Pressure on England, who survives Group of Death? – Sportsnet.ca

We are back and ready to kick off another thrilling summer of international football as Euro 2024 begins on Friday.

The field for this year’s tournament will see 24 teams travel across 10 cities as three-time winners Germany hosts the 17^th edition of the European Championship. Julian Nagelsmann’s side will hope it is one of the final teams in Berlin when the tournament concludes on July 14.

Germany certainly has the talent to do it as it is spoiled for choices in every position. Toni Kroos (ex-Real Madrid), İlkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid) and Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) are some of the key talents. The Germans also have the help of the 12^th man, playing on home soil.

Die Mannschaft last won the Euros in 1996. According to Opta data, the hosts have a 36.5 per cent chance of reaching the semifinals and 12.4 per cent of winning it all.

Here are some of the other storylines to watch this summer.

Who survives the Group of Death?

All eyes are on Group B, easily dubbed the Group of Death.

Italy is the reigning champions after beating England on penalties three years ago, but it has also missed back-to-back World Cups. Can the Italians deliver again? New boss Luciano Spalletti has a squad mixed with experience and fresh legs for his first major international tournament, and it will be Nicolò Barella (Inter) and Federico Chiesa (Juventus) carrying most of the pressure.

Three-time winners Spain will be looking to young Barcelona duo Pedri and Lamine Yamal to take the next step. The Spaniards will be integrated with the ever-reliable Álvaro Morata (Atlético Madrid), treble winner Rodri (Manchester City) and veterans Nacho and Dani Carvajal (both Real Madrid). Back-to-back winners in 2008 and 2012, Spain is, of course, always in the mix.

Croatia finished third and second in the last two World Cups and can then turn this group on its head. Led by 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modrić, Croatia is an extremely well-organized squad that’s developed into true challengers on the international stage, but it’s still looking for its first international trophy. Could this summer finally be it?

Rounding out the group is Albania, which, despite being ranked 66th in the world, proved it can hold its own. It finished atop its group during qualifiers, losing just once and conceding only four goals. Albania’s resilience might be the catalyst for potential upsets in Group B.

Pressure on England

After falling in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley on penalties, England is still searching for its first European Championship. If it fails again, could this be it for manager Gareth Southgate?

Opta data labels the Three Lions as tournament favourites above France (19.9 per cent), however, they have won just one of their last five games. A tough Group C awaits with Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia. If they finish second, it could book a meeting with hosts Germany in the Round of 16.

The omissions of Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Manchester United) and James Maddison (Tottenham) opened the door for new names on the squad. Crystal Palace has the most representation (four) in Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guéhi and Dean Henderson.

But it will be Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) who will be expected to carry the brunt of the pressure for England.

Southgate must find the right blend of experience and fresh blood to make history. His job may depend on it.

Golden boot race

Scoring. It’s the name of the game. So who are some of the top attacking talents who could lead the charts?

Kylian Mbappe (France): As one of the most in-form attackers across Europe, the Golden Boot prize is honestly Mbappe’s to lose. He scored nine goals in qualifying alongside a staggering 44 for ex-club Paris Saint-Germain last season.

Romelu Lukaku (Belgium): After scoring the most goals in qualifying, Lukaku is also an easy choice. He scored 21 goals for Roma last season and 14 for Belgium on the road to Euro 2024. Alongside some whimsical wingers, he’s served opportunities on a platter.

Harry Kane (England): An inch-perfect penalty taker with magnets for boots in front of goal, Bayern Munich’s star striker is another top contender. Kane registered a staggering 44 during his debut season in Bavaria along with his eight goals in the Euro qualifiers.

Jude Bellingham (England): A second Englishman could be in the running through Real Madrid’s 20-year-old superstar. An impressive 23 goals in his debut season in Spain says more than enough about his talent. Now, can he find his form for country?

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): Despite being 39, the Euro 2016 winner still has a few tricks up his long sleeve. Ronaldo isn’t used as much as tournaments past but 10 goals in qualifying and 44 last season for Al-Nassr is far from poor form.

Don’t sleep on …

A couple of nations have flirted with success in recent tournaments and, realistically, could go on a run to the semifinals or final.

First, there is Denmark, which notably reached the semis at Euro 2020. The Danes have a balanced squad with experience, led by Christian Eriksen (Manchester United) and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Tottenham). Now, add the talents of young striker Rasmus Højlund (Manchester United) to the mix. Perhaps they go one step further?

The Netherlands are another team to watch. Since winning the tournament in 1988, the Dutch have since built a reputation for just falling short of glory, but this squad is stacked with individual talent. If Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Nathan Aké (Manchester City) and Memphis Depay (Atlético Madrid) can finally click, this could be the tournament that ends the nation’s trophy drought.

Ballon d’Or contenders

Whoever wins this tournament could have a few Ballon d’Or contenders on its squad.

Manchester City stars Foden (England), Rodri (Spain) and Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) are fresh off a Premier League title and are just as valuable for country as they are club. Don’t forget Real Madrid’s crew, either. Kroos (Germany), Bellingham (England) and now Mbappé (France) — who had an impressive final season at PSG before his big move to Real Madrid was made official — could all be in the running. Whoever has a stunning solo campaign over four weeks in Germany could very well move toward claiming the individual award later this year.