It may seem a little premature to be talking about Euro 2024 when we’re not even in mid-March.
Europe’s main leagues have still got plenty of football left, and, furthermore, we don’t even know all the nations that have qualified for the showpiece in Germany, which will be held from June 14 to July 14.
Yet then you take a quick look at the SBOTOP Euro 2024 betting odds and realise there’s plenty to be excited about.
Now at this stage, let me put my punditry reputation on the line and nail my colours to the mast.
For me, England and Spain will enjoy plenty of Euro 2024 highlights, and France too, but I’m plumping for the host nation to be successful and claim its first European crown since 1996.
The international friendlies later this month, not to mention qualifying play-offs, may well tell us more about the strategies international sides adopt, let alone potential changes in formations in the run-up to the tournament.
Assuming injuries don’t take hold during the final stages of the club campaign, England are one of the most intriguing sides to watch.
Indeed, former captain and super striker Alan Shearer claimed last week that manager Gareth Southgate has the midfield and attack to match the best in world football right now.
He went so far as to say—and it’s hard to argue otherwise—that five are guaranteed starters: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Harry Kane.
All of them are certainly enjoying impressive seasons with their respective clubs.
Shearer goes onto ponder if Bellingham could take up a deeper midfield position alongside Rice, with Foden and Saka cutting in from out wide.
Throw in the likes of Ollie Watkins in the number nine role, with Kane potentially just behind him (a position where he has excelled for England, Spurs, and Bayern Munich), or even Marcus Rashford, who is showing signs of a return to some consistency, and there is every reason for England to be optimistic.
And don’t forget Raheem Sterling’s ability to shine on the big stage.
Yes, it would be a first, as Kane and Watkins have never shared a pitch for England, but the latter is improving with every passing week, thriving under Aston Villa’s astute manager, Unai Emery, who appears to have told Watkins to do the vast majority of his work within the width of the penalty area.
There will be times in Germany this summer when the situation calls for it, times when England need to change things up. It’s going to be hot, and England is going to need a Plan B.
Of course, it should be remembered that they have been handed a kind draw with matches against Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia, which is a great starting point.
So, after all this, why have I not tipped them as winners, you may ask?
Well, that is because my doubts about England have not changed in the past decade.
Think back to some of the sides of the past 30 plus years and the quality of centre-backs they possessed—I’m thinking Des Walker, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry (and there are others).
Quite frankly, with a notable nod to Manchester City captain Kyle Walker, none of the class of 2024 can live up to that pedigree.
Yes, John Stones and Harry Maguire are talented players, but Stones does most of his good work in front of a back three or four for his club, while Maguire is committed and always stands up to be counted but lacks a top class partner.
This is where Walker, predominantly a right-back, might come in.
Walker and Luke Shaw (if fit in time), Southgate have genuinely world-class full-backs, but I suspect one of them will need to play in a back three if England are to thrive against major opposition.
They simply do not have quite enough quality to win such a tournament with a flat-back four, in my opinion.
Given England were only a penalty shootout away from winning Euro 2020 and performed well to reach the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup, that may appear to be a harsh assessment.
However, look back at the teams they met in both those tournaments, and they were only able to defeat one major nation, Germany, in the last-16 of the European Championship.
So, there you have it. England have plenty of talent, in many ways much more than Germany, who have crashed out of the last two World Cups at the group stage, but there is a real weakness in their defence where they may be found wanting.
How they line up this summer will be key to their potential success.
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