The European Championship in France is right around the corner and some of the provisional squads for the tournament have already been announced. When considering who is capable of winning the competition, it is hard to look past the big guns of Germany, France, and Spain.
Germany
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Germany are the world champions for a reason. They dominated in the 2014 World Cup and showed skill, passion and, most importantly, organisation in all areas. The team that will go to France does not differ greatly from the side that won in Brazil two years ago. This is why they go into the tournament as one of the major contenders to lift the trophy.
The squad, which is heavily packed with players from some of the world’s elite clubs, is strong in every position. Manuel Neuer is perhaps the greatest goalkeeper in the world, and Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels should form a formidable wall in front of him. The midfield is packed with world-class talent, and Joachim Low has Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Marco Reus, Sami Khedira and Mario Gotze to call upon amongst others. Germany also have Thomas Muller, the second top scorer from the World Cup, spearheading the attack.
The three-time European champions progressed as far as the semi-finals in the last tournament and were the runners-up four years prior to that. This year they have a relatively kind group stage, with Poland as their main rivals for top spot. It would be a major upset if Germany didn’t make it to the latter stages of the tournament.
France
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France have won the European Championship twice and on one of those occasions, in 1984, it was on home soil. They also won the World Cup when they hosted it in 1998, giving more support to the argument that they will go far in this tournament. Not only do they excel as hosts, they also have a fearsome squad to help them through. They look awe-inspiring in midfield with the standout names being Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi, and N’Golo Kante. All three of these players have bossed the centre of the park for their clubs this season, and the thought of seeing them all lined up together is a tantalizing prospect.
Up front they are also bursting at the seams with talent. Antoine Griezmann, who has scored 32 goals for Atletico Madrid this season at the time of writing, will surely spearhead the attack. In support Dimitri Payet, Anthony Martial, and Kingsley Coman can bring pace and flair. This reasonably young squad is miles apart from the group that failed to progress from the group stages of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The rebuilding work has been exceptional and they look ready to mount a serious challenge this year.
Spain
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Although Germany and France are strong contenders to lift the trophy at the end, it would be foolish to disregard the reigning champions and three-time winners, Spain. Between 2008 and 2012, Spain dominated world football and won the Euros twice with the World Cup in between. To the shock of nearly every football fan in the world, they failed to progress from the group stages of the last World Cup. During the tournament, it seemed as though they were expecting to get through the group and, in turn, let their guard down. They will surely learn from those mistakes and take nothing for granted when they begin the defence of their European crown.
The Spain squad still includes a number of the players that contributed to that great period of recent success. Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, and David Silva make for a remarkable backbone to the team, with a few new recruits who have excelled for their clubs in recent times, such as Isco. There are various strikers who could potentially spearhead the attack, or Vincente Del Bosque may choose to play a false nine as he has done in the past, and look to dominate possession.
Will Spain bounce back from their World Cup misery or will they put in another poor showing?
England
This is the first time in years that England have a strike force available that have been so prolific in the season leading up to the tournament. Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane were the two top scorers in the Premier League, and if they can bring that form into the Euros, England have a great chance. Roy Hodgson’s squad look to be lacking somewhat in defence, so England will have to go all-out attack, and could be one of the most exciting teams to watch in France.
Belgium
Belgium could also be a surprise package this year, and finally make their name as one of the elite footballing countries. They have a wealth of talent from top clubs in the Premier League, including Thibaut Courtois, Toby Alderweireld, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. They have more than enough talent to progress to the latter stages.
So will one of these footballing giants go on to lift the trophy, or will a dark horse claim it? This is the first time there have been 24 teams competing, so anything could happen.
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