"Gareth Southgate"
(CC by 2.0)
by Ben Sutherland
England are the favourites for the reorganised Euro 2020 tournament and the side enjoyed a
100% winning record in their warm up games. Consecutive victories over Austria and Romania
would have given fans hope of success in a major tournament for the first time in 55 years.
However, if we look more closely at the wins, there was little to convince true football analysts
that this would be England’s year.
Unconvincing
Neither Austria nor Romania have qualified for the Euros and they are among the weaker
footballing nations in Europe right now. England’s two wins were by identical 1-0 scorelines and
neither performance suggested that we were looking at the next European Champions.
Manager Gareth Southgate would naturally argue that he did not pick his first choice team for
either the Austria or Romania matches. A number of fringe players were given their
opportunities while the boss handed out new caps along the way. Others, including Jesse
Lingard, are not even included in the final squad for the Euros and were set to leave the camp
ahead of the main tournament.
As the saying goes, ‘a win is a win’ but has this particular approach to preparation affected
England’s chances at the European Championships?
The Neutral Verdict
For many months, England have been the pre-tournament favourites for success at the
upcoming European Championships. They have a strong squad, many of whom were part of the
side that reached the semi finals of the World Cup in Russia three years ago.
Southgate’s men are also set to enjoy home advantage throughout the tournament and that can
have a telling effect, even when the crowds are set to be sparse. Those are positive factors but,
in the wake of those two friendly internationals, England are no longer favourites for the
upcoming tournament.
The outright winner market remains tight but, according to latest
sports betting odds sourced
from Asiabet, France are the new favourites for the Euros. England are just behind in second
place with Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Italy all close behind.
As the Euros kick off, those markets will become live and Asiabet will continue to update them
as the tournament progresses. You can also read news updates and opinion pieces while any
readers who want to would like to take their interest a stage further can register with a list of
sportsbooks, many of whom have sign up promotions in place.
It could be a useful website to accompany the tournament but have the sportsbooks got the
verdict right?
Staying Strong
Ahead of tournaments past, national teams would look to play their best starting XI in warm up
internationals. There would be scope for substitutions as those games progressed but the main
objective was to get the first choice players together after a long season where they were
playing for different domestic clubs.
Getting comfortable with your teammates on the pitch was the main objective but this approach
seems to have changed in the modern era. In 2021, England’s more conservative team
selection seemed to keep the best players in reserve in case of injury. Meanwhile, fringe players
had the chance to impress while others might be handed an unexpected debut.
With potential first choice right back Trent Alexander-Arnold having picked up an injury against
Austria, coach Southgate would argue that this approach has been vindicated. The Liverpool
defender is
expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks and he will now miss the entire
European Championships.
England are now a player down and would certainly not have wanted to risk other key men such
as Harry Kane, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker.
Alexander-Arnold experienced heartache but, otherwise, England made it through those friendly
internationals with a clean bill of health. On the downside, while they won both games, the
subdued manner of their performances means that the Three Lions are not carrying over any
great momentum into the tournament itself.
An improvement will be needed as England enter a tough group containing Scotland, the Czech
Republic and 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia. Hopefully for fans, the team will click straight
away as the first choice XI has been denied an early opportunity to gel as a unit.