Euro 2021 Predictions
The first round of the Euro 2021 is now over, and it has not disappointed at all.
Unlike the bore fest from five years ago, this tournament has already provided us with lots of drama, brilliant goals, and excellent matches. It certainly looks like Euro 2021 will be a tournament to remember and fans are in for a treat this summer!
Europe’s heavyweights will continue going toe-to-toe with one another in this epic royal rumble; but the million-dollar question is, who will be the last nation standing?
There are so many countries that have an abundance of quality, but taking everything into account, here are my predictions for the tournament:
4th place — England
The ‘Three Lions’ are not as good as their golden generation from the mid-noughties. But make no mistake about it, this is still a formidable England team.
They have some exciting up and coming players such as Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden. They all had stellar seasons and now have a golden opportunity to prove themselves on a world stage. If they are anywhere near as good for England the way they were for their clubs last season, England will blossom in this tournament.
The main man up front, Harry Kane, will find the net for England plenty of times throughout the competition. Kane came off the back of an excellent season where he topped the goals (23) and assist (14) charts in the league. He also finished as the top scorer in the 2018 World Cup with 6 goals. Him finishing as the top scorer in this tournament will see his stock skyrocket astronomically, as if it were not high enough.
However, I feel that just like the 2018 World Cup, England will fall short in the critical moment and ultimately crash out in the semi-final. Despite the quality that this team possesses, there are still major question marks over Gareth Southgate.
Long story short, he does not have the credentials along with the tactical intellect to push England to that next level and lift their first major trophy since 1966.
Furthermore, their defence lacks the speed and muscle. This could be problematic when coming up against some of the other top strikers in the competition. And with the exception of John Stones, none of their centre-backs are top class. They do not know what it takes to lead a defence to titles, so it is hard to see them ending their 56-year trophy drought. Football will not be coming home this summer, unfortunately.
3rd place — Belgium
The key players are Kevin de Bruijne and Romelu Lukaku. If these two can form a solid partnership, they will wreak havoc throughout the tournament and put opposition teams to the sword without breaking a sweat.
De Bruijne has the highest number of assists (32) in the Premier League since August 2019. On the other hand, Lukaku scored 30 goals in 44 appearances last season. Both players were vital in leading their respective clubs to domestic league titles. The striker also started off the tournament in fine form with a brace against Russia on Saturday evening. If he was that good, then just how good he will be when de Bruijne returns? It is a scary thought.
Then there are players such as Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Yannick Carrasco, Youri Tielemans, Axel Witsel, so on and so forth. These players will certainly give Belgium that extra bit of quality which will certainly be indispensable in the latter stages of the competition.
Notwithstanding that, their defence will ultimately prove to be their downfall. Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are 34 and 32 years old, respectively. Both of them will most likely start in most games and their age and lack of speed could very well be Belgium’s Achilles heel.
Their form in the past year or so has also been somewhat worrying to say the least. Thus, the semi-final will be the hurdle where they will ultimately slip.
2nd place — Portugal
The European champions have assembled one of the most dynamic teams in Europe.
From top to bottom their squad is stacked with talent. From Cristiano Ronaldo to Bruno Fernandes, Pepe, Bernado Silva, William Carvalho, João Cancelo, João Félix, Diogo Jota, Rúben Dias, you name it. This team has the right blend of defensive solidity and goals. Hardly any player in their squad put a foot wrong for their clubs last season. I will go as far as to say that this is their best team since the 2006 World Cup.
This Portuguese team is a well-oiled machine that will cut through teams like a knife through butter. They will not undeservedly smash and grab their way to the final the way they did back in 2016, they will get there by walloping the teams that stand before them in each round, like we saw in their 3–0 win against Hungary.
The final, in my opinion, will be a titanic battle between them and the world champions. The game will be far more entertaining than the 2016 final, with the two teams going all out in a pulsating clash. However, I predict that there will be a different result this time. Thunder will not strike twice in the same place and a new European champion will be crowned.
1st place — France
What is there to say about ‘Les Bleus’? They are par excellence in international football.
Portugal delivered an unexpected knockout blow to France on their turf during extra-time in the Euro 2016 final. But I predict France to gain retribution and be the victors in the the final. What will be the difference this time around? The Karim-Kylian partnership.
After an acrimonious divorce with the French national team, Benzema has now buried the hatchet with Didier Deşchamps and is back in the squad after a five-year exodus.
The timing could not be any better for France because Deşchamps can now unleash him and M’bappé going forward. Despite being 33 years old, Benzema had a brilliant season with Real Madrid and was the joint-second highest goalscorer in La Liga with 23 goals.
Benzema and M’bappé will be a destructive strike force that no one will be able to stop. The pace, skill, movement, intelligence, supreme goalscoring ability, and link-up play of both men will overpower all their opponents and be too much for Portugal in the final.
N’Golo Kanté and Paul Pogba will form a solid central midfield partnership and will steamroll the opposition midfield. With those two winning the midfield battle, little will be required of the French back four. But when they are called to question, I expect them to do a good job on the whole and stifle a lot of the attacks, as seen in their 1–0 win over Germany.
When it is all said and done, France, in my opinion, will win their third European title and emulate that iconic team of 2000 in being the world and European champions.
