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Euro 2020 is almost upon us and we're in for a month of exciting footballing action. All the participating nations have named their squads and are all set to battle for continental supremacy. With so many strong units heading into Euro 2020, it's difficult to predict what's going to unfold over the next month.
Some European powerhouses have talent pools so vast that they could field three top teams all by themselves. Unfortunately, that is not possible in the world we live in and we'll only see the cream of the crop sparring with each other.
Top European nations have incredible squad depth heading into Euro 2020
European powerhouses like Belgium, Portugal, France, England, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, among several others, have great squad depth. With UEFA allowing the use of a maximum of five substitutes, teams will have a lot of room to improvise during the matches.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who could thrive as super-subs at Euro 2020.
#5 Andrea Belotti (Italy)
Andrea Belotti has been one of the most underrated strikers in Serie A over the last few years. Belotti is likely to be used as a substitute at Euro 2020 and Lazio striker Ciro Immobile is tipped to start ahead of him.
Belotti scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in 35 appearances for Torino in Serie A in the 2020-21 season. He is definitely one of the darkhorses of the tournament and opposition teams need to be wary of what Belotti can do off the bench.
Il Gallo is athletic, pacy and a tenacious presence in the final third. He can strike belters with either foot and can fare well in aerial battles. Belotti's tactical intelligence and pace regularly helps him get in behind defences and once he gains a yard on defenders, he's hard to catch up with.
#4 Olivier Giroud (France)
Olivier Giroud has been France's first-choice centre-forward for several years now. He was their farthest man upfront at Euro 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup. Giroud is unlike the other pacy and nimble-footed French forwards. His positioning, hold-up play and aerial ability are what set him apart from the rest.
Giroud played that role to perfection at the 2018 World Cup but at Euro 2020, he is likely to be used as a substitute. Karim Benzema has been recalled to the French side and the Real Madrid striker has just signed off on an excellent individual season with Los Blancos.
Giroud can be a great impact sub. His height and aerial ability means that France can shake things up in attack and go for a different route during desperate times at Euro 2020.
#3 Pedro Goncalves (Portugal)
What do you do when you lose someone as prolific a goalscorer and chance creator as Bruno Fernandes from your team? Sign the next best thing, of course. That's exactly what Sporting Lisbon did by roping in Pedro Goncalves, or Pote as he is lovingly called, in August 2020.
Goncalves stunned everyone in his debut season with the Portuguese club and was one of the best players in the Primeira Liga in the 2020-21 season. He scored 23 goals and provided five assists in 37 appearances for Sporting Lisbon this past campaign.
However, Portugal have an incredible attacking line that includes the likes of Andre Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes to name a few. Pote is thus likely to be used as a substitute and impact subs don't come better than him right now.
#2 Leroy Sane (Germany)
Germany have an abundance of quality options in attack. With Kai Havertz kicking into form towards the end of the season, he's expected to be a starter. Thomas Muller is coming off a brilliant season with Bayern Munich and he could play as an attacking midfielder or as a centre-forward.
If Muller starts as a number 10, then Timo Werner is likely to be the striker. Serge Gnabry is likely to take up the final position in the frontline as he has been a fixture in Germany's attack of late.
As a result, former Manchester City man Leroy Sane could be used as a super-sub. Sane is a tricky and pacy winger who will dominate against tired legs. He is also tactically intelligent and showcases great movement in the final third. Sane will undoubtedly be one of the best super-subs at Euro 2020.
#1 Ousmane Dembele (France)
France have one of the strongest squads heading into Euro 2020 and their wealth in attack makes them as big a threat as any other side at the tournament. Karim Benzema is expected to lead the attack supported by Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
There is no displacing any of those three from Didier Deschamps' frontline. But Ousmane Dembele is coming off his best season yet for Barcelona since moving to the Camp Nou in 2017.
Dembele is quick, agile and ambidextrous, meaning he can dribble, pass and shoot equally well with either foot. The 24-year-old will add pace to France's attack in the closing stages of the game and he can prove to be a very dominant proposition against slow defences.
