Wallchart pinned up? Stickers collected? Office sweepstake entered? Well let us begin then.
Euro 2024 will kick off on Friday when hosts Germany take on Scotland in Munich, and then it’ll end in Berlin exactly one month later when 24 teams will have been whittled down to two to contest the final.
What happens in between all that is up for debate, a big debate, you might say, and so we’ve asked our Mirror Football team who they think are best placed to go all the way this summer, and not many of them are holding out too much hope for England…
John Cross – France
France will win the Euros because they have the best squad and the best player in Kylian Mbappe.
It is always unpredictable in tournament football but they are the best of the obvious contenders from England, Germany and potentially Portugal. But France have winning experience, they have strong players with a manager in Didier Deschamps who knows what it takes to succeed. I also think they will be determined to prove a point after the last Euros and also disappointment in the last World Cup.
Mbappe is just a sensational player. I love watching him and he has the ability to light up this tournament and make it his own.
England should go a long way but the reason I have my doubts is the defence. They have been plagued by injuries and I think the back four will ultimately be their undoing.
The forward line though – together with the midfield and attack – is a match for anyone. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are arguably up there with Mbappe in the top three but, sadly, neither can play left back and England’s defence lacks depth, experience and physicality.
Sam Meade – Germany
I’m going to look beyond the conventional England or France and say Germany – largely for two reasons. Firstly, home support goes a long way and the Germans will thrive off that. Mainly though I think the hosts are the only nation who have a shot at winning the tournament who genuinely have a top class manager.
Often the best tacticians ply their trade in club football, but Julian Nagelsmann finds himself at the helm of his national side. Thinking back to the Euros three years ago. I don’t necessarily think eventual winners Italy were the best team, but they had the best manager and that counts for a lot.
The way Roberto Mancini was able to manipulate games from the dugout was key to them eventually landing the trophy. I think Nagelsmann is by far the best manager at the tournament and, buoyed by Bayer Leverkusen’s domestic success, the Germans may benefit from a lack of household names with expectation, at least outside of Germany, relatively low given their recent struggles.
David McDonnell – France
France have the talent, experience and strength in depth to go all the way and win Euro 2024. England may be the bookies’ favourites to win the tournament, but Didier Deschamps and his formidable squad will take some beating in Germany.
It is difficult to find a weak link in the France squad, such is the wealth of talent at the disposal of Deschamps.
Led by their mercurial captain Kylian Mbappe, France’s squad reads like a who’s who of Europe’s finest talent – Real Madrid duo Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Arsenal defender William Saliba, Atletico Madrid playmaker Antoine Griezmann, Real-bound Mbappe and PSG’s rising star Waren Zaire-Emery. As such, they should progress with ease from a group that also includes Austria, Holland and Poland.
If France top Group D, they will face the runner-up in Group F, likely to be Turkey, Portugal or the Czech Republic. Having reached the last two World Cup finals, winning in 2018, France’s players know how to navigate tournament football, the only blip coming in the last Euros, where they suffered a shock last-16 exit to Switzerland on penalties.
France came out on top in their World Cup quarter-final with England in Qatar and their enduring class means they arrive in Germany expecting to leave as European champions.
Mike Walters – France
What do you want – the patriot voting with his heart, or the realist voting with his head?
At the top end of the pitch, there is no question England have an embarrassment of riches to rival the best in Europe – Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Cole Palmer should frighten the natives at any level.
But you can’t expect to win major tournaments when the back gate is left wide open, and the humbling defeat by Iceland at the Three Lions’ send-off party which fell flat exposed their weakness in defence.
If Luke Shaw is not able to start the tournament, four right-footers in the back four is a lop-sided arrangement which nifty forwards will exploit. Even if Shaw is fit, he hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for four months – and although he is a good player at full throttle, I don’t remember anyone saying “It’s coming home because we’ve got Luke Shaw at left-back.”
England’s best chance is to play the game in the opposition half of the pitch, bring those crown jewels into play as much as possible, and stay compact so they don’t get picked off on the break. But winners of the tournament? Sacre bleu, it’s hard to look beyond France.
James Whaling – England
“Alexa. Play Three Lions.” Dust off your bunting. Put out your flags. Get your face paint ready. Because this time it really is coming home.
Just as Baddiel and Skinner hoped in 1996, then again in 1998, England can finally get the monkey off their back and end *checks notes* 58 years of hurt in Germany this time around.
Yes – the defence is a concern. But even at full strength – England were going to have to simply outscore their opponents to get the job done. The group stage should be a breeze. Topping the group should allow for a similarly straightforward last-16 clash. The quarters look trickier, but still favourable.
Then, France. Without getting ahead of ourselves, a semi-final date with Kylian Mbappe and co in Dortmund already looks seismic; every inch a potential tournament decider. Both countries head the betting and with good reason – they are the best two sides in the competition. But if Gareth Southgate releases the handbrake and allows England’s forward players to strut their stuff, it can finally be their time.
Neil McLeman – Italy
The defending champions cannot be accused of being boring or predictable. The win at Wembley in 2021 was sandwiched between failures to qualify for the World Cups in 2018 and 2022. So this time the Azzurri can definitely win it – or go out in the group stage. But when Italy do qualify for tournaments, they traditionally perform and are hard to beat in the knockout stages.
Luciano Spalletti, who led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years, has replaced Roberto Mancini as head coach and the team has improved since home and away defeats to England in qualifying.
They face the tough task of getting out of the Group B which includes fellow past winners Spain – with Rodri running the midfield – and Luka Modric’s Croatia.
With Marco Verratti out, Arsenal’s Jorginho will likely sit in front of the solid defence with Federico Chiesa and Giacomo Raspadori emerging as top-class attackers in a squad lacking superstars. In an open tournament – favourites France and England have been terrible in the build-up – also look for a Toni Kroos-inspired Germany to reach the last four of their own tournament.
Simon Mullock – Portugal
Portugal have a squad packed with talent and proven winners. From keepers Rui Patricio and Jose Sa to 39-year-old You-Know-Who up front, coach Roberto Martinez really has no excuses.
Martinez has previous when it comes to failing to meet expectations, of course. Belgium’s Golden Generation should have achieved so much more than a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup. But he is blessed with real experience as well as excellence.
Defenders Ruben Dias, Pep, Diogo Dalot, Joao Cancelo will bring assurance at the back as well as a ruthless streak. Joao Palhina, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Neves, Danilo and Pedro Neto are all class acts in midfield. And Diogo Jota and Rafael Leao will provide pace and goal threat up front alongside What’s-his-Name. Martinez will do well to cock this one up.
Andy Dunn – France
If you want to know why bookmakers drive big cars and take fancy holidays, look no further than the odds for Euro 2024. England the favourites? They are having a laugh.
Yes, Gareth Southgate’s men have a decent chance of going all the way but there is now a defensive fallibility about England that could well undermine their challenge. The reliance on Harry Kane, who looked anything but sharp against Iceland, is also a slight concern.
France have a reliance on Kylian Mbappe but they also have a wealth of talent that will be unmatched in Germany.
The outstanding William Saliba, for example, is not guaranteed a starting place. Contrast that to Southgate’s defensive issues. Portugal would be my value bet and Germany will give a good account of themselves, but for the winners, look no further than the French.
Mark Jones – Portugal
I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that England should win this tournament for a while now given the depth of talent available to Gareth Southgate, but somehow he’s managed to pop a growing balloon of excitement with some decidedly odd squad decisions.
It looks to me to be a group aimed at winning future tournaments, probably under a different manager, rather than winning this one, so I’ve decided to look elsewhere for a winner.
France are the most likely but it will depend on one man, Germany have home advantage but don’t look convincing, Italy will need a lot of luck, while no-one is really talking about Spain for a reason.
So let’s go with Portugal, with a caveat. Keep Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench unless there’s an emergency and let the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Pedro Neto, Diogo Jota and Rafael Leao run riot. I tipped them in 2016 and it came off – a small crumb of comfort when they beat Wales in the semis – and they can do it again.
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