Summer arrives, and so does the greatest European Competition. The 24 best European national teams will battle everything out in Germany in just a week from now, but there can only be one. As the excitement builds, so do the expectations for various countries to lift the trophy on the 14th of July.
Dark horses, fallen giants, and incredibly talented sets of squads will showcase their full potential starting the 14th of June, with an exciting group stage where surprise is always present and a knockout round that will show what’s truly the best in Europe.
Although the European Championship always leaves room for surprise, five teams position themselves as favourites to lift the cup in Berlin. Whether it is the great form they arrive in, the rich history behind, or the star-filled squad they have, they’ve all given reasons to be considered as the best of the best. Now, let’s discuss which countries have the upper hand in this year’s competition.
5. BELGIUM
Although their golden generation has failed to live up to its expectations, the newer generation of Belgian talent wants to create its own history.
Belgium’s footballing history is very recent, for many years they were a mid-tier European side that qualified for a European Championship or a World Cup but was made to pack early as they were quick to be eliminated.
However, that all changed when a golden generation arose within the Belgian football atmosphere. Talents such as Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, and Kevin De Bruyne took over the Premier League, making a statement of what could come for Belgium and its national team.
Sadly, the biggest accolade of such a generation was reaching the semifinals of the World Cup in 2018 and beating Brazil in that same competition; no trophies were won, nor battled for, by such a generation. After that achievement, the Belgian side fell off, with a quarter-final exit in EURO 2020 and a quick exit in the latest edition of the FIFA World Cup.
Therefore, changes have been made, the first of which being Roberto Martinez, Belgium’s former manager being sacked, in favour of Domenico Tedesco, a very young manager who, at just 38, has managed several European clubs, such as RB Leipzig, something that made him the perfect candidate for such position.
It’s not only the manager that has changed, many players have left, like the case of former superstar Eden Hazard, who retired from football earlier this season. With a huge space to fill after such losses, it was assumed that there must first be a transition era to then try and find a whole new set of stars that could finally live up to expectations.
And it seems as if that generation has already arrived. With a young set of players, Belgium found gold when it was looking for copper. Already being classified as top-tier footballers within their respective leagues, players such as Jeremy Doku or Amadou Onana are some of the examples of what Belgium has to offer, both offensively and defensively.
With fast-paced players such as Dodi Lukebakio or the formerly mentioned Jeremy Doku, Belgium is a clear offensive threat that can cause havoc on different stages of any game, especially against weaker defensive sides. Defensively, an experienced Jan Vertonghen leads the backline on what looks like will be his last European Championship.
4. PORTUGAL
A footballing legend close to its last competition with the Portuguese National Team alongside an insane set of players, Portugal is very well positioned to perform in this year’s EURO 2024.
Crowned champions in 2016, Portugal will try to reclaim the title that it won against France 8 years ago, but with a much better squad. Although the only achievement for the Portuguese national team in the most recent years has been winning the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League, the emergence of a talented golden generation gives Portugal the right to dream of its second EURO title.
After elimination from the 2022 World Cup in the hands of Morocco, Roberto Martínez has stepped up as the new manager, giving Portugal a fresh look, whilst also trying to regain his status as one of the best managers in the world after failing to win anything with the previously mentioned Belgium.
It’s surprising how, each year, a Portuguese youngster emerges and catches the eye of the footballing atmosphere: it was Rafael Leão and Gonçalo Ramos in the latest edition of the World Cup, and it’s now João Neves and Vitinha who have left Europe shocked.
But what does Portugal have to be considered among the favourites? It’s not only the quality and production of potential world-class players, it’s the balance between its young players and its most experienced individuals
.
With players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe (39 and 41 respectively) leading the team, it leaves room for the younger players to triumph calmly, as they don’t have eyes all over them.
The 4-3-3 style played by Roberto Martínez aims to create a highly-paced build-up play, similar to Tiki-Taka, with the wingers creating a great part of the chances and the full backs helping on the attack, whilst also having one midfielder fall as a “surprise” striker.
3. GERMANY
On the first step of the podium, we find the hosts, Germany. A team with lots of talent that has yet to perform at its best level, and with a footballing legend writing his last page of a great career, the Germans have a great chance to lift gold at home.
Germany is one of the greatest national teams to ever exist, with 4 World Cups and 3 European Championships, its titles reflect how they have been consistently good at the international level, or have they?
These last few years, ever since lifting the fourth World Cup in Brazil, Germany has been lost, it hasn’t performed and it hasn’t been the feared team it had always been. It’s especially the period between 2018 and 2022 that has shown the decline of Germany as a team, with group-stage exits in both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, alongside a round-of-16 loss against England in EURO 2020.
Unstableness had conquered the team and there was urgency for a revamp, something that has been done by new manager Julian Nagelsmann. The former Bayern and RB Leipzig manager took the risk to manage a team that had fallen completely, however, with the emergence of several players such as Füllkrug and Florian Wirtz, the team now has a completely different look, at least that’s what it shows.
Although they have failed to live up to expectations in more recent years, the feeling of Germany as a team has drastically changed for EURO 2024. The feared team it always was is slowly making its return thanks to a new system that tries to make the best out of every player.
It’s also important to point out the figure of Toni Kroos. The Real Madrid midfielder, retiring at the end of the competition, has his “Last Dance” and wants to close his career by giving Germany his fourth European Championship, something that would make them undisputed champions with 4 titles won throughout history.
The leadership and experience of the midfielder are directly transmitted to his teammates, who, after Kroos made its return on the last friendlies played in March, have seemed to regain confidence when playing for their country, thus making Germany one of the favourites to touch gold the 14th of July.
2. ENGLAND
It seems like the Three Lions are always favourites to win every competition they compete in, and they sadly always underperform, failing to reach expectations.
EURO 2020 almost came home, yet it slipped away once again, this time in a more tragic way as it was at home, at Wembley, and in penalties. England has failed to conquer gold for many years, having a golden generation that didn’t even reach the semifinals of any competition. It has been, surprisingly, under Gareth Southgate when they have been the closest to winning, even if they haven’t done so.
But England now has a second chance with a bright generation led by a goal-scoring machine and Golden Boot award winner Harry Kane and complimented by the likes of Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Jude Bellingham.
England has a well-rounded squad made up of a great, and young, set of players filled with ambition and quality. It’s now up to their manager, Gareth Southgate whether or not they’ll be able to shine.
On what seems to be Gareth Southgate’s “last” last opportunity, its tactical style seems to be a bit outdated with low paced build-up through which England finds it very difficult to dominate against more difficult opponents.
It’s very rare to see a great game played by England under Southgate, as the manager has failed to innovate its style, which has enabled players to underperform drastically.
However, even if the tactical style is not that good, the overall quality of every player individually makes England a contender to win it all in Germany. With Bellingham, Kane, Rice, or Saka to put some examples, England is one of the biggest threats within the tournament, even if, as said before, they could be even better.
After many years of hurt, it’s now time to bring it home, to give England its long-awaited trophy. But to do so, they may have to beat a team that has always made it difficult for them, the exact team that eliminated them from last year’s World Cup, and the team which is favourite to win the competition, but who is it?
1. FRANCE
The almost unbeatable team, the favourites to win any competition, the team whose squad is filled with top-level players that play key roles on their respective team, that team is none other than France.
Ever since 2018, France has always been the team to beat. And, although they are the best team of the 24, they can be beaten, and it has been shown. After failing to claim the 2022 World Cup, the French are eager to claim a trophy, the same trophy and competition where they haven’t been able to perform at their best.
2016 and 2020 are two competitions that the French don’t want to remember, the first because of the tragic extra-time loss against Portugal at home in the final, and the second after losing in penalties against Switzerland in a game where they led comfortably 3-1 and ended up drawing.
This year seems to be the perfect occasion to finally claim the championship, establishing themselves as the best European national team, even if they are the best when it comes to quality.
A star-stacked squad with many players amongst the best in the world in their positions, the French and their 4-3-3 aims to dominate games defensively and offensively.
The only thing that can stop France is pressure, they are a team with little to no flaws that are always able to perform and win games consistently. Adding to the fact that their star player, Kylian Mbappe, has recently signed with Real Madrid and seems to have regained its confidence as a player, which is crucial for the team.
Final Recap and Prepare Online Betting at 96ACE Malaysia
We’ll find out how these teams do in just a week, will they perform as expected or will they fall short and exit the tournament in the early stages? Until then, we’ll just have to wait for football to do its work and see who can end up lifting the trophy in Berlin on the 14th of July. Will we have any surprises? Will France be able to fulfil the odds and claim gold at the Olympiastadion? Hope the information above would help your online betting experience for the coming competition at 96ACE Malaysia. Let’s win together!
