almost exactly the same as the Czech Republic: they have no big difference-makers. Their biggest goal-scoring threat is Napoli's Marek Hamsik. He'll be the primary target for defensemen and midfielders. They, too, have a “team-first” culture so I'm curious to see if they'll be able to swarm the Spanish or the Poles with their passing and chemistry.
Prediction:
1.Spain
2.Sweden
3.Poland
4.Slovakia
1.Spain
2.Sweden
3.Poland
4.Slovakia
Group F
Hungary - Portugal - France - Germany
This is the group of death. Three of these teams are striving for the trophy on July 11th and one of them will be going home after the group stage.
This is the group of death. Three of these teams are striving for the trophy on July 11th and one of them will be going home after the group stage.
Portugal is a team that is focused on a man on a mission: Cristiano Ronaldo. He finally won his first international trophy with Portugal after beating France 1-0 in the 2016 Euro final. However, this is most likely CR7's last European Championship so he's going all out for sure. The Portuguese have a lethal offense with Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and young sensation Joao Felix. Ricardo Quaresma and Joao Moutinho are a solid attacking midfield to support the front three. Portugal's defense is their biggest weakness by far. The big question is: can Ronaldo score Portugal through to the next round or not?
Germany is in a tough spot. Like the Croats, their current golden generation is now behind them and they are rebuilding their national team with the ruins of the World Championship team from 2014 at their foundation. Manuel Neuer is their captain, their goalie, and the backbone of this team. He can steal games when he's at his best and is probably the top keeper in the world. This German team lacks speed on the wings, though, which is not what you want when you have to face Ronaldo and French superstar Kilian Mbappe in two of your first three games. Their strength is definitely in the midfield with Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, and Tomas Muller, who all bring experience and leadership to this group. Upfront, Leroy Sane and Timo Werner are their two big strikers making their tournament debuts for the four-time World champs. Are they favorites to win the tournament? No. But if this mix of experienced veterans and star youngsters can work well together, they'll be a force.
France: the tournament’s favorite. They don't seem to have a weakness. Their defense was impeccable in 2018, allowing only six goals all tournament. Prensnel Kimpembe, Raphael Varane, Benjamin Pavard, and Lucas Hernandez are all world-class defenders when they're at their best. They've got an elite midfield with Adrien Rabiot making his return to the national team, mainstay Paul Pogba, and, arguably the most reliable center-mid in the game, N'golo Kante who shuts down opposing superstars like it's nothing. But Their biggest strength is their forwards. This is probably the best forward group in all of Europe...on paper. FC Barcelona winger Antoine Griezmann brings excellent vision to the team; PSG wonderboy Kilian Mbappe with his blazing speed and technique; and the big surprise from manager Didier Deschamps: the return of Karim Benzema. Benzema hasn't played for France since 2015 after he had criminal issues. Benzema has since rebuilt himself into a stronger player at Real Madrid and built back a relationship with his national team, which ended in Deschamps giving him another chance. France has everything they need to win. We'll see if being the favorites is too much pressure or not.
Like the Slovaks, Czechs, and Poles, Hungary is not flashy like their group F opponents at all. They're a team that will surprise you on the counterattack and confuses their opponents as to what they will do next. They are the underdogs in this group, but that won't mean they won't be competitive. If either Portugal, France, or Germany are caught napping in a game against Hungary, they'll pay a heavy price. I think that the Hungarians have a little shot at cracking the top-two that move on. If they can get a win, a loss, and a draw, they've got a chance.
Prediction:
1.France
2.Portugal
3.Germany
4.Hungary
1.France
2.Portugal
3.Germany
4.Hungary
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