Assessing England’s chances at Euro 2020

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European Championship is held in high regard along with the World Cup and much like England national team’s plight in the World Cups, the same applies to the Euros. With only a couple of third-place finishes in 1968 and 1996, their trophy cabinet still awaits for a European Championship and 2020 might just be their year.

A positive outing in the improvised UEFA Nations League has instilled an imperceptible hope into the England fanbase who have witnessed even their best sides fail at the big stage. Although there is a swarm of youth buzzing in the squad, there is experience at aplenty as well to strike the right chord and balance – to make the opponents dance to their tunes.

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England’s primary concern at the biggest stage has most often been the mentality. Despite flying out a squad which is labeled as favourites before the event, the three lions return empty-handed all too often. After a plethora of managers who were unable to assert their ideology into the side, the nation has finally got a man they can back, their former stalwart Gareth Southgate. While the team’s mentality has a cause for concern, the players are giving their absolute best and that will help the team a lot going forward. Football fans can head over to verde casino no deposit bonus to bet on the rising English team.

One of the primary areas for England to repair was their defence with the voids left by the departures of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, and Ashley Cole. While the transition period hurt, England finally have defenders they can rely on. A breathtaking pool consisting of Harry Maguire, John Stones, Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and Aaron Wan Bisakka are more than enough to take on any attack that the Three Lions may encounter during the multi-nation tournament. If you’re a betting man and would like to wager on their progress through the qualifiers and in the tournament itself, you can check out the list of available free bets for the month here.

England are also well equipped in goal with Jordan Pickford, who has pipped names such as Tom Heaton, Jack Butland, and Nick Pope to retain his spot. His performances in the World Cup and the Nations League has more or less assured him a starting berth in the upcoming Euro 2020s as well.

The island nation’s area of concern might be the midfield, as despite possessing a good group of players, it would always be difficult to emulate the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, and David Beckham. Southgate has empowered the youth to grace the park and could take encouragement from the performances of Mason Mount, James Maddison and Declan Rice so far.

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With experience in the form of Jordan Henderson, the third-place winner of the UEFA Nations League has a zestful looking midfield on paper – but it remains to be seen if it will hold up against the technical superiority of the French, Spaniards and Germans.

Naturally, odds for France – the 2018 World Cup winners – to emerge victorious in the tournament are good and stand at 7/2. England weigh in not far behind at 11/2 while Belgium and Spain are assessed at 7/1 and 15/2 respectively.

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If England should live up to their pre-tournament billing however, they would need to bank on what has been a traditional strength for them.

Right from the old days, England’s most striking quality has been their attack. Having gifted several talented strikers over the years in the form of Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, and Gary Lineker, the new era have some huge boots to fill. Thankfully, they have just the names to do so. Leading the line is the skipper himself, Harry Kane who has earned the right to stay at the top of the formation. Swarming around Kane would be possibly the most deadly wingers in the world in Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho. The names which lie as replacement are also equally talented with Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Callum Wilson serving as backup.

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Given England’s strengths and weaknesses, the side should be able to qualify for the semi-finals if things go their way. From there on it is up to them whether they can own the occasion or bottle it. Either way, one aspect is clear, the boys will give their all to bring it home.