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After two impressive wins in their opening qualification matches for Euro 2020, Gareth Southgate’s England side are flying high right now. The Three Lions reached the semi-finals of the World Cup and are set to play in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League this summer, but as no England fans need reminding, they haven’t actually won a major international trophy since the World Cup 1966.
Sure, they’ve come close at times – 1990, 1996, 2018 – but in general, England have always fallen at the final hurdle. But will 2020 be the year when that all changes? Can Southgate really lead the Three Lions to a major international honour in the form of the European Championship? Sure, and here are 4 reasons why.
#1 Euro 2020 is practically a home tournament for England
The last time an international tournament was held in England, Terry Venables’ Three Lions side famously made it to the semi-finals of Euro 1996 before falling to Germany after a penalty shoot-out. Football hasn’t “come home” since then per say, but that will all change with Euro 2020, which has a unique format that will see multiple countries hosting games.
England are one of those hosts, and the way that UEFA have organised the tournament means that should Southgate’s side qualify, which looks likely, and Scotland miss out – which also looks likely – then England could play all three of their group games at their home ground, Wembley Stadium in London.
Wembley is also being used for the Round of 16, both Semi-Finals, and the Final game on July 12th, 2020. Essentially, that means that the tournament could almost be considered a home one for England, with Southgate’s side only likely to play a game on foreign soil in the Quarter-Finals.
Traditionally, the host nation of any tournament tends to do well, and with England already hotly tipped for glory at Euro 2020, having so many of their games at home could prove to be pivotal.
#2 They have an incredibly deep squad
Only a couple of years ago, England had a threadbare squad, and the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Gary Cahill appeared to be undroppable regardless of form, largely because there were no better alternatives available. Those days appear to be firmly over now, as the Three Lions now seem to have multiple – and great – options in every position on the pitch.
Sure, some fans would claim that star striker and captain Harry Kane is indispensable, but while England would definitely miss the Tottenham hitman, they have other proven goalscorers amongst their ranks in the form of Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard – as well as newer, younger talents like Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
England’s full-backs range from Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier to Danny Rose, Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw; they can call upon John Stones, Harry Maguire, Joe Gomez, Michael Keane and Lewis Dunk in central defence, and even in midfield, Southgate is spoiled for choice with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Harry Winks and Ross Barkley.
Only France can rival England at this point when it comes to the depth of talent in their squad, and so much competition for places definitely bodes well for their Euro 2020 campaign.
#3 Key players are tournament-hardened – but still young
One big advantage that England have going into Euro 2020 is that while Gareth Southgate’s squad is still an extremely young one, most of his key players are hardened veterans of two or more tournaments. Captain Harry Kane appeared in Euro 2016 as well as the 2018 World Cup, as did Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Kyle Walker and others; Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley both played at the 2014 World Cup and Jordan Henderson is even a veteran of Euro 2012.
The best part about this experience? The majority of those players saw success in 2018, but have also been with England for some of their greatest failures – the group stage elimination in Brazil in 2014, and the notorious debacle against Iceland in 2016. That kind of experience – mixing the good with the bad – could be absolutely crucial should times get tough for Southgate’s men during their Euro 2020 campaign.
And of course, none of those tournament veterans – bar Henderson, who will still only be 29 when Euro 2020 begins – are older players, as the majority of them went to those past competitions as relatively inexperienced rookies. That means that not only will England have valuable experience going into Euro 2020, but they’ll also still have the vibrancy of youth.
It’s the kind of mix of experience and youth that worked so well for Germany in 2014 and France in 2018 – and should help England in the competition.
#4 The side has evolved since their World Cup success
While England didn’t win the 2018 World Cup in Russia, it’s safe to say that the tournament was a huge success for the Three Lions. Gareth Southgate’s side went into the competition as rank outsiders, but ended up making a rousing run to the semi-finals – breaking their penalty hoodoo along the way – before coming up short against Croatia after extra-time.
The one criticism of the campaign? England never truly defeated a top-class opponent, as their wins came against Tunisia, Panama, Colombia and Sweden. But since the World Cup ended, Southgate’s side have evolved even further – and critics can no longer use the lack of wins over top competition against them, as they beat both Spain and Croatia in UEFA Nations League action.
Furthermore, Southgate has evolved away from the 3-5-2 formation that served England well in Russia and has installed a more dynamic 4-3-3 system in its place, a tactic which seems to be getting the best out of key players like Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, and which also appears to allow the Three Lions to dismantle overmatched opponents – something they’ve historically struggled with.
This continual evolution is expected to continue into Euro 2020 – perhaps not with another change of system, but more in personnel, as younger talent like Callum Hudson-Odoi become more comfortable with top-level football. And if England’s previous version could get to a World Cup semi-final, then surely the next evolution can see them win Euro 2020.
