After narrowly missing out on consecutive World Cup victories, France will aim to establish itself as a dominant force in Europe.
Antoine Griezmann stressed that ‘defence wins championships’, but France will need to settle in on a back five when it begins its campaign on June 17. Didier Deschamps has repeatedly reshuffled his backline over the last 18 months following the high-profile retirements of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and centre-back Raphael Varane.
Brice Samba is the favourite to don the gloves, while France hopes William Saliba can replicate his Arsenal form in the Les Bleus shirt.
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France’s 26-man squad will be the envy of its European rivals, boasting strong options in each position. Deschamps also made the surprise decision to include 33-year-old N’Golo Kante, who returned after a two-year absence despite moving to the Saudi Pro League last summer.
Kylian Mbappe, who replaced Lloris as skipper, was the top scorer in the European qualification with nine goals as France breezed through to the finals.
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The attack will be further strengthened by exciting additions like Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram, Kingsley Coman, and Bradley Barcola. France has all the attributes to go all the way and win its first Euro title since 2000.
Finding the Dutch flair
Ronald Koeman will have the opportunity to continue his work with the national team after returning for a second spell at the beginning of last year. He previously left the role after securing Euro 2020 qualification to take on the Barcelona job.
It hasn’t been a smooth return, with the Netherlands losing to European heavyweights France, Italy, Croatia, and Germany — the latter three ranked below the Dutch.
Wout Weghorst (right), who had an underwhelming season in the Bundesliga, is the main striker alongside Memphis Depay.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Wout Weghorst (right), who had an underwhelming season in the Bundesliga, is the main striker alongside Memphis Depay.
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images
Of the 26 players who featured in Qatar, only 15 will be heading to Germany. The midfield and goalkeeping departments have seen significant changes in the short turnaround. While the Dutch will be bolstered by the return of Georginio Wijnaldum, who moved to Saudi Arabia last September, the availability of midfielder Frenkie de Jong remains doubtful.
De Jong suffered his third ankle injury of the season in April, which could be a huge blow to the team’s chances.
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Koeman, known for his pragmatic style, will hope the team’s defensive core can come good in a tough group stage. The attack will hinge on the creativity of Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons, who had an impressive season on loan at RB Leipzig. Wout Weghorst, who had an underwhelming season in the Bundesliga, is the main striker alongside Memphis Depay.
Injuries play spoilsport
Poland also underwent a managerial change, with Fernando Santos taking over before poor results and criticism of the team’s playing style led to his swift exit in September. Michal Probierz was promoted from the U-21 setup, and he led the side into the finals via the playoffs in March.
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While Robert Lewandowski is coming off another high-scoring season, as seen in previous major tournaments, the striker often finds himself isolated and has to feed off scraps for service. At 36, this could be his last chance to make an impact on the international stage.
Piotr Zielinski’s creativity in the midfield will be key to unlocking Lewandowski’s goal-scoring potential. Unfortunately, right-back Matty Cash misses out due to injury for Poland, which is ranked lowest in the group.
Austria enters the tournament as a dark horse, which could potentially rock the boat of the traditional favourites.
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The team has achieved strong results over the last two years under Ralf Rangnick, including wins over Italy and Germany, and holding Belgium to a draw away from home.
However, injuries to captain David Alaba, goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, defender Philipp Leinhart, and central midfielder Xaver Schlager could jeopardise Das Team’s chances.
The form of wingers Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer, and the goal-scoring ability of Christoph Baumgartner will be key to Austria’s hopes.
Knockouts prediction:
France is the favourite to qualify for the knockouts, but there could be a three-way tussle between the rest of the pack for the second spot. While defensive solidity is crucial in tournament football, teams will need to find ways to score goals to stay in contention to progress as one of the best third-placed teams.
Mbappe, who has already won the FIFA World Cup, will look to lead his side to European glory, as France’s captain in Germany.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Mbappe, who has already won the FIFA World Cup, will look to lead his side to European glory, as France’s captain in Germany.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Kylian Mbappe
It’s hard to overlook forward Mbappe, who will be itching to open his European championship tally after failing to score in the previous edition and whose penalty miss in the shootout proved costly. Three years on, Mbappe, now 25, will want to make his mark as the captain of the French national team.
The La Masia product has already impressed in National team colours in the recent friendlies, and will look to continue his form in the European Championship.
| Photo Credit:
AP
The La Masia product has already impressed in National team colours in the recent friendlies, and will look to continue his form in the European Championship.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Xavi Simons
The PSG winger had an outstanding season in the Bundesliga during his loan spell with RB Leipzig. Xavi is an exciting attacking midfielder with excellent close control and dribbling abilities. The Dutch will count on his creativity to bail them out of the group stages.
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