EURO 2020: Reigning, Defending, Champions Of Europe General Discussion

Even though I think seeding should take Nations League and qualifying matches into account at the very least......

I also know that if Portugal ends up in Pot 3 it'll be its own fault. The listless draws at home vs. Ukraine and Serbia to begin qualifying, the early 2-0 deficit in Ukraine - those performances are why Portugal is likely to be in Pot 3.

On the bright side, the weird pot distribution means being in Pot 3 isn't guaranteed to be a terrible thing. There are 3 countries and no more (out of 12) across Pots 1 and 2 that I'd rather Portugal not draw. Otherwise, none of the possible opponents are "scary."

 

Reigning Euro and Nation League Champions
in pot 2/3

 

The Nations League was primarily established to generate $$ and exposure (both for the fed and also for the smaller teams in Europe). The playoff opportunity is a carrot to give the top teams a reason to show up other than pride.

I can't really think of a fair way to incorporate nations league into Euro qualifying outside of that.

Only the A league is eligible for the finals places, so if you base it on those, you're just helping the top teams remain there, which is the opposite of the purpose of the Nations League.

A bonus based on group play isn't particularly fair because the level of competition in the A group is significantly higher than D, so you're either penalizing teams for being competitive or giving outsize boosts to teams who are not.

Qualifying IMO is as fair as it can be. Portugal just needs to stop losing matches they should win.

 

group D
Switzerland top with 17 points
Denmark 2nd with 16 points
we might be in pot 2 ?

 

1196549484785872897 is not a valid tweet id

 

group of death
England, France, Portugal, Iceland

 

First seed and second seed teams are praying they don’t get Portugal.

 

Thanks, Twitter...

Anyway, there's a 6.8% chance Portugal can be in Pot 2 rather than Pot 3...but it is tied directly to the 6.8% chance that Estonia gets a draw (or better) tomorrow in the Netherlands.

So, yeah, it's definitely Pot 3.

 

Oh well, it is what it is. Starting slow and squeezing into the tournament on the last match day, or through the playoff, is more tradition now than anything else. Pot 3 to me personally doesn't feel that devastating. Sure Pot 1 is ideal, pot 2 would have been fine, but now 3rd place teams make it through anyway. The elimination round brackets are more important. Plus, if we are really there to win it all again, which I hope most of us feel is the case, than maybe we can do it in a very different manner than the last Euro and hit the ground running.

 

I agree that being in Pot 3 is not a huge deal unless Portugal draws France from Pot 2 and Germany/Spain/England/Italy from Pot 1. And I only include England because it's hosting. If it's just one of the "seed" quality teams that's not a big deal, though playing at least one match in group play against a host doesn't help matters.

On the flip side, Portugal could end up in a group with Italy + Switzerland + Georgia, or Ukraine + Netherlands + Bosnia, or England + Poland + Kosovo. There are many group permutations that aren't daunting. Portugal just needs to not draw one of the powerful hosts from P1 and France from P2.

 

Portugal and hit the ground running ?! How long have you followed this team ?

We usually need time to get going.
I would like an average group to start.

 

I would rather avoid Italy from pot 1 and France from pot 2.

Italy will be hosting games at home in the group and they were impressive in qualifying and have good coaching.

Any other team is okay, Portugal can defeat anyone on their day. Important thing is Santos finds his best XI earlier than later

 

At Euro 2020, Portugal should bring the euro 2016 and nations league trophies to every match. Have them on a stand on the touch line near our technical area.

Kinda like when wrestlers and boxers being multiple championship belts to the ring.

 

I agree we don't come out flying usually, but 2006 WC, by the second game we were sharp. 2008 Euro very first game they were sharp, 2012 Euro, you don't get out of a group like that by starting slow. So yes, we are capable of starting fast. Also from what I've seen from Portugal throughout the years, the only 1 true consistency, is we will always start a qualifying campaign slowly.

 

Usually when the group is difficult Portugal
Starts stronger. Euro 2000 is another example.

The “easiest” group we ever had was euro 2016 with Iceland Austria and Hungary. We got three draws and we know the rest of the story.

I think this will be a difficult tournament for Portugal. We will be in pot 3. Everyone will want to beat us since we are the holders. Multiple host countries to play and we have to travel a lot since we are in the western edge of
Europe and aren’t hosting any games.

I think we can contend for the title if Santos
Plays his cards right, we keep healthy, and the draw isn’t particularly punishing. It is a mostly wide open field. There arent any times I look at and say “we have no chance!”

 

Very naive. Its obvious to them that Portugal usually chokes in qualifications and often times loses second place to inferior teams. They knew full well there was a chance of us finishing second, so made this new seeding process to screw us.

 

WOOO!!!!!

 

I don't think UEFA know what they are doing. I was on their site earlier to try to figure this mess out and wow did they screw this up. Why have the draw on Nov 30 when we only find out in March who gets the last 4 spots???

 

As many as 11 of the 24 countries in the tournament could be a host.

In Group A, Italy will play three matches in Rome. Meanwhile, one of its group foes will open group play in Baku, Azerbaijan, travel to Rome to play Italy with one less day between matches than the host, then travel back to Baku for its final group match to play an opponent playing its second consecutive match in Baku.

Baku to Rome (and vice versa) requires a 5-hour flight and a 3-hour time change.

 

Fixed for you

 

This tournament was designed to help England it's 1966 all over again.