Euro 2020 Preview (Group A & B)
The UEFA European Championships are about to commence on Friday, June 11th. The first game of the tournament will be Italy playing against Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico. The 2020 edition was to be staged in every corner of Europe from Dublin to Baku plus cities like Munich, Paris and Saint Petersburg. The Championships were postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, which affected not just the staging of the tournament but also the qualification campaign as the playoffs were not completed before the pandemic started. Some cities like Dublin and Brussels will not stage any games for the tournament and while spectators will enter stadia, they will be at full capacity. Nevertheless, the Euros are going ahead and the anticipation has begun. There are 24 teams in the tournament with each team having a 26-man squad to see who will be the Kings of Europe on July 11th. Here is a preview of Groups A and B for Euro 2020.
Group A
- Italy
Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Quarterfinals)
Coach: Roberto Mancini
Captain: Giorgio Chiellini
Most Important Player: Marco Veratti
The Azzurri qualified for the tournament with minimal fuss, winning all 10 qualifiers, scoring 37 goals and conceding just 4 times. The Italian exceeded expectations in Euro 2016 going far with an inferior squad but suffered the embarrassment of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup which led to the appointment of former Inter Milan and Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini in May 2018. Mancini restored some pride in the Azurri not to mention the young players he has to the national setup like Manuel Locatelli, Federico Chiesa, Nicolo Barella, Moise Kean and Nicolo Zaniolo. The latter two are not in the 26-man squad for the Euros. They still have the experience of captain Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci at the heart of the defence with Gianluigi Donnarumma in between the sticks. The biggest strength is their depth of central midfielders. With the likes of Marco Veratti, Jorginho, Nicolo Barella and Manuel Locatelli, Italy has technically astute players in midfield to control possession which could give them an advantage in games where they control the tempo of the match. The biggest question mark in the striker position. Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti have scored just 25 international goals between them and Italy's chances of going far in this year's Euro will be Immobile or Belotti finding their shooting boots with Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi on the flanks providing support.
Best Finish: Quarterfinals
- Turkey
Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Group Stage)
Coach: Senol Gunes
Captain: Burak Yilmaz
Most Important Player: Hakan Calhanoglu
Ay-Yildililar had a strong qualifying campaign, finishing second in their group behind France with 23 points from 10 games losing just once. Coach Senol Gunes was appointed for a second time, having been Turkey's coach from 2000 to 2004 when he led the nation to third place in the 2002 World Cup. The squad will be led by captain Burak Yilmaz, who led Lille to the Ligue 1 title this year and scored 29 international goals, including a hat-trick against the Netherlands. The squad has various names that many are familiar with such as Caglar Soyuncu of Leicester City, Merih Demiral of Juventus and Ozan Kabak of Liverpool. Hakan Calhanoglu is the creative hub of this Turkish team and while he will have the support of Ozan Tufan, Calhanoglu is primed to be Yilmaz's supply line and is a threat from set-pieces. With a youthful squad and a coach who has led Turkey to great success before, Turkey could surprise many and will want to perform better after their poor showing in Euro 2016.
Best Finish: Round of 16
- Switzerland
Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Round of 16)
Coach: Vladimir Petkovic
Captain: Granit Xhaka
Most Important Player: Xherdan Shaqiri
The Swiss entered Euro 2020 top in their qualifying group, which contained the Republic of Ireland and Denmark. Coach Vladimir Petkovic has been at the helm since 2014, as this will be his third tournament outing as Swiss boss, also guiding Switzerland to fourth place in the first finals of the UEFA Nations League. The Swiss squad have a number of names from Granit Xhaka of Arsenal, Manuel Akanji of Borussia Dortmund and Dennis Zakaria of Gladbach. Switzerland rarely creates chances, scoring just 19 goals in qualifying. Despite that, they rarely give away chances and are a solid side, conceding just six goals in qualifying with Xhaka and potentially Dennis Zakaria in midfield giving a base to protect the defence. Despite playing few minutes for Liverpool this season, Xherdan Shaqiri remains Switzerland's important player. Giving the Swiss a creative spark in the final third with Haris Seferovic upfront and Breel Embolo giving pace in attack. They will be a difficult side to face in this year's Euros.
Best Finish: Round of 16
- Wales
Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Semifinals)
Coach: Rob Page
Captain: Gareth Bale
Most Important Player: Gareth Bale
Wales was the surprise package of Euro 2016. They reached the semifinals of the tournament with the highlight result of their run being their shock 3-1 win over Belgium in the quarterfinals. They failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2018 but qualified for the Euros, seeing off the likes of Slovakia and Hungary. Rob Page is the caretaker manager and will take charge during the Euros after Ryan Giggs stepped down following a sexual assault allegation. Regulars from the 2016 tournament like Joe Allen, Chris Gunter, Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies are in the squad with some new inclusions like Harry Wilson, Neco Williams, Ethan Ampadu and Daniel James. Gareth Bale remains Wales' biggest and most important player, scoring 33 goals for Wales, becoming Wales's all-time leading goal-scorer despite entering his twilight years. With Ramsey, Wilson and James supporting the Spurs forward, he would not have to do a lot of heavy lifting in the attack. Wales are the underdogs of the group and their chances are slim but they will not go down without a fight.
Best Finish: Group Stage
Group B
- Belgium
Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Quarterfinals)
Coach: Roberto Martinez
Captain: Eden Hazard
Most Important Player: Romelu Lukaku
Belgium dominated their qualifying campaign for Euro 2020. The Red Devils won all their 10 games, scoring 40 times whilst conceding just three times. Under current coach Roberto Martinez, Belgium is the number one team in FIFA's World Rankings and finished third in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Their best-ever finish in the World Cup. Now, it looks like a "Win or Bust" for Belgium with many of their Golden Generation either approaching the end of their prime years or at their twilight years. Belgium has attacking options to choose from with the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens, Thorgan Hazard and Jeremy Doku. Romelu Lukaku is central to Belgium's success. The Inter striker gives Belgium some tactical flexibility upfront if they want to go direct. Their biggest weakness is in their defence. Martinez uses a back three but two of their starters in defence (Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen) are ageing and would hope that the midfield will shield them from attacking threats. Belgium is a favourite and many in Belgium, they will be hoping that this generation of players can deliver.
Best Finish: Finalists
- Denmark
Last Appearance: Euro 2012 (Group Stage)
Coach: Kasper Hjulmand
Captain: Simon Kjaer
Most Important Player: Christian Eriksen
Denmark is in Euros after failing to qualify for Euro 2016. They made it to the World Cup in 2018 where they reached the Round of 16 and were knocked out on penalties to eventual finalists Croatia. The Danes went unbeaten during qualifying, scoring 23 goals and conceding just six times. Denmark is a tough team to deal with under Kasper Hjulmand, who has been Denmark's boss since 2020 replacing former coach Age Hareide, whose contract ended last year. They have a strong defensive core from Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, defenders Simon Kjaer, Joachim Andersen and Jannik Vestergaard to midfielders Thomas Delaney and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Christian Eriksen is their attacking threat with supporting acts like Martin Braithwaite and Yussuf Poulsen. The Danes should fancy their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.
Best Finish: Round of 16
- Russia
Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Group Stage)
Coach: Stanislav Cherchesov
Captain: Artem Dzyuba
Most Important Player: Aleksander Golovin
Best Finish: Group Stage
- Finland
Last Appearance: None (Debutants)
Coach: Markku Kanerva
Captain: Tim Sparv
Most Important Player: Teemu Pukki
Finland will be playing in the European Championships for the first time. This is also their first appearance in a major tournament. They have had the likes of Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyypia before now but what Finland has accomplished is amazing. Finland qualified second in their group behind Italy but saw off strong competition in the likes of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece, winning six of their 10 qualifiers. Coach Markku Kanerva has been in Finnish since 2004, becoming head coach in 2016. They do not have any household names aside from Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki, who led Norwich to promotion back into the Premier League and Rangers midfielder Glenn Kamara. Being placed in a difficult group means Finland's chances are very slim and though they are not going to be just part of the numbers, their Euro adventure looks like it is going to be a short one.
Best Finish: Group Stage
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