With the Euro 2020 being postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19, this article will look at the teams most likely to emerge as the international champions of Europe in 2021.
10. Poland
Poland has arguably the best player in 2019-2020 in Robert Lewandowski, so they are bound to have success against most national teams. Lewandowski in the Bundesliga scored 34 goals and 5 assists in only 31 matches, beating his career goal scoring personal best in domestic leagues by 4 goals. Additionally, in only 10 matches in the Champions League, Lewandowski has 15 goals and 6 assists and is averaging 2.37 goals and assists a game, and still has one final game against PSG on August 23rd. He has looked exceptional in international play as well, scoring 5 goals in 2 assists in his 7 matches started while qualifying for Euro 2020.
The main reason Poland is only placed 10th on this list is because of the lack of support their roster has for Lewandowski. While players such as Arkadiusz Milik (11 goals in 26 games) and Jakub Błaszczykowski (12 goals and assists in 22 games) have proven to be solid scoring options, there simply is not enough talent on the Poland team to compete with the other 9 teams on this list.
9. Croatia
After being unable to finish off their fairytale run in the 2018 World Cup, Croatia still has a strong team heading into 2021 but face one major problem: age. Their three star midfield players, Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić, and Ivan Perišić, are now 34, 31, and 30, and only Perišić has been playing well as of late. Modrić only netted 10 goals and assists in 22 games last season, and Rakitić has only had 4 goals and assist in 16 games. Both players have seen their positions on Real Madrid and Barcelona being replaced by younger players.
Additionally, Croatia lacks the attacking power that many of the other teams on this list have, with only Ante Rebić being a well performing attacker (11 goals and 3 assists). However, what Croatia does have is experience and leadership. Many of their players have been on the big stage, whether it’s for their club or country, and because of that Croatia may once again surprise the world in Euro 2021.
8. Italy
Italy has always been one of the football powerhouses in the world. Past players such as Paulo Maldini, Andrea Pirlo, or Gianluigi Buffon have given Italy a reputation of being one of the favorites in every tournament they played. However, this trend was broken in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, where Italy failed to beat out Russia. In the past few years after the World Cup, however, this Italian team has gotten younger talent and looks to once again show Europe what Italian soccer has always been.
This Italian team will likely rely on recent Golden Boot winner Ciro Immobile, who netted an incredible 34 goals for SS Lazio in 2019-2020 along with attacking midfielders Lorenzo Insigne (14 goals and assists) and Nicolò Zaniolo (8 goals and assists). Additionally, due to the delay of Euro 2020, their veteran defender and captain Giorgio Chiellini has a chance to recuperate and return to the great form he has shown in the last few years for Juventus.
7. Belgium
The stars of the Belgium national team vary from having some of the best current form in recent years to dreadful and injury ridden players, making them a candidate to either win the entire competition or suffer another disappointing loss. Their striker Romelu Lukaku has recently broken a harsh spell of sub par seasons after joining Internazionale, scoring 23 goals and 2 assists in the 33 games he played. Besides his last lesson with Everton, where he started 36 matches and scored 25 times, Lukaku has not had a better season in domestic leagues, and this form will likely continue with Belgium. Midfielder Kevin de Bruyne had a record year this year with Manchester City, scoring 13 goals and 20 assists in only 32 started games, leading Man City to 2nd place in the Premier League. This season proved that de Bruyne has bounced back from an injury filled campaign the year before, and he and Lukaku look to create a deadly combination in Euro 2021.
Their third superstar Eden Hazard has not been on the same page as Lukaku and de Bruyne. Only playing 16 games due to injury, Hazard scored just once and had 3 assists, failing to show any of his previous class he had at Chelsea. This is very concerning for the Belgium team that Hazard usually commands; however, they have lots of talent all around and will likely go far in this Euro championship.
6. Spain
In terms of all around talent from the keeper to striker, Spain is likely top 2 in the world; however, it has been a decade since they have won a major European or World trophy. Looking at their attack, forward Álvaro Morata had an above average year, overcoming his poor form in the past few years to score 12 goals and 2 assists for Atlético Madrid, along with 3 goals and an assist in the Champions league where Atlético knocked out defending champions Liverpool. Paired alongside stars such as Marco Asensio and Rodrigo, this attacking side may not be the flashiest but will definitely be clinical in front of goal.
Their midfield and defense consists of both veteran leadership such as Sergio Ramos, Danny Carvajal, and Sergio Busquets and young talent such as Saúl, Ferrán Torres, and Ansu Fati, with an elite but underperforming keeper in David De Gea. If this team can utilize its massive depth and leadership skills, Spain can finally lift a European Trophy once again.
5. Netherlands
Being last year’s Nations League’s runner-up and having one of the most talented young players on their team, this Netherlands team will look to go the distance in Euro 2020. Unlike most of the aforementioned teams, the Netherlands team thrives on its defense and midfield play. Having two of the best center backs in soccer, Virgil van Dijk and Matthaeis De Ligt, their defense against set pieces and aerial attacks is one of the best in the world. Pair that with veterans Daley Blind and Joël Veltman along with a solid keeper in Jasper Cillessen, and this defense will be formidable against any attack.
In the midfield, veteran Georginio Wijnaldum did not have the best statistical season for Liverpool in terms of goals and assists (4 goals), but his passing play has been exceptional the past two seasons, completing more than 3000 passes since 2018 with a 90.9% pass completion rate in that time. Wijnaldum will be alongside Barcelona phenom Frenkie de Jong, who completed 1536 passes last year with a 92.5% completion percentage, and Ajax superstar Donnie van de Beek (8 goals 5 assists). With these three players, this mid field will likely dominate possession and feed their attackers plenty of chances to score.
While Netherland's attack may not seem as dominating as some of the other national teams’ attack, forward Memphis Depay has found incredible form in Lyon after failing to impress at Manchester United and helped his team reach the Champions League semi-finals, with 6 goals in just 8 games. The other attackers, Steven Bergwijn (19 goals and assists) and Donyell Malen (13 goals and assists) do not have much experience in major European competitions but are sure to bring a young spark to this team and help Netherlands become the champions of Europe.
4. England
In terms of attacking, England is at the top with a front four consisting of some of the most elite players in this generation of soccer. Playing at the top striker, Harry Kane had a productive but not spectacular year, scoring 18 goals and 2 assists in 29 games in the Premier League and also managing to score 6 goals in the 5 games he played in the Champions League. Star winger and Golden Boy candidate Jadon Sancho (33 goals and assists) pairs with Manchester United superstar Marcus Rashford (24 goals and assists) in the attack and have shown the ability both to finish and create chances. In addition, Man City attacking midfielder Raheem Sterling looks to continue his great form after a 20 goal season in the Premier League and 9 goals and assists in the Champions League.
In the midfield and defense, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson looks to keep his form along with the young West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, who has proven to be able to control passes and possession in the second third of the field. As for defense, England likely has the best right back in the world with Trent Alexander-Arnold, who recorded 13 assists and created 24 goal scoring chances for Liverpool. While center back Harry Maguire has not found the best form on Manchester United, he has proven himself to be a capable defender to lead the main defensive unit. This England team is full of young talent, especially on the offensive side, and looks to dominate in Euro 2021.
3. Portugal
Portugal, as of late, has been able to take their talent and win European Championships. Being the defending champions of both the European Championship and Nations League, it is clear that Portugal has the ability to perform in big time moments. This team is led by world class striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who on Juventus scored a total of 31 goals and had 5 assists. While it is no surprise that Portugal will be a formidable team with Ronaldo, what separates this team from others on the list is their supporting players to compliment their main striker.
Ronaldo will be accompanied by Bruno Fernandes, who is having a career year in which he had 15 goals and assists with Sporting CP and then had 15 more goals and assists in just 14 games with Manchester United. His efforts led a previously 7th seed Man United team to qualify for the Champions League. Along with Fernandes, Bernardo Silva (13 goals and assists) and João Félix (7 goals and assists) finish their attacking prowess, and look to help Cristiano once again lift a Euro trophy.
2. Germany
The depth of this German team is outstanding, and their balance of experienced and young players hints at much more success after this championship. Veteran superstars such as Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller, the core of Germany’s 2014 World Cup team that won it all, look to bring veteran leadership and experience to the rest of the young talent on the team. However these veterans are not only playing leadership roles. Müller spent his most recent season at Bayern with 8 goals and a career high 21 assists, and Kroos completed a career high 2233 passes last season, showing that these players are still in top form.
As for its younger generation of players, Germany’s main striker would be Serge Gnabry, who not only scored 22 goals and assists in the Bundesliga, but also scored 9 goals and had 2 assists in the Champions League for Bayern, with just the championship game left. Attackers Kai Havertz (18 goals and assists) and Timo Werner (28 goals and 8 assists) will look to support Gnabry and provide even more goals scored by Germany. Even on the bench, stars like Julian Brandt (10 goals and assists) and Mario Götze look to provide depth for this team in a long tournament. Defensive midfielder Joshua Kimmich (11 goals and assists) and right back Lukas Klostermann will be assisting world class keeper Manuel Neuer on what looks to be a shut down defense. This german squad definitely has to be one of the favorites to finish Euro 2021 as the champions.
1. France
Last but certainly not the least, the most recent champions of the world, Les Bleus. France has a squad filled with superstars who have proven to be able to win these types of competitions. After a heartbreaking loss in the 2016 Euros, France battled back to win the 2018 World Cup against Croatia behind a new phenom named Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé scored 23 goals and assists in just the 20 games he played in Ligue 1 and then had 10 goals and assists once he moved to PSG, taking them to the Champions League final. Paired with him are struggling attackers Oliver Giroud and Antoine Griezmann, who despite their club misfortunes have proven themselves to be extremely important for their nation.
In the midfield, superstar Paul Pogba, who has been battling injuries last season, still managed a 85.8 completion rate and 3 assists despite only starting 13 matches. Paired with him in the center midfield is Tanguy Ndombele and N’golo Kanté, two phenomenal players who manage to dictate the game through their passing and possession retention. Put that midfield with a defence consisting of superstar center back Raphaël Varane, who had over 100 successful tackles and pressures, and Tottenham keeper Hugo LLoris, and you have an all around French team who looks to once again top the competition as champions.
Data courtesy of FBReference and SPORTbible