How Will England Perform In The UEFA Nations League?
What will be the expectation of the young lions when the tournament starts?
The Euros are upon us and will be kicking off on the 11th of June. The long clubs season is over, and thankfully the Nations league will keep the die-hard football fans entertained for the next few weeks.
There are many favorites teams to get behind, France, with Mbappe and Pogba. They are the current world cup champions, Portugal with Ronaldo and Bruno. Who are the Euros defending champions; Spain, Italy, Croatia, and the list goes on. I happen to be one of them rallying behind the (young lions) England.
The squad looks hungry with a good mix of young rising stars and the more experienced, of which depth is essential to go all the way.
Though can they win it?
The last time they won a Major Trophy (Worldcup) was back in 1966.
Let that sink in first!
In the European competition, the best they have ever reached is a semifinal in 1968 and 1996.
The last time they participated, France hosted the tournament back in 2016. They did not get past Iceland in the last 16, where they won 2–1 with a penalty goal from Rooney. That was a subpar performance with the squad they had back then.
What goes on here? They have had the top caliber of players from Best, Charlton, Beckham, Rooney, Kane. You wonder why it never happens.
At the moment, the manager has a young squad who have impressed individually at the club level. Their attack is lethal and has players like, Rashford, Sancho, Kane, who had over 50 goals combined in the 20/21 season. A midfield of rising stars in Rice, Bellingham, Mount, Foden, and the ‘general’ Henderson the vice-captain.
The defense has a good combination of experience in players like Walker, Maguire, Shaw, Stones, and young lads like Reece James provide a solid wall at the back.
The goalkeepers are somewhat great, wondering if Dean Henderson will be first in goal over Jordan Pickford.
Some call-ups are back with the squad. Lingard has had a stellar loan spell with Westham. Ings has been impressive since he went to Southampton. Chelsea Abraham, Spurs Winks, and others.
Some players have withdrawn from the squad due to injury or personal issues. Greenwood is one rising star, and we were looking forward to seeing how he performs, even though he has a niggling injury since March. Maguire and Henderson’s fitness are in question, which will be a headache for Southgate when trimming the 33 to 26 man squad on Tuesday afternoon.
Some of the players look to benefit from the withdrawal due to fitness or injury. Among them include Saka, Ben Godfrey, Watkins, who had been in the provisional squad.
The squad will have a few friendlies, and the first will be tomorrow against Romania to assess and act as a warm-up. Some players who participated in the Europa League and Champions League final will be uniting with the squad today.
So, can we predict the 26 man squad that will be named, and who do you think will start when they face Croatia at Wembley a week from Sunday?
