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The UEFA Euro 2020 is just around the corner, with Europe's top sides gearing up to try and dethrone Portugal as champions of the continent.
Many high-profile European sides are currently in the midst of a brilliant generation of talent all across the pitch. France, for instance, have enough stars to fill two entire squads, let alone starting XIs. Much of the same could be said for defending champions Portugal, who have an embarrassment of riches heading into Euro 2020.
While the likes of Germany and resurgent sides such as Italy and the Netherlands can't quite compete with them in terms of quantity, the quality is certainly there. One such side that has a great mix of both is England.
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England will look to end trophy drought at Euro 2020
Despite boasting some of the best players in world football in different eras, England have somehow failed to live up to expectations. They generally lacked a sense of cohesiveness during their golden generation of talents and have come up short time and again.
They've failed to win any major honour on the international front since their historic FIFA World Cup win in 1966. Since then, they've come close on a few occasions. They lost to West Germany on penalties in the 1990 World Cup semi-finals and to Germany in the 1996 European Championships semi-final, when Gareth Southgate missed the final spot-kick.
More recently, they reached their first World Cup semi-final in 28 years under Southgate at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but lost to Croatia in extra time.
Despite so much heartbreak over the years, England will have a sense of optimism heading into Euro 2020 due to a number of factors. Here, we take a look at 5 reasons why England could potentially win Euro 2020.
#5 A relatively comfortable group
England's campaign opener will be against the side who eliminated them in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, Croatia. While the Vatreni are no pushovers, they most certainly are not the force they were back in Russia. England will fancy their chances of getting the better of Zlatko Dalic's men this time around.
Apart from Croatia, there isn't too much of a threat for England to get out of their group. The 2018 World Cup finalists currently sit 14th in the world rankings, and the other two sides — Scotland and the Czech Republic — are 40th and 44th, respectively.
Granted, this is a major international tournament where there is a very high possibility of upsets being caused. But given the sheer quality of this England side, they could be expected to top their group, let alone progress to the next round.
#4 Massive home advantage
The concept of home advantage has seemingly dissolved due to an entire domestic campaign effectively being played behind closed doors. However, one of the biggest boosts for teams ahead of Euro 2020 is that fans will be allowed back into stadiums. While we're still a while away from having packed stadiums, 10 out of the 11 host cities will allow at least 25% of the stadiums to be filled (except Munich).
This includes Wembley, one of the most historic stadiums in the sport situated in London. While Euro 2020 is technically not a 'home' tournament for England, Wembley will be one of the most-used stadiums and will host all three of their group stage games. Apart from this, the iconic venue will also witness two round of 16 ties, both semi-finals, and the final.
In theory, England might only have to play one quarter-final tie in a foreign stadium throughout Euro 2020. This will be a massive boost for them, considering they'll be playing in front of their supporters as well.
Also read: Top 5 contenders for the Golden Boot at UEFA Euro 2020
#3 Nearly an injury-free squad
The biggest concern for managers ahead of major international tournaments is the fitness of their star players. Thankfully in Gareth Southgate's case, this isn't much of an issue as England have been blessed with a fully fit squad barring a couple of players.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is possibly the only big-name player whose situation is currently unclear. Maguire picked up an ankle injury in the Premier League that saw him miss the UEFA Europa League final. Despite this, he was named in Southgate's provisional 33-man squad and could still recover in time for Euro 2020.
It was touch-and-go whether Jordan Henderson would make it as well due to a lengthy layoff after a groin injury. However, the Liverpool captain is very likely to feature for England after returning to training. Declan Rice also recovered from his injury in time to return to action for West Ham towards the end of the English season.
#2 An impressive defensive unit
The foundation of any title-winning side is the backline, and England have a number of in-form stars to choose from in defence. Chelsea's wing-back duo Ben Chilwell and Reece James are fresh off their heroics in the UEFA Champions League and will undoubtedly be in contention for Southgate's XI. James has also excelled playing as a centre-back in a back-three, giving the coach another option.
Moving to Manchester, both John Stones and Luke Shaw are in the form of their lives after two absolutely brilliant Premier League campaigns. Stones formed a sublime partnership with Ruben Dias at the back to help them win the Premier League title. Calm on the ball and effective in the tackle, he finally looks like the player he was once tipped to become.
On the other hand, Shaw has arguably been the best left-back in the top-five leagues in 2020-21 and enjoyed the best campaign of his career. He's added a great deal of attacking prowess to his game and could massively contribute going forward.
With seasoned veterans Kyle Walker and Kieran Tripper also likely to feature, it gives England some much-needed experience in defence. The only major question is surrounding Harry Maguire's fitness ahead of the competition. Should he be passed fit, the Three Lions could have a rock-solid defensive unit.
#1 A variety of profiles in attack
Gone are the days of playing long balls to big, burly strikers in attack. England, particularly under Southgate, has employed a much more cultured way of approaching games, which greatly helped the side. England have improved massively compared to the years before, and they have a surreal mix of profiles in their forward line.
Led by the ever-reliable Harry Kane up front, the Three Lions have a raft of options to choose from to play alongside him. If they come up against a possession-based side and look to counter-attack them, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Raheem Sterling can provide immense pace on the flanks.
Should they come up against low blocks, they can rely on talented creators like Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, and Phil Foden to break them down. If they're chasing a game and want to throw caution to the wind, they can bring on another target in the box in Dominic Calvert-Lewin late into the game.
Depending on who they are up against, Southgate has a wealth of dynamic attackers to field and to carry out different roles. This is a luxury very few managers possess heading into Euro 2020.
Also read: 5 Most valuable players at UEFA Euro 2020
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