For the really dedicated FPL managers, the summer normally represents a period of relaxation, contemplation and eventually frustration as we all wait for the new player prices to be revealed and the new FPL season to get underway. Once every two summers though, we welcome a wonderful distraction from the FPL universe, in the shape of a World Cup or, as is the case for the summer of 2020, a Euro Cup.
The 2020 European Championship is going to be a unique international tournament in the history of European football. That’s because, for the first time, the tournament will be held in different cities (13, to be exact) and different European countries. Inhabitants of the United Kingdom are in luck, because no less than three of those cities are British: Dublin, Glasgow and London. As a matter of fact, both of the semi-finals and the final will be played at Wembley so that would be a nice play to be in 2020. If you’d rather play online then check out this list of new uk casino sites that has arrived in 2020
Even though the European Championship in 2020 is still about half a year away, we figured it would be interesting to take a look at a few of the early favourites for the title. As can be expected, both the reigning World Champions (France) and the reigning European Champions (Portugal) will be present in 2020. They will be joined by other traditional powerhouses, such as Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, just to name a few other favourites and outsiders for the title. In this article, we’re going to take a quick look at three of the favourites for final victory in 2020 while another favourite of ours is https://newcasinostar.co.uk/10-gbp-free-casino/ for 2020.
FRANCE
For many bookmakers, France is a heavy favourite for the Euro 2020 title. Les Bleus are the current World Champions after beating Croatia 4-2 in the final of the 2018 Word Cup. Two years earlier, the French reached the 2016 Euro Cup final, which they lost against Portugal (1-0). Of the eleven players that started the 2016 final, six started the 2018 final as well, and those six will also feature in the 2020 Euro Cup this summer. When looking at the full team roster in 2016, we can easily see at least ten players being selected again for the upcoming tournament. This is one of the main reasons for their status as favourites, besides, of course, the undeniable quality this side possesses all over the pitch. Coach Didier Deschamps is known for sticking to a relatively fixed group of players, and considering the successes he has booked since his appointment in July 2012, why shouldn’t he? The likes of Antoine Griezmann, Raphaël Varane and Kylian Mbappé give France a touch of world-class, and Deschamps will be looking to make France the second country to prolongate their European title, after Spain did it first in 2008 and 2012.
ENGLAND
You might be familiar with this: that uncontrollable shiver you feel when a Euro Cup or a World Cup is coming up, and England is named a favourite for the title. Too often though reality stayed way behind expectations once a tournament started, but 2020 might be different. To start with, it’s not just the English press writing about how the Three Lions are one of the favourites next summer. Foreign media has also caught up on how national team coach Gareth Southgate has managed to create a tight-knit group of players and a positive atmosphere, with a World Cup semi-final (2-1 loss vs Croatia) and a Nations League semi-final (3-1 loss vs the Netherlands) as tangible recent results. The English attack has especially impressed, which is not so strange, considering it boasts the likes of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford, just to name a few names. On top of that, it seems the English team is in balance in terms of talent and experience. To illustrate: Jadon Sancho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mason Mount are considered world-class talents, while players like Jordan Henderson, Kyle Walker and John Stones, for example, have been more than through the football world’s mill. Starting in a group with Croatia, the Czech Republic and one of Norway/Scotland/Serbia/Israel, the English won’t have the easiest start to the 2020 Euro, but with the quality they possess, they should definitely make it through, and who knows what happens after that?
SPAIN
The case of Spain is a bit special and a bit sad as well. You only need to give the most recent rosters of the Spanish national team a quick glance to realise that there are very few national team in the world that boast as much individual quality. The seemingly endless supply of talent combined with some of modern football’s most decorated players makes for a selection of players that can beat anyone. Players such as Sergio Ramos, Sergio Busquets and Dani Carvajal are living legends of the game, while the likes of Dani Olmo, Dani Ceballos and Mikel Oyarzabal represent an exciting new generation of players ready to become the new faces of Spanish football.
Recently though, the problem for the Spanish has been their national association and their coaching staff. Just two days before the start of the 2018 World Cup, Julen Lopetegui was fired as national team coach and replaced by assistant Fernando Hierro, who had never been head coach of a first team before. The World Cup in Russia ended in huge disappointment for La Roja and Hierro was replaced by Luis Enrique, who then had to leave the position soon after that due to serious illness in his family. His assistent Robert Moreno took over and comfortably led Spain to the 2020 Euro Cup. On the day qualification was achieved, Luis Enrique announced internally that he will return as head coach, while Robert Moreno had just made clear that he wanted to be head coach during the tournament, after which he would step down and become Enrique’s assistant again. Enrique and the Spanish association didn’t accept this, and Moreno was fired.