Euro 2020 Preview (Group E & F)

 

Group E

• Spain

Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Round of 16)

Coach: Luis Enquire

Captain: Sergio Busquets

Most Important Player: Marcos Llorente

Spain goes into this year's Euros in an unusual position. Luis Enquire chose a 24-man squad rather than a 26-man squad. The biggest omission was Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, with no Real Madrid player in the Spanish squad for the first time in a major tournament. They qualified unbeaten with six  Spain has several talented players with midfield their biggest strength, having the likes of Thiago, Koke, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo. However, it is not of the level that they enjoyed from the late 2000s to early 2010s when they dominated the international game. With no Ramos at the back, Pau Torres and Aymeric Laporte will shoulder the responsibility at the back. Laporte switched allegiances from France to Spain, giving his lack of opportunities for France under Didier Deschamps. Despite his qualities as a defender. Enquire has not put in a fixed attack with Gerard Moreno and Alvaro Morata battling out to be Spain's number nine. With not that much experience in this Spanish squad, Spain is planning for the future. However, given their recent success, the pressure on La Roja remains high.

Best Finish: Quarterfinals

• Poland

Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Quarterfinals)

Coach: Paulo Sousa

Captain: Robert Lewandowski

Most Important Player: Piotr Zielinski

The 2016 Euros was a success for Poland, reaching the quarterfinals losing to eventual winners Portugal on penalties. They qualified top of their qualifying group with eight wins from ten games, conceding just five times. However, under Jerzy Brzeczek, performances were very mixed which led to the appointment of current coach Paulo Sousa, who has been at the job since January 2021. Poland has some high-profile players with their biggest being undoubtedly Robert Lewandowski, who is one of if not the best striker in the world. Lewandowski has been quite underwhelming in major tournaments for Poland, despite becoming their all-time leading scorer with 66 goals with just two goals in major tournaments. They have Arkadiusz Milik, Mateusz Klich, Jan Bednarek and Wojciech Szczesny in their ranks but the player that would be important for Poland is Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski. The midfielder enjoyed a good season in Serie A with his vision and creativity something for Poland to utilize. Poland has enough about them to go far in the tournament if Lewandowski fires in goals and the defence are protected well which could be a potential weakness.

Best Finish: Quarterfinals

• Sweden

Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Group Stage)

Coach: Janne Andersson

Captain: Andreas Granqvist

Most Important Player: Emil Forsberg

Sweden had a poor outing in the Euro 2016, failing to get out of the group stage with Zlatan Ibrahimovic announcing his retirement from international football after the tournament. Since then, things improved, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup, topping their group which included Germany, South Korea and Mexico. They performed well in their qualifying campaign, finishing second in their group behind Spain and saw off the threat of Norway. Ibrahimovic returned to the Swedish national team this year at 39 years old but will not be going to the tournament due to injury. Coach Janne Andersson has been there since 2016 and has built Sweden to be a solid no-nonsense team to go up against. They lack an attacking threat but eyes will be on Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak, who will lead the attacking from for Sweden after a good season in Spain. Sween will fancy their chances of going through, it is whether how far they can go in the knockouts.

Best Finish: Round of 16

• Slovakia

Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Group Stage)

Coach: Stefan Tarkovic

Captain: Marek Hamsik

Most Important Player: Milan Skriniar

Slovakia finished third in their group behind Wales and Croatia but made it to the playoffs for their good showing on the Nations League. They beat the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to qualify for back-to-back Euros, with their last appearance in 2016 being their first as an independent nation. Coach Stefan Tarkovic has been in the coaching setup since 2013 before becoming head coach in October 2020. Marek Hamsik will lead his country into this year's Euros at 33 years which could be his last tournament for Slovakia, becoming their all-time leading appearance maker and scorer. Milan Skriniar will marshall the defence after a title-winning season at Inter Milan while Robert Bozenik is one to look out for as he plays his trade at the Netherlands. They managed to reach the knockout stages in 2016 but this one could be a tall mountain to climb for the Slovakians. 

Best Finish: Group Stage

Group F

• France

Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Runner-Up)

Coach: Didier Deschamps

Captain: Hugo Lloris

Most Important Player: Kylian Mbappe

France missed out on winning the Euros on home soil in 2016, losing to Portugal but went on to win the World Cup in 2018 at Russia. France will be looking to get one better this time around under Didier Deschamps, who could make history by becoming the first person to win the Euros and the World Cup both as a player and coach. Their squad is brimming with talented players who were around in 2018, also having fresh faces like Jules Kounde and Marcus Thuram. Whilst having players that missed out like Eduardo Camavinga, Houssem Aouar and Dayot Upamecano. The biggest story is the return of Karim Benzema to the Fench squad. The Madrid striker has been in some form of exile since 2015 but Deschamps has brought him back which just improves France's attacking line-up with Kylian Mbappe, Antonie Griezmann and Kingsley Coman also in the squad. However, given the frosty relationship between Benzema and Deschamps before now and the ongoing case of his alleged blackmail over former French teammate Mathieu Valbuena, this is a risky move from Deschamps, who has talked about team unity above everything else. Being World Champions and beaten finalist in the last Euros will make Le Bleu one of the favourites to win it and if they can pull it off, they can be rightly compared to the last French team that won the World Cup and Euros between 1998 and 2000.

Best Finish: Winners

• Portugal

Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Winners)

Coach: Fernando Santos

Captain: Cristiano Ronaldo

Most Important Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Eder's strike in the 2016 Euro Final won the Selecao their first-ever major honour. Since then, their squad has greatly improved from the squad that went all the way and won it. Fernando Santos, who masterminded Portgual's win, has a selection headache with the number of players to fit in. A difficult task considering Santos' pragmatic approach when setting up his team. Something that worked in 2016 but may be difficult this time around. Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to win the Euros again, which further cements his legacy for his country, and will lead the attack as he still has the name profile, reach and gravitas. Luckily for him, he has a bigger and better supporting cast from Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, Bernando Silva, Andre Silva and Diogo Jota. He also has a personal gain as he is just five goals from matching Iran's Ali Daei's record of scoring the most international goals by a male player. Santos' decision to call up just three central defenders is a gamble with Pepe and Jose Fonte over 30 years old but proves the faith he has in them and Manchester City defender Ruben Dias. They are in the group of death but some approach and may go all the way to defend it, with Spain the only country to achieve that feat.

Best Finish: Semifinals

• Germany

Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Semifinals)

Coach: Joachim Low

Captain: Manuel Neuer

Most Important Player: Josuah Kimmich

Germany's record in international tournaments is one of envy. Four World Cups and Three European Championships makes them the quintessential tournament team. Joachim Low will be coaching Germany for the last time, leaving the job after 15 successful years, winning the World Cup in 2014 and the Confederations Cup in 2017. Die Mannschaft since their horrible showing in the 2018 World Cup is not good for their high standards. They performed horribly in the Nations League and suffered since poor results, losing 6-0 to Spain and more recently 2-1 to North Macedonia in Germany during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Low has decided to bring back Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller into the fold, as their tournament experience will be vital for this German. Despite their woes, Germany still has a team full of talent from Josuah Kimmich, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnarby, Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala. Germany's area of concern will be in defence and upfront. Their defensive line is not the strongest with very little cover at full-back which could force Low to play with a back three. Germany is renowned for having very good strikers from Gerd Muller, Jurgen Klinsmann and Miroslav Klose. They do not have that profile of striker with Timo Werner, Havertz and Muller bringing different skill sets but are not focal points in attack. If Germany can see off Portugal and France, they can go far and give Low a great sendoff.

Best Finish: Semifinals

• Hungary

Last Appearance: Euro 2016 (Round of 16)

Coach: Marco Rossi

Captain: Adam Szalai 

Most Important Player: Willi Orban

Hungary was successful when they qualified for Euro 2016. They topped their group which included Portugal and Iceland but were brought down to earth in the Round of 16 against Belgium. They were poor in qualifying but given their form in the Nations League, they reached the playoffs. Victories over Bulgaria and a last-gasp winner against Iceland has propelled them to the Finals. Coach Marco Rossi has around since 2018 with 29 games. The Hungary squad will be looking towards Leipzig forward Dominik Szoboszlai for inspiration after scoring the winner against Iceland in the playoff tie but unfortunately, he will be out for the tournament due to injury. There are not many high-profile players for Hungary aside from the RB Leipzig duo Peter Gulasci and Willi Orban, who have been mainstays in the Bundesliga side. They are in the group of death which leaves their chances of going through slim to none but they could decide the fates of Portugal, Germany and France so they could be a spoiler for the others.

Best Finish: Group Stage