Euro 2024: Can England win it?

Euro 2024 takes place this Summer, with Germany hosting the 24-team football bonanza between June 14th-July 14th.

The expectation on England’s shoulders will be a heavy burden once again, as the Three Lions attempt to add to the 1966 World Cup triumph and also erase the disappointment of the 2021 loss to Italy at Wembley.

Early betting makes England narrow favourites ahead of France and Germany to win Euro 2024 outright, as UK bookmakers begin to price up the tournament, but can Gareth Southgate’s side go one step further?

Form

Form would suggest England are on the right track, with eight wins and two draws in the ten matches played since the defeat to France at the World Cup in Qatar. Portugal are one of the few competitors that offer an even better record, but overall, the big sides are not quite so “unbeatable” these days.

Hosts Germany, have been struggling to maintain form and fell to surprise defeats to Colombia and Japan last year, while current holders Italy are still in a rebuilding phase, having had several key stars retire from the international scene after their Euro ‘21 victory. They lost home and away to England in qualifying too.

Mainstays such as Belgium, Holland and Croatia simply don’t look as solid as they once were, while Spain’s qualifying loss to Scotland, poses more questions than answers. Of all the top sides to fear, arguably France look the most dangerous, but even they succumbed to a friendly loss in Germany last September, with a full-strength line-up, maintaining the idea that no one is bulletproof, something England need to take advantage of.

Players

England on the whole has improved and there are parts of the squad that look pretty good nowadays.

Upfront, there isn’t anyone that can replace Harry Kane, but Ollie Watkins at least offers a strong deputy if required, thanks to his improvement this season.

Jude Bellingham’s amazing start to life at Real Madrid has certainly been felt in the England setup, once Gareth Southgate understood where to play him. At the same time, any one of Saka, Rice, Grealish and Foden are interchangeable in the side, offering plenty of flexibility on the wings and in midfield, especially with Cole Palmer and James Maddison adding further options.

Marcus Rashford’s place would arguably be at risk under any other manager, especially with his struggles for form so far. Still, I don’t see Southgate leaving him behind come the Summer, so it is hoped for the Three Lion’s sake, that the United man has a renaissance in the coming months.

Once again though it’s the defence that looks to be most concerning, despite having Champions League winners, Kyle Walker and John Stones in the back-line.

The much-maligned Harry Maguire continues to get Gareth Southgate’s support, much to many fans’ disbelief. Still, as we know the gaffer is exceptionally loyal to his players and I don’t see Fikayo Tomori or Marc Guehi breaking into the starting XI any time soon. At the same time, overall there is a dearth of English centre-backs capable of breaking into the squad at this time.

The right-back position is overflowing with talent, with Walker, Alexander-Arnold and Trippier all capable of performing well. However the same cannot be said for the left-back role, with Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw both dealing with injuries. Southgate had tried to shoe-horn players in, but finally gave Rico Lewis a debut in the draw against North Macedonia, acquitting himself well.

Can England Win It?

England can win Euro 2024, the squad and individual players have matured and improved, Jude Bellingham has turned into the world-class player that England needs in midfield and Harry Kane is arguably at his peak right now. Plus some of the biggest rivals are not quite as good as they once were.

But…. much depends on Gareth Southgate and his tactics, which can still be characterised as reactionary and cautious. If Southgate can adjust his game management, he has players capable of winning the big prize.