In less than six months from now, Euro 2020 is finally here and it is shaping up to be an exciting tournament after a long delay.
The curtain-raiser will be on June 11 in Rome and there will be games to be played also in host cities like Glasgow, Dublin, Bilbao, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Munich, St. Petersburg, Bucharest, Budapest, and Baku, with the semis and finals set at the Wembley Stadium in London.
As we wait for the action to start here at SBOTOP, let us examine some of the narratives that we will be looking out for in the upcoming festivities.
Joachim Low gets a new lease of life in Germany
Embattled is the perfect word upon describing Joachim Low’s 2020 year at the helm for Germany. But despite everything that happened, the 60-year-old tactician will still remain in charge.
After a 6-0 humiliation at the hands of Spain in their final UEFA Nations League match few months ago, there was speculation that his job was in danger.
However, the DFB expressed their unconditional support for Low, giving the 2014 World Cup winning coach another chance to prove his worth particularly to the fans in Germany.
Either way, Germany will still have a formidable squad heading into the European showcase.
Bundesliga standouts Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Leon Goretzka, and Julian Brandt will feature heavily on the attack while Niklas Sule, Matthias Ginter, and Manuel Neuer are their foundations on the defence.
Another key thing worth monitoring will be the form of Timo Werner. Since joining Chelsea earlier in the summer, the technically-gifted forward hasn’t hit his stride yet.
He recently broke his scoring drought against Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup. And if he can build on that and avoid injuries in the next few months, watch out.
It’s go-time for Gareth Southgate and England
England will have one of the best Euro 2020 odds in the European showcase given that they’re in an easier Group D, but the margin of error for the Three Lions remains miniscule.
After all, England have yet to break their 54-year drought and the pressure is mounting daily for Gareth Southgate and co.
Their run in the previously concluded UEFA Nations League was disappointing as they didn’t make that far.
They were in prime position to come out of Group A2, but Denmark’s sudden resurgence and some bad luck effectively ended their campaign.
But if there’s one thing that we’ve learned about the Three Lions, it is that their overall talent is undeniable.
Jack Grealish and Harry Kane are in the midst of their primes and have been playing superb, while they are brimming with young talent having the likes of Phil Foden, Mason Greenwood, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The time is now for the Three Lions to show the world what they’re capable of.
Spain are reloading their Armada
The Spaniards will be one the favourites to go far in Euro 2020, which begs the question on whether they have enough to go all the way.
Compared to before, Spain look a whole lot different because of the presence of their young rising stars, which makes them quite an exciting team to watch out for.
Ferran Torres showed out in their last game against Germany by scoring a hat-trick and he will be a handful to deal with for opposing backlines.
Meanwhile, Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal, Adama Traore, and Jose Gaya are showing glimpses of their full potential as well.
After a brief hiatus, Luis Enrique is now back at the helm for Spain. So the onus is on him to build a winner for La Furia Roja.
Can the French finally win again?
France will cling on to the painful memories of Euro 2016 when they were so close to winning, and they will use that as their main motivation in this tournament.
Les Bleus have a roster filled with world-class talent and if they click right away, they can blow away their opposition easily.
Leading the charge will be Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Olivier Giroud, who are all capable of producing topnotch Euro 2020 highlights.
They are in a tough Group F alongside Germany, Portugal, and Hungary, which makes their road to glory quite a bumpy one. But nonetheless, they should be one of the two teams in that group to advance further.
Cristiano Ronaldo can’t do it all alone for Portugal
Portugal’s fate in the Euro 2020 competition will rest heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo’s broad shoulders.
Even at 35 years old, the superstar forward continues his prime form as he has been breaking records left and right.
He recently became the first player to score at least 15 goals in each of his last 15 seasons in Europe during their match against Sassuolo in Serie A last week.
But the supporting cast around him need to step up. And since they’re the defending champions, they are coming in here with huge targets on their backs.
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