Euro 2020 Thread (11th June-11th July)

[Duty281]

Starts in under a week. Might be a fun summer of football to lift the gloom of the previous 12 months.

Groups:

Full Schedule:

Outright Odds:

Portugal to defend their title? France to go one better? Germany return to prominence? Belgium finally get it right? England bring football home? Or will Scotland shock the world?

[Guest]

Can’t look past France. See them having a similar era that Spain had, dominating for a while, and winning back to back major tournaments.

Portugal have the firepower, and probably go in second favourites, for me. England won’t win it, Belgium are defensively vulnerable, and Hazard and KDB injured/out of sorts. Spain and Germany are still rebuilding. Italy could be dark horses, depending upon how clinical Immobile can be, while Holland just lack firepower up front, and are missing VVD.

[westisbest]

I’m gonna go for the Dutch

(If not them, then the Germans).

[Duty281]

France - Comfortable favourites. The most quality of any squad by a distance. Mbappe, Kante, Griezmann, Pogba, Dembele, Varane, Hernandez...what's not to like?

Portugal - Second favourites. Really like their squad which has a decent defence and plenty of firepower up front, as well as a competent midfield...they're just not as strong as France.

Belgium - Think they'll struggle to meet expectations, lot of names past their prime, and De Bruyne may miss the tournament.

England - Have a defence to lose to anyone, but also an attack to beat anyone. Sadly a lot of the squad is out of form and/or short of proper fitness. Can't rule them out as winners, because Kane/Grealish/Foden can defeat anyone, but it's tough to see England making it past the last 16 with the way the draw is set. It's a very young squad so England are more in a building phase than a built phase.

Germany - I like Germany's midfield, but the defence looks weak and their attack isn't the best with Werner in shocking form. Will probably finish 3rd behind France and Portugal, then it's anyone's guess if they'll make it into the last 16. Can't see them going far.

Spain - Just looks an overall weak squad, with only a few star names. Wouldn't be surprised to see Poland beat them to top spot.

Italy - Look very strong defensively, and they can definitely lift the trophy with a succession of narrow wins. They've got a weak group so have time to ease into the competition.

Netherlands - It's a young team and probably too underpowered overall, especially with VVD out, but they've got a soft draw and may scurry through to the semi-finals as a result.

Overall, I think France are strong favourites, then it's a bit of a gap to Portugal, then a bigger gap to the Italians who would be my third favourites, followed by England further behind who would be fourth favourites. I'd be surprised if anyone outside of that group of four teams triumphed. I really don't think Germany, Spain, Belgium or the Dutch have much hope of lifting the trophy.

I'd also keep an eye on the Danes as an outsider team. They've got a solid defensive base, and a little bit of class in attack led by Eriksen. Poland have Lewandowski, but nowt else really. I'd be surprised if Wales finished anything other than 4th in their group, but the Scots have a decent chance of claiming at least 3rd place and making it through to the KO stages.

Hopefully it's a good tournament. I preferred the Euros when it was 16 teams, not 24, and it could be a tipping point in terms of player fitness, but it's the summer and it's football so I'm determined to like it.

[Duty281]

Van de Beek ruled out of the tournament. What a rotten season for him.

[Duty281]

Predictions:

Winner: France
Runners-up: England
Top Goalscorer: Mbappe
Best Player: Kante
Best Young Player: Foden
Surprise Team: Denmark
Biggest Disappointment: Belgium
England will finish: 1st in the group, then lose in the final
Scotland will finish: 3rd in the group, then lose in the last 16
Wales will finish: 4th in the group

[BamBam]

Winner: France
Runners-up: Portugal
Top Goalscorer: Lukaku
Best Player: Benzema
Best Young Player: Foden
Surprise Team: Turkey
Biggest Disappointment: England
England will finish: 1st in the group, then lose in the last 16 to Portugal
Scotland will finish: 3rd in the group
Wales will finish: 3rd in the group

[Duty281]

Strong start for Italy last night, against a Turkey side absent of ambition.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

England side that is starting to take over the rumour mill:

Pickford, Walker, Stones, Mings, Shaw, Rice, Phillips, Foden, Mount, Sterling, Kane.

People will explode about Grealish but I think this is a game where we need one pace option with Kane. Squad is important, I think Grealish is a must against Scotland, and there’s a chance Sancho and Grealish grow into the tournament and have a bit of an Owen/Beckham 98 impact.

[Duty281]

Wouldn't be too unhappy with that side. Would rather James was in for Walker, and Grealish over Mount, but otherwise fine. Most important thing is going for the back four and not a back five.

Reckon England are good favourites to beat Croatia, however:

1) Croatia do have some weapons to hurt England.
2) England rarely start tournaments with a positive result. Don't think England have won the opening game of a Euros...ever?

[Duty281]

Just saw what happened to Eriksen. Jesus. Absolutely awful.

[JuliusHMarx]

Hard to believe. Very upsetting.

[Duty281]

UEFA confirm that Eriksen is in hospital and has been stabilised.

https://twitter.com/UEFA/status/1403765507682193409

[Soul Requiem]

The most distressing thing I've seen happen on a football pitch.

Whoever was in charge of the cameras needs sacking.

[Duty281]

According to Eriksen's agent, who spoke to Eriksen's father, Eriksen is awake and talking in hospital, which is obviously great news.

Don't know how UEFA are going to manage the competition from here.

Wow...apparently Denmark are going to resume their match against Finland tonight. That's astonishing.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Madness that this game has been played

[Duty281]

No fairytale win for the Danes, after Hojbjerg missed a penalty and the Finns scored with their only shot.

[Soul Requiem]

Madness that this game has been played

Indeed some of the Danish players were mentally elsewhere, particularly Kjaer.

[Luke]

Madness that this game has been played

The players of both countries agreed to it resuming, that's why it continued. 


Also, as a side note, Anthony Taylor was fantastic in the incident, recognising the seriousness of it and getting the medical staff on within 5 secs.
Shame the same can't be said of the tv company and cameraman.

[CaledonianCraig]

What an awful night last night seeing Erikssen in such a grave condition in front of our very eyes. Watching Danes and Finnish players in tears, his girlfriend being comforted by Schmeichel and Kraal (well done to them both) and the fans in turmoil. A sickening night in what was meant to be a celebration of football. I really feared the worst for him so it was just great to hear he was stabilised and in hospital.

It was a surprise the match resumed but was apparently Erikssen's wish. The Danish and Finnish teams and fans showed the world that there can be a lot of love in this sport for all of the rivalry. Well done to all you are all a credit to your countries.

Finally......

COME ON SCOTLAND

[Galted]

The most distressing thing I've seen happen on a football pitch.

Fortunately, I'd been bullied into taking my kid to the playground and so didn't have to witness it.

The most distressing thing I've seen on a football pitch remains Stern John's equaliser about 4 days into injury time in 2004.

[RiscaGame]

England side that is starting to take over the rumour mill:

Pickford, Walker, Stones, Mings, Shaw, Rice, Phillips, Foden, Mount, Sterling, Kane.

People will explode about Grealish but I think this is a game where we need one pace option with Kane. Squad is important, I think Grealish is a must against Scotland, and there’s a chance Sancho and Grealish grow into the tournament and have a bit of an Owen/Beckham 98 impact.

Some are saying Trippier left back now.

[RiscaGame]

Awful what happened last night. Glad he seems to be recovering. Great work by Anthony Taylor, et al. The BBC should be having a good look at their selves today. Not just for keeping cameras on in the ground, but also for filming his partner etc.

[Duty281]

Awful what happened last night. Glad he seems to be recovering. Great work by Anthony Taylor, et al. The BBC should be having a good look at their selves today. Not just for keeping cameras on in the ground, but also for filming his partner etc.

I don't think the BBC were in control of the cameras/filming, but they should have certainly cut back to the studio almost straight away.

[Duty281]

Madness that this game has been played

The players of both countries agreed to it resuming, that's why it continued. .

Sounds like UEFA didn't give much of a choice, according to Peter Schmeichel:

Former Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has told BBC Radio 5 Live that it was "absolutely ridiculous" that the game between Denmark and Finland carried on after Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch.

"That would be the worst two hours in my time in football," said Schmeichel.

"Something terrible like that happens and Uefa gives the players an option to go out and play the game or come back at 12:00 today. What kind of option is that?

"It’s a ridiculous decision by Uefa. They should have tried to work out a different scenario and shown a little bit of compassion, and they didn’t.

"The result of the game is completely irrelevant. I mean, how can you play?"

[Duty281]

England side that is starting to take over the rumour mill:

Pickford, Walker, Stones, Mings, Shaw, Rice, Phillips, Foden, Mount, Sterling, Kane.

People will explode about Grealish but I think this is a game where we need one pace option with Kane. Squad is important, I think Grealish is a must against Scotland, and there’s a chance Sancho and Grealish grow into the tournament and have a bit of an Owen/Beckham 98 impact.

Some are saying Trippier left back now.

Wouldn't be a massive surprise, as Trippier has been tried there before and his versatility is one of the reasons Southgate likes him so much, but it would mean five at the back, with Shaw one of the CBs, and a dismal show of negativity from Southgate.

Or maybe not, as the Athletic are saying it will be a back four, just with Trippier at LB. Flummoxed as to why Trippier would be picked over Shaw and Chilwell.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Madness that this game has been played

The players of both countries agreed to it resuming, that's why it continued.

Indeed, they couldn’t stop saying that. Nonsense as it is, shouldn’t have even been given the option. I don’t buy any “requested” it Poopie and I don’t agree with that game being played that night.

Not good for either set of players, but the Danes should have been protected for their own good.

[lostinwales]

Madness that this game has been played

The players of both countries agreed to it resuming, that's why it continued. 


Also, as a side note, Anthony Taylor was fantastic in the incident, recognising the seriousness of it and getting the medical staff on within 5 secs.
Shame the same can't be said of the tv company and cameraman.

A guy I played rugby with at school did drop dead on a football pitch at what would have been a similar age. (Just looked it up - he was 31/32)

[Luke]

Madness that this game has been played

The players of both countries agreed to it resuming, that's why it continued.

Indeed, they couldn’t stop saying that. Nonsense as it is, shouldn’t have even been given the option. I don’t buy any “requested” it Poopie and I don’t agree with that game being played that night.

Not good for either set of players, but the Danes should have been protected for their own good.

Don't disagree with you in the slightest,  why they couldn't have played it on a mon/tues morning before there next game I don't get. 
Well other than the obvious tv reasons that is.

[CaledonianCraig]

Madness that this game has been played

The players of both countries agreed to it resuming, that's why it continued.

Indeed, they couldn’t stop saying that. Nonsense as it is, shouldn’t have even been given the option. I don’t buy any “requested” it Poopie and I don’t agree with that game being played that night.

Not good for either set of players, but the Danes should have been protected for their own good.

Don't disagree with you in the slightest,  why they couldn't have played it on a mon/tues morning before there next game I don't get. 
Well other than the obvious tv reasons that is.

Well playing it then eats into recovery time for their next match. It would have meant potentially two days rest before their next game. Far from ideal.

For me the sensible solution would have been to abandon the game and call it a 0-0 draw.

[Riggs]

France to win, England might face difficulty getting out of the group stage considering their lack of open play goal scoring.

Belgium to give France a bit of a headache.

Portugal to add to that headache.


Ultimately, the French to win.

[Luke]

England team apparently. 

Pickford,

Walker, Mings, stones, trippier,

Rice, Phillips, 

Foden, Mount, Sterling,

Kane.

Not disagreeing Craig, but they would never allow that to happen, as the impact of it and relevance in group qualification would cause a headache.

[Samo]

The main thing is Eriksen is alive.  He's an incredibly lucky boy and you cant give the ref, the players and the medical staff enough credit.  Shows how worthwhile it was for Fabrice Muamba to campaign for more defibs and ambulances at grounds during games.  It was incredibly upsetting and I'm glad we can move on and enjoy the rest of the tournament - which has been very entertaining thus far.

Belgium looked good last night, but werent really tested at the back. Italy looked worth the money once they finally broke down a stubborn Turkish side. We'll have a better picture once the first round of fixtures is over but I think this tournament is more open than people might think.

[Riggs]

Like with Fabrice a few years ago, I'm happy for Christian that he's in a stable condition and is talking.

[Duty281]

England team apparently. 

Pickford,

Walker, Mings, stones, trippier,

Rice, Phillips, 

Foden, Mount, Sterling,

Kane.

Formation is absolutely fine. Walker over James is disappointing, but expected because Walker is one of Southgate's favourites and one of the more experienced options, in a squad low on experience.

Trippier over Shaw and Chilwell is baffling. I can only think it's due to the set-piece factor, but if Southgate were concerned about set-pieces he should have taken JWP.

Mount over Grealish - not my preference, but Mount's a fine player in his own right.

Sterling's a concern - out of form as he is - and I'm not sure how much of a factor pace will be  v Croatia or any of the group opponents, as I'd expect England's opponents to mostly stay deep.

Biggest worry is the midfield two of Phillips and Rice. If Croatia are adventurous enough they can dominate possession in the midfield, and make England chase shadows on a scorching hot day. In that scenario, England might struggle to get enough ball to the attacking midfield trio, so it's vital the full-backs are aggressive in how they push forward.

Unsure how attacking each team will be. As far as qualification goes, a point would be good for both teams, so both sides may be cautious.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

A disappointing if not unsurprising midfield selection, had hoped he’d be bold and pick Bellingham/Mount either side of Rice
Trippier at LB is just baffling

[Duty281]

Team confirmed and is as expected. Maguire and Sancho don't make the bench, unsure what's wrong with Sancho.

Croatia's team: Livakovic; Vrsaljko, Caleta-Car, Vida, Gvardiol; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Kramaric, Rebic, Perisic.

Don't go much on their defence, but their midfield looks technically strong and they've got some decent goal-scorers.

Tentatively going for a 1-0 England win.

[westisbest]

The most distressing thing I've seen happen on a football pitch.

Fortunately, I'd been bullied into taking my kid to the playground and so didn't have to witness it.

The most distressing thing I've seen on a football pitch remains Stern John's equaliser about 4 days into injury time in 2004.

That was bad Galted.

On a serious note, great to hear Erikson seems to be doing better.
Great from the medical team to.

Fair play to both teams for wanting to play the game under the circumstances. Danish players minds wouldn’t have been 100% on the game though.

[Guest]

Rice/Phillips just reminds me of the negative days of Henderson/Dier etc, and I’d expect Croatia’s technical midfield to lick their lips at that duel. Could be falling into the same old traps could England. Trippier at LB is weird, especially given the options of Chilwell/Shaw.

Expecting a tight game, lower tempo in this heat. Pace on our bench to make an impact late on

[Riggs]

I think Croatia will beat England.

It won't be an easy game but I can see England losing.

[Duty281]

Feels like an England game I've seen numerous times before at major tournaments. Fast first 20-25 minutes and lots of intensity and tempo. Then it usually recedes and the opposition get stronger and start to dominate possession as the game progresses.

No goals for England after that good start, which is a concern, and Croatia getting a foothold. Let's see if England can break the pattern.

[Guest]

As expected really. Midfield is poor. Croatia aren’t really threatening, so we don’t need Phillips and Rice.

[GSC]

Reasonable half to be honest. Need to try and get Mount on the ball in the final third.

[Duty281]

Phillips is going forward so much that Bellingham or Grealish might as well be brought on. Sterling's looked threatening in possession, but often his decision-making has been poor. Some nice touches shown by Mount and Foden. Walker has been diabolical. Should shift Trippier to the right and bring Shaw on.

If Croatia show more ambition they have a decent chance of winning this. Modric is starting to see the ball more, and the right-back is getting space to send crosses in.

Southgate has 5 subs, so I hope he doesn't wait too long before changing it up, if required.

[alfie]

Sterling breaks the deadlock ...

I know a lot of people don't want him in their team but I reckon he's always a danger , even if he does waste a few chances.

Good time for a goal as it was getting a bit flat...

[GSC]

Reasonable half to be honest. Need to try and get Mount on the ball in the final third.

*Phillips

[alfie]

Bit of an alarming statistic that England have led and lost in their last , what , five ? Euro first round games ...

Time to break that habit

[Duty281]

Good goal. Would love to see more of that fluidity from the trio of Sterling-Mount-Foden. For the goal we saw Sterling make a superb run; for Kane's chance we saw all three of them move fluidly to construct the chance.

Great for Sterling's confidence too. Surprised he hasn't scored at the previous three international tournaments.

[Guest]

Average performance, but most importantly, got the job done. Croatia had very little to offer in all honesty.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Well done Gareth. Balance of midfield was perfect, Sterling proved why you need a pacey runner off Kane. Think the defence did really well so can’t question that unit, Walker at least defended well even if he was poor on the ball.

Concern with Kane, but the space he left was what Sterling ran into

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