Finally upon us, the Euros are here a year later than originally planned. Please have a read of my preview of the subject group: https://footballfutbolcalciosoccer.blogspot.com/2021/06/euro-2020-preview-group-e-poland.html Did my game predictors and bracket. Spain and Poland advance in 1st and 2nd spot, Sweden gets in a top 4 3rd placed team. Looking forward to discussion on all things Group E here. Play UEFA Euro 2020 Fantasy Football - Join The League https://gaming.uefa.com/en/uefaeuro2020fantasyfootball/overview League Code: 50EFWFWU01
Final Prediction: 1. Sweden 2. Spain 3. Poland (eliminated) 4. Slovakia Sweden is one of the best coached teams in the whole tournament. The new coach has really done a lot with this team and they have some promising young players. Kulusevski especially looks like a future world class player. Also very good chemistry. Spain is not the team they were and their Euro 2021 squad is missing tons of key players. I do not expect anything too impressive but they should be able to snag second spot. Poland and Slovakia both have their strong points and weak points. Really hard to say what will happen, but I expect it to be a very close game and it very well might end in a draw. Poland is slightly the stronger team, but even if they are able to beat Slovakia, it will likely only be by one goal, and therefore likely not enough to escape elimination after competing with the other third placed teams.
Busquets and his positive COVID19 test and the subsequent fallout, might really dent an already challenged Spain.
Is Busquets for sure out of the squad or he might be back later? Still some time before Spain's first game, but yeah that just adds more problems. Reminds me of the drama prior to 2018 World Cup where Spain sacked their coach due to political ties with Real Madrid job, etc.
Arek Milik out of the Poland Euro squad with knee injury. With both Milik and Piatek out, Poland is left with no decent forwards to accompany Lewandowski up top.
Luis Enrique is keeping him in the squad until his situation resolves. Busquets has been asymptomatic so far but will require quarantine and a round of negative tests before he can rejoin the team. For today's friendly against Lithuania, Lucho is fielding the youth team that recently played the semi-finals of the U-21 Euros. (Dominated Portugal but lost 1-0 on a late own goal)
Looks like the whole Spanish squad might get vaccinated before their first match. With no new players testing positive in the past three days they might have dodged a bullet in any case. https://www.espn.com/soccer/spain-e...d-to-be-vaccinated-by-army-ahead-of-euro-2020
Zielinski is a very attack minded midfielder. He can definitely provide Lewy with support. This has to be Spain's group. They can afford to play all three games in first gear. Sweden have an organized side, but without Zlatan no one will have anything to fear. They might get a draw against Spain, but then they might also draw their remaining games too. Poland too often disappoint. They don't play enough for each other and look like a group of individuals. They seemed to have gotten their act together in 2016, but they fell apart again in 2018. Slovakia have a chance of progressing. Hamsik I think is due one final hurrah. Skriniar should cancel out Lewy and Berg. I think Slovakia will surprise people, but I can't see them progressing past the last 16.
1. Spain 2. Sweden 3. Slovakia 4. Poland Spain will drop points somewhere. Probably to Sweden. I see Sweden a very comfortable 2nd here. Poland will flop. I think they won't get more than a draw. Slovakia will do better than people have thought but probably not enough to advance.
Sweden are very organized and could frustrate them. I think so long as Sweden can get a goal somehow, they can maybe sneak a draw, but chances are Spain makes a clean sweep of the group. Spain used to be the ultimate perennial underachievers. They had some great sides in the past who fell at the first hurdle. It was common for them to lose in the group stages or last 16. They seem stuck back in that rut as of late because that has been the trend since the 2014 World Cup. 2014 = group stage 2016 = last 16 2018 = last 16
Have you seen Spain's squad? This Spain is very mediocre and not anywhere near the Spanish squad that you've seen in past tournaments. It's even weaker than 2014, 2016, and 2018 Spain.
The World Cup qualifiers in March spoke volumes. Drew at home with Greece and struggled away to Georgia before two late goals salvaged their blushes. They should advance but winning the group is by no means guaranteed. I'll be happy if they reach the quarterfinals.
Yeah I expect Sweden to win the group honestly. Spain will probably be runners up and face Runners up Croatia from Group D, and that could be 50-50 game. I would fancy Croatia by a little bit though if that happened as things stand now.
Spain have a good squad, better than 2014 I would argue where a few of the players only made the squad on past merits (as a matter of loyalty) and where divisions I think led to issues. The fact there are no Real Madrid players in this squad shows Luis Enrique doesn't care about placating the big clubs. He doesn't care about big names (like leaving Ramos out). That shows he's ruthless and above the politics. That I think is a good sign for Spain. He's building a proper team. Right now I do think Spain are lacking up front. Morata is a big target man who can help bring others into play, but not a great goal threat, yet he's their biggest goal threat up front. He can give Spain maybe 2-3 goals, which might be enough in the end. They don't have any really fearsome center-backs, certainly not with Ramos around. I think in goal De Gea is a good shot stopper, but even there he is not as convincing as he once was. He's always raising questions about himself when he comes off his line. The other keepers lack experience, but if Luis Enrique felt any of them were good enough, he'd drop de Gea no doubt.
I've been a bit vocal the past few years in wanting Gerard Moreno in the squad, since his days at Espanyol. He finished second in La Liga goal scoring this past season. (level with Benzema) I'd love to see him in the starting eleven.
Enrique is definitely picking players on their merits and their ability to mix in with the group, which will leave players feeling more relaxed about behind the scene politics. Someone like Morata won't have a huge ego if he got dropped for Moreno. Enrique will probably try different things in the group stages.
I'm so sorry for Lewandowski that he has to play in such a team with several inapt players. The first half an hour is the confirmation of what I said about Poland here. Just poor. Once he hangs up his boots Poland will revert back to their old dark days. They will be on the level of a team like say Bulgaria now.
How is it that Poland is always worse than the sum of their parts? They needed a better coach for this squad.
Without Ramos they do look more lightweight at center-back, no question there; however, he was left out for his own sake as much as anything. We might see him back for the World Cup under Enrique if no one really makes the position their own by then. Sir Alex Ferguson made a similar decision with Scotland in 1986. He left out Alan Hansen. It was a big call and so was this on Enrique's part.