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[Football] EURO 2020 Thread



Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
32,468
Brighton
If you were designing a 24 team tournament from a football point of view, rather than to make money, you'd have one to qualify automatically each from the 6 groups and a couple of next best spaces up for grabs.

That would be terrifying. Lose the first game and decent chance you are immediately ****ed.
 




blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
That would be terrifying. Lose the first game and decent chance you are immediately ****ed.

Yeh, you like it?

Two decent wins in the next two games would likely see you through.
 


Bakero

Languidly clinical
Oct 9, 2010
14,883
Almería
Why are we always too short odds for these things? I'd put us about 4th/5th favourites.

Who is going to win?
England 9/2

France 11/2

Belgium 6/1 - tempted to get on this

Spain 13/2

Germany 15/2

Portugal 15/2

That's the UK odds, which are short as patriotic punters are always going to lump on England.

edit: Actually, I just looked at the odds here in Spain and England are favourites. English punters on the Costa Del Sol swaying the market? :)

odds.jpeg

Interestingly, the Spanish odds are all much more generous.
 
Last edited:


SAC

Well-known member
May 21, 2014
2,631
Why are we always too short odds for these things? I'd put us about 4th/5th favourites.

Who is going to win?
England 9/2

France 11/2

Belgium 6/1 - tempted to get on this

Spain 13/2

Germany 15/2

Portugal 15/2

Be interesting to see what the odds are in France, Belgium, Germany and Portugal.
 






Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,906
It could be England’s year, hopefully.

It's about time too. I think I counted thirteen different finalists since it began. No England.
 


crodonilson

He/Him
Jan 17, 2005
14,062
Lyme Regis
I might have a pound on Hungary to fail to get out of their group.

I do agree that 3 qualifying out of the majority of groups is rather uncompetitive and it is worth remembering that 2016 winners Portugal failed to win any of their group games.
 


Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
Will be interesting to see the Spain (Sanchez) and Switzerland (Zeqiri) squads... and England obviously but dont think any Brighton player will be in it.
 






Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
32,468
Brighton
Will be interesting to see the Spain (Sanchez) and Switzerland (Zeqiri) squads... and England obviously but dont think any Brighton player will be in it.

Every CB in England could be dead of the plague and Southgate would still pick Eric "hasn't had a decent game in 4 years" Dier at centre back ahead of our Lewis.
 


Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
Every CB in England could be dead of the plague and Southgate would still pick ERIC "hasn't had a decent game in 4 years" DIER at centre back ahead of our Lewis.

I think if any Brighton player gets into that squad, it will be Ben White. Would feel a bit weird as both Dunk and Webster are (currently) better.
 




Mellotron

I've asked for soup
Jul 2, 2008
32,468
Brighton
I think if any Brighton player gets into that squad, it will be Ben White. Would feel a bit weird as both Dunk and Webster are (currently) better.

Yeah that's the frustrating thing - a lot of fans of other clubs talk up White and rate him, yet - as good as I think he will be - Dunk is currently lightyears ahead of him.
 










blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
Yeah that's the frustrating thing - a lot of fans of other clubs talk up White and rate him, yet - as good as I think he will be - Dunk is currently lightyears ahead of him.

Agree.

With White it's all about potential. Does he have the potential to be better than Dunky is now? It's hard to say categorically, as he's in his first season at this level .. but he'll have done well if he surpasses him.

I'll agree that Dunk at White age wasn't as good as White. But those extra couple of inches make a massive difference at this level.
 


Poojah

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2010
1,881
Leeds
I'm always wary of backing England to do well at a major tournament as more often than not they tend to let you down in spectacular fashion, but there's a strong case for us to do well at these Euros - not least that any route to the final would mean only one game away from Wembley IF we can win the group.

On the group, I've seen suggestions on here that it's a tough one but groups at most European Championships tend to look quite strong. The average FIFA rankings of our opponents is 32.7, the second lowest any top seeded team will face and compared with just 18 for France, whose group looks astonishingly tough.

As for ourselves, this squad really does look to be the best I can recall us taking into a tournament (and my memory of major tournaments ranges just about as far back as Euro 92 - a squad which included Carlton Palmer no less). We have a number of players who are almost unquestionably at the very top table in terms of ability (Kane, Sterling, Rashford, Foden) and several others who you can have a serious debate about (Sancho, Mount, Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell). You can point to weaknesses at centre half but John Stones has been a mainstay of a Man City side with a very good chance of winning the a domestic and European treble this year and for all his foibles, Harry Maguire is not a terrible player.

Few sides have won major tournaments without a great goalkeeper, and I can understand why people have suspicions of Pickford, but I actually think we have two other decent 'keepers in Henderson and Pope if Southgate can see the light.

Granted, this is quite an insular view - there are some other very good players going to be appearing at the tournament; Ronaldo, Mbappe, De Bruyne to name just a handful. But we have a good 7 or 8 players who would get into most sides in this competition as well as some significant depth beyond that, and I can't ever really remember a time where we had such a wealth of talent.

Out in the group stages it is then...
 






Swansman

Pro-peace
May 13, 2019
22,320
Sweden
I'm always wary of backing England to do well at a major tournament as more often than not they tend to let you down in spectacular fashion, but there's a strong case for us to do well at these Euros - not least that any route to the final would mean only one game away from Wembley IF we can win the group.

On the group, I've seen suggestions on here that it's a tough one but groups at most European Championships tend to look quite strong. The average FIFA rankings of our opponents is 32.7, the second lowest any top seeded team will face and compared with just 18 for France, whose group looks astonishingly tough.

As for ourselves, this squad really does look to be the best I can recall us taking into a tournament (and my memory of major tournaments ranges just about as far back as Euro 92 - a squad which included Carlton Palmer no less). We have a number of players who are almost unquestionably at the very top table in terms of ability (Kane, Sterling, Rashford, Foden) and several others who you can have a serious debate about (Sancho, Mount, Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell). You can point to weaknesses at centre half but John Stones has been a mainstay of a Man City side with a very good chance of winning the a domestic and European treble this year and for all his foibles, Harry Maguire is not a terrible player.

Few sides have won major tournaments without a great goalkeeper, and I can understand why people have suspicions of Pickford, but I actually think we have two other decent 'keepers in Henderson and Pope if Southgate can see the light.

Granted, this is quite an insular view - there are some other very good players going to be appearing at the tournament; Ronaldo, Mbappe, De Bruyne to name just a handful. But we have a good 7 or 8 players who would get into most sides in this competition as well as some significant depth beyond that, and I can't ever really remember a time where we had such a wealth of talent.

Out in the group stages it is then...

I think the main issue for England is that most other "top" teams are going to eat your central midfield.
 


blue-shifted

Banned
Feb 20, 2004
7,645
a galaxy far far away
I think the main issue for England is that most other "top" teams are going to eat your central midfield.

Rice and Phillips isn't the best midfield in the tournament but it's competitive.
 


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