Euro 2020+1 - Southgate seeks to banish the ghosts of Euro 96

➡️ ENGLAND lined up a Last 16 tie against old rivals Germany after progressing from the first Group Stage of a major tournament without conceding a goal for the first time since 1966.

Raheem Sterling scored the solitary goal in matches against Croatia and the Czech Republic either side of a 0-0 stalemate in the much-anticipated clash against Scotland.

It would be fair to say then that the Three Lions have been unspectacular at best so far - and will definitely need to step up a gear on Tuesday at 5pm against Joachim Loew's side.

For England boss Gareth Southgate, this fixture has its own back story, of course. 

Exactly 25 years ago today, on 26 June 1996, Southgate was the only player not to score in the shoot-out at Wembley which decided the Euro 96 semi final against Germany with his tame, side-footed effort saved easily by Andreas Koepke.

Now, Southgate has already gone some way to rectify the Three Lions' relationship with spot-kicks after his team beat Colombia on penalties on the way to the World Cup semi finals in 2018.

England also beat Switzerland on spot-kicks to claim third place in the inaugural Nations League competition. 

But, even though Southgate may deny its importance himself, the ghosts of 1996 still loom large ahead of this tie for the England supporters, at least. 

Unfortunately, the poverty of attacking play served up by Southgate's men, especially considering some of the talent available, has meant so far that Euro 2020+1 has not yet caused the same sort of buzz which swept the country in 1996 and 2018.

The under-capacity stands due to COVID-19 restrictions have not helped in this regard - and at least there will be a slightly increased total of 45,000 fans at Wembley on Tuesday. 

Hopefully then, Southgate will give them something to get excited about by taking the game to a Germany team which is a model of inconsistency, rather than the usual efficiency. 

Tournament favourites France beat the Nationalmannschaft via a Mat Hummels own goal but played in third gear throughout - and then Germany fell behind to defending champions Portugal in their second match. 

A pair of Portuguese own goals by Ruben Dias and Raphael Guerreiro in the space of four minutes turned the contest around in the Germans' favour - and, inspired by a fantastic performance by Robin Gosens, they used the momentum to go 4-1 up, and eventually won 4-2.

In the meantime, underdogs Hungary coped well against the Group F giants - and took a point against France after taking the lead in a 1-1 draw in front of a raucous fully-vaccinated full house in Budapest. 

The results set up a crazy final day of Group F in which all four teams were able to finish in any of the positions - and, even as the matches entered their last 10 minutes, England had no idea who they would be playing. 

If Portugal had scored, England would have played France; if France had scored, Hungary would have been the visitors to Wembley; and if no one had scored, the Three Lions would have taken on Portugal.

Instead, Germany scored a second equaliser against Hungary - and both ties, Portugal versus France and Hungary versus Germany, were 2-2 draws and the table remained exactly the same as it had started the day. 

Germany were Group F runners-up and will take on Group D winners England - but, before all of that, Wales kick off the knockout stages on Saturday at 5pm against Denmark.

➡️ WHATEVER happens from here, the Welsh will no doubt reflect positively on these European Championships after proving their superb run to the semi finals of Euro 2016 was no fluke. 

A cautious opening against Switzerland almost cost the Dragons as they fell behind early in the second half - but, with time starting to run out, Kieffer Moore nodded in an equaliser from Joe Morrell's delicately clipped cross.

Switzerland still had time to see a goal correctly ruled offside in the last five minutes - but Wales were able to hang on for a valuable point in Baku. 

It was important then that Wales started more positively in their second match against Turkey - even though the proximity of Turkey to the Azerbaijani capital made this feel like an away game. 

The Baku crowd was silenced, though, as the Welsh scored in the closing stages of both halves through Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts in a thoroughly deserved win. 

Gareth Bale was the provider for both goals which made up for his miss from the spot when he blazed a second half penalty well over the bar - so not even that wild effort could detract from the Dragons' overall performance. 

The third match against Italy was much tougher - and became especially tough after Ethan Ampadu became only the second player at Euro 2020+1 to be sent off following a nasty late tackle on Federico Bernardeschi. 

Matteo Pessina had already put the Italians 1-0 up in the first half as the Azzurri dominated without breaking Wales down any further.

But, while Welsh progress through to the Last 16 was pretty straightforward, opponents Denmark had a journey which veered from near-tragedy to a triumph of sorts.

➡️ CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN'S sudden collapse on the pitch in Copenhagen in the closing stages of the first half of the Danes' match against Finland sent shockwaves around the football world. 

Thankfully, Eriksen was surrounded by good people - his captain Simon Kjær acted quickly to ensure his star player did not swallow his tongue while English referee Anthony Taylor immediately halted the match. 

Then, of course, there were the heroic medical professionals who were able to resuscitate the Internazionale midfielder using a defibrillator before he left the pitch waving from a stretcher. 

If there is one extremely positive thing to come out of this horrific coronavirus pandemic, it is recognition of the wonder that is medical science. 

Here was yet another example - and, miraculously, Eriksen was later well enough to speak to his fellow Denmark players via video link from hospital that same evening. 

During the call, Eriksen urged his team-mates to complete the match which had been suspended - and, indeed, the contest resumed and was completed with Finland winning 1-0. 

Denmark, unsurprisingly, looked like a team whose minds were elsewhere - and, despite Eriksen's encouragement, something still does not feel quite right about Denmark having to complete the match on the same day. 

Certainly, Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand was not happy with the pressure put on his team by UEFA - and nor was Danish goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel, father of current number one Kasper. 

Undoubtedly, though, the most important thing was that Eriksen was safe - and this positive news clearly had a galvanising effect on the Danish squad.

The Danes started their second match against Belgium like a runaway train, scoring after two minutes through Yussuf Poulsen and coming close to adding another on several occasions. 

But the Belgians are not ranked number one in the world for nothing - and the introduction of Kevin De Bruyne as a half time substitute turned the match around completely.

It meant Denmark were without a point after two games - but the generous system, which allows four third-placed teams to qualify, continued to give Hjulmand's men hope.

In front of a cracking atmosphere at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, the Danes delivered as Russia were demolished by a rampant display of attacking football. 

Then, it got even better for Denmark. Two late Belgium goals against Finland lifted the Danes into second place and automatic qualification - a pretty remarkable outcome, considering the ordeal of the previous two weeks.

A fairytale end to the Group Stage which even Hans Christian Anderson would have struggled to write. 

➡️ AMONG the other six ties, the stand-out match is clearly world number one Belgium against defending champions Portugal. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has already inevitably made his impact on Euro 2020+1 - his five goals make him leading goalscorer at the end of the Group Stage of this tournament - and now, on 14 goals overall, the 36-year-old is the outright leading goalscorer in the history of the European Championships.

Ronaldo is level with retired Iranian striker Ali Daei on 109 international goals so his next personal milestone is pretty obvious - although he barely could have ended up with tougher opposition in the Last 16.

Belgium retained their 100% record from the qualifiers with a 3-0 thrashing of Russia, that comeback win against Denmark, and a hard-fought victory against Finland. 

Romelu Lukaku and De Bruyne have looked in particularly good form - and so this match from Seville at 8pm tomorrow is certainly not one to miss.

Italy and Netherlands have both impressed on their international return with three wins out of three, and will start as favourites against Austria and the Czech Republic - while France will also be expected to beat perennial Last 16 losers Switzerland. 

The other two ties look too close to call - Croatia and Spain both started slowly before finding form in their final group games - and it should not be a surprise to anyone if Sweden were bogged down by Ukraine. 

➡️ GOING HOME after the Group Stage are: Turkey (Group A), Finland (Group B), Russia (Group B), North Macedonia (Group C), Slovakia (Group E), Poland (Group E), Hungary (Group F) - and, of course, Scotland (Group D). 

There were high hopes among the Tartan Army north of the border that, although their team was in its first major finals for 23 years, this would become the first Scottish team to make it beyond the Group Stages.

Instead, Czech striker Patrik Schick extinguished the early optimism with a header late in the first half before then producing a moment of absolute magic to silence Hampden Park. 

A pot-shot by Jack Hendry from 30 yards was blocked and rebounded into the path of Schick who was waiting on the halfway line for the opportunity to counter. 

Without breaking stride or taking a touch, Schick swerved the ball brilliantly from 49.7 yards past panicked goalkeeper David Marshall. 

Scotland had their chances to reduce their arrears thereafter but were wasteful in front of goal - and also failed to make the breakthrough against England despite dominating the match at Wembley. 

It all came down to the third match against Croatia where the Scots knew that a win would be enough and Callum McGregor offered yet more hope when his low drive just before half time cancelled out Nikola Vlasic's opener.

But that was as good as it got for the Scots - and, following the interval, Croatia took firm control of proceedings and showed signs of the quality which took them all the way to the World Cup Final three years ago. 

First, Luka Modric launched a howitzer of a strike with the outside of his right foot to restore the Vatreni's lead just past the hour - then, with less than a quarter of an hour remaining, Ivan Perisic flicked home a header from a corner. 

In the end then, the Scots' hard-fought and deserved draw at Wembley against England counted for absolutely nothing - and, as had been widely predicted beforehand, their key result came against the Czechs.

Elsewhere, Turkey - with three straight defeats - and Russia - with two heavy losses to Belgium and Denmark - were the biggest disappointments, along with Poland, who are almost always underwhelming. 

The Poles finished on just a single point from their three matches after Viktor Claesson's late winner for Sweden - while Slovakia, in the same section, also head home early after a final day thrashing by Spain. 

La Roja's 5-0 win over the Slovakians equalled the record for the biggest win in the history of the Championship - and will not be a match on which goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will look back with any fondness. 

Despite saving a penalty in the first half, Newcastle United goalkeeper Dubravka scored a horrific own goal by palming a ball which rebounded high off the bar into his own net. 

Dubravka is not alone in making a howler - the eight own goals at Euro 2020+1 is already a record for the Euros - while, at the other end of the pitch, six of the 14 penalties awarded so far have been missed or saved. 

Nevertheless, the Dubravka mistake stands out as the worst of the lot and set the tone as Slovakia crumbled badly. 

As expected, debutants Finland and North Macedonia did not make it through the Group Stage - but nor were they overwhelmed.

Finland, in particular, gave it a good go - their 1-0 win over Denmark kept the Eagles-Owls in contention until late on in their third match when Belgium finally made the breakthrough via another horrible goalkeeping own goal. 

The lowest ranked team, North Macedonia, were not as close as Finland to making a big impact and, in fact, lost all three of their matches. 

Nonetheless, the Lynxes still generally competed reasonably well in Group C as national legend Goran Pandev made an emotional goodbye on an unexpectedly big stage. 

Finally, Hungary - as mentioned above - also coped well with far superior opponents, and were within minutes of going through at the expense of Germany. 

But, not writing off the Germans is something now so ingrained in football folklore that an equaliser felt almost inevitable. 

And so here we go again... 

➡️ GROUP A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) ITALY	3	0	0	7	0	+7	9
(Q) WALES	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
(Q) SWITZERLAND	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
TURKEY	0	0	3	1	8	-7	0

11-June	20:00	TURKEY	0-3	ITALY	Rome
BBC				Demiral 53og, Immobile 66 Insigne 79
12-June	14:00	WALES	1-1	SWITZERLAND	Baku
BBC		Moore 74		Embolo 49
16-June	17:00	TURKEY	0-2	WALES	Baku
BBC				Ramsey 42, C. Roberts 90+5
16-June	20:00	ITALY	3-0	SWITZERLAND	Rome
ITV		Locatelli 26, 52, Immobile 89
20-June	17:00	SWITZERLAND	3-1	TURKEY	Baku
ITV		Seferovic 6, Shaqiri 26, 68		Kahveci 62
20-June	17:00	ITALY	1-0	WALES	Rome
ITV		Pessina 39

➡️ GROUP B	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) BELGIUM	3	0	0	7	1	+6	9
(Q) DENMARK	1	0	2	5	4	+1	3
FINLAND	1	0	2	1	3	-2	3
RUSSIA	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3

12-June	17:00	DENMARK	0-1	FINLAND	Copenhagen
BBC				Pohjanpalo 60
12-June	20:00	BELGIUM	3-0	RUSSIA	St Petersburg
ITV		Lukaku 10, 88, Meunier 34
16-June	14:00	FINLAND	0-1	RUSSIA	St Petersburg
BBC				Al. Miranchuk 45+2
17-June	17:00	DENMARK	1-2	BELGIUM	Copenhagen
ITV		Poulsen 2		T. Hazard 55, De Bruyne 70
21-June	20:00	RUSSIA	1-4	DENMARK	Copenhagen
BBC		Dzyuba 70pen		Damsgaard 38, Poulsen 59 Christensen 79, Maehle 82
21-June	20:00	FINLAND	0-2	BELGIUM	St Petersburg
BBC				Hrádecky 74og, Lukaku 81

➡️ GROUP C	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) NETHERLANDS	3	0	0	8	2	+6	9
(Q) AUSTRIA	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
(Q) UKRAINE	1	0	2	4	5	-1	3
NORTH MACEDONIA	0	0	3	2	8	-6	0

13-June	17:00	AUSTRIA	3-1	NORTH MACEDONIA	Bucharest
ITV		Lainer 18, Gregoritsch 78 Arnautovic 89		Pandev 28
13-June	20:00	NETHERLANDS	3-2	UKRAINE	Amsterdam
ITV		Wijnaldum 52, Weghorst 58 Dumries 85		Yarmolenko 75 Yaremchuk 79
17-June	14:00	UKRAINE	2-1	NORTH MACEDONIA	Bucharest
ITV		Yarmolenko 29 Yaremchuk 34		Alioski 57
17-June	20:00	NETHERLANDS	2-0	AUSTRIA	Amsterdam
BBC		Depay 11pen, Dumfries 67
21-June	17:00	NORTH MACEDONIA	0-3	NETHERLANDS	Amsterdam
ITV				Depay 24, Wijnaldum 51, 58
21-June	17:00	UKRAINE	0-1	AUSTRIA	Bucharest
ITV				Baumgartner 21

➡️ GROUP D	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) ENGLAND	2	1	0	2	0	+2	7
(Q) CROATIA	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4
(Q) CZECH REPUBLIC	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
SCOTLAND	0	1	2	1	5	-4	1

13-June	14:00	ENGLAND	1-0	CROATIA	London
BBC		Sterling 57
14-June	14:00	SCOTLAND	0-2	CZECH REPUBLIC	Glasgow
BBC				Schick 42, 52
18-June	17:00	CROATIA	1-1	CZECH REPUBLIC	Glasgow
BBC		Perisic 47		Schick 37pen
18-June	20:00	ENGLAND	0-0	SCOTLAND	London
ITV
22-June	20:00	CROATIA	3-1	SCOTLAND	Glasgow
ITV		Vlasic 17, Modric 62, Perisic 77		McGregor 42
22-June	20:00	CZECH REPUBLIC	0-1	ENGLAND	London
ITV				Sterling 12

➡️ GROUP E	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) SWEDEN	2	1	0	4	2	+2	7
(Q) SPAIN	1	2	0	6	1	+5	5
SLOVAKIA	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3
POLAND	0	1	2	4	6	-2	1

14-June	17:00	POLAND	1-2	SLOVAKIA	St Petersburg
ITV		Linetty 46		Szczesny 18og, Skriniar 69
14-June	20:00	SPAIN	0-0	SWEDEN	Seville
BBC
18-June	14:00	SWEDEN	1-0	SLOVAKIA	St Petersburg
BBC		Forsberg 77pen
19-June	20:00	SPAIN	1-1	POLAND	Seville
BBC		Morata 25		Lewandowski 54
23-June	17:00	SLOVAKIA	0-5	SPAIN	Seville
ITV				Dubravka 30og, Laporte 45+3 Sarabia 56, F. Torres 67, Kucka 71og
23-June	17:00	SWEDEN	3-2	POLAND	St Petersburg
ITV		Forsberg 2, 59 Claesson 90+4		Lewandowski 61, 84

➡️ GROUP F	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) FRANCE	1	2	0	4	3	+1	5
(Q) GERMANY	1	1	1	6	5	+1	4
(Q) PORTUGAL	1	1	1	7	6	+1	4
HUNGARY	0	2	1	3	6	-3	3

15-June	17:00	HUNGARY	0-3	PORTUGAL	Budapest
ITV				Guerreiro 84 Ronaldo 87pen, 90+2
15-June	20:00	FRANCE	1-0	GERMANY	Munich
ITV		Hummels 20og
19-June	14:00	HUNGARY	1-1	FRANCE	Budapest
BBC		Fiola 45+2		Griezmann 66
19-June	17:00	PORTUGAL	2-4	GERMANY	Munich
ITV		Ronaldo 15, Jota 67		Ruben Dias 35og, Guerreiro 39og Havertz 51, Gosens 60
23-June	20:00	PORTUGAL	2-2	FRANCE	Budapest
BBC		Ronaldo 31pen, 60pen		Benzema 45+2pen, 47
23-June	20:00	GERMANY	2-2	HUNGARY	Munich
BBC		Havertz 66, Goretzka 84		Ad. Szalai 11, Schafer 68

➡️ THIRD-PLACED TEAMS	Group	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) PORTUGAL	[F]	1	1	1	7	6	+1	4
(Q) CZECH REPUBLIC	[D]	1	1	1	3	2	+1	4
(Q) SWITZERLAND	[A]	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
(Q) UKRAINE	[C]	1	0	2	4	5	-1	3
FINLAND	[B]	1	0	2	1	3	-2	3
SLOVAKIA	[E]	1	0	2	2	7	-5	3

➡️ LAST 16
26-June 17:00 BBC	WALES	v	DENMARK	Amsterdam (NED)
26-June 20:00 BBC	ITALY	v	AUSTRIA	London (ENG)
27-June 17:00 ITV	NETHERLANDS	v	CZECH REPUBLIC	Budapest (HUN)
27-June 20:00 ITV	BELGIUM	v	PORTUGAL	Seville (ESP)
28-June 17:00 ITV	CROATIA	v	SPAIN	Copenhagen (DEN)
28-June 20:00 ITV	FRANCE	v	SWITZERLAND	Bucharest (ROM)
29-June 17:00 BBC	ENGLAND	v	GERMANY	London (ENG)
29-June 20:00 BBC	SWEDEN	v	UKRAINE	Glasgow (SCO)

➡️ SCORERS
5 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
3 Patrik Schick (Czech Republic), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Emil Forsberg (Sweden), Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
2 Manuel Locatelli (Italy), Ciro Immobile (Italy), Andriy Yarmolenko (Ukraine), Roman Yaremchuk (Ukraine), Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands), Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland), Memphis Depay (Netherlands), Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark), Raheem Sterling (England), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Karim Benzema (France), Kai Havertz (Germany)
1 Lorenzo Insigne (Italy), Breel Embolo (Switzerland), Kieffer Moore (Wales), Joel Pohnjanpalo (Finland), Thomas Meunier (Belgium), Stefan Lainer (Austria), Goran Pandev (North Macedonia), Michael Gregoritsch (Austria), Marko Arnautovic (Austria), Wout Weghorst (Netherlands), Karol Linetty (Poland), Milan Skriniar (Slovakia), Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal), Aleksei Miranchuk (Russia), Aaron Ramsey (Wales), Connor Roberts (Wales), Ezgjan Alioski (North Macedonia), Thorgan Hazard (Belgium), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Attila Fiola (Hungary), Antoine Griezmann (France), Robin Gosens (Germany), Diogo Jota (Portugal), Alvaro Morata (Spain), Haris Seferovic (Switzerland), Matteo Pessina (Italy), Irfan Kahveci (Turkey), Christoph Baumgartner (Austria), Mikkel Damsgaard (Denmark), Andreas Christensen (Denmark), Joakim Maehle (Denmark), Nikola Vlasic (Croatia), Callum McGregor (Scotland), Luka Modric (Croatia), Aymeric Laporte (Spain), Pablo Sarabia (Spain), Ferran Torres (Spain), Viktor Claesson (Sweden), Adam Szalai (Hungary), Andras Schafer (Hungary), Leon Goretzka (Germany)
8 own goals Merih Demiral (Turkey) v Italy, Wojciech Szczeny (Poland) v Slovakia, Mats Hummels (Germany) v France, Ruben Dias (Portugal) v Germany, Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal) v Germany, Lukas Hradecky (Finland) v Belgium, Martin Dubravka (Slovakia) v Spain, Juraj Kucka (Slovakia) v Spain

➡️ RED CARDS
Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland) v Slovakia
Ethan Ampadu (Wales) v Italy

Euro 2020+1 - The Guide: Better late than never

EURO 2020(+1)
UNOFFICIAL PREVIEW GUIDE

GROUP A
▪️ Matches played in Rome (ITA) and Baku (AZE)
➡️ TURKEY
➡️ ITALY
➡️ WALES
➡️ SWITZERLAND

➡️ TURKEY • FIFA ranking 29 • Odds 50/1
Head coach Senol Gunes (since June 2019)  
Qualification Group H runners-up (W7 D2 L1 F18 A3)
Warm-up matches W2-1 v Azerbaijan, D0-0 v Guinea, W2-0 v Moldova
Best performance Semi finals (2008)
▪️ TURKEY put together an unexpectedly convincing qualifying performance, built on a solid defence, to make it through to a major finals for only the second time since their shock run to the semi finals in 2008. Four years ago at Euro 2016, the Crescent Stars were disappointing, going down to defeats without scoring against Croatia and Spain before salvaging some pride with a win against the Czech Republic. Since qualification, though, the Turks' performance level has dropped off again - and they were relegated from their Nations League group after finishing below Hungary, Russia, and Serbia in the second tier. That series of results has halted the momentum which Senol Gunes's men had built up and that will be something which is difficult to get back.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ ITALY • FIFA ranking 7 • Odds 8/1
Head coach Roberto Mancini (since May 2018)
Qualification Group J winners (W10 D0 L0 F37 A4)
Warm-up matches W7-0 v San Marino, W4-0 v Czech Republic
Best performance Winners (1968)
▪️ ITALY have had something of a whirlwind experience recently, going from the barely believable heartbreak of failing to qualify for a World Cup in 2018 for the first time since 1950 to the current day and a genuine hope now of competing again in the latter stages of a competition. A 100% qualifying campaign, with 37 goals scored, has perked things up - and, while there are still the old-timers 36-year-old Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, 34, at the back, the Italians have been spruced up by a sprinkling of youth. Add in the experience of coach Roberto Mancini - and an unbeaten run of 27 games - and it is all looking pretty good for the Azzurri to have a good run.
▪️ Prediction: Semi finals

➡️ WALES • FIFA ranking 17 • Odds 150/1
Head coach Robert Page (since November 2020)
Qualification Group E runners-up (W4 D2 L2 F10 A6)
Warm-up matches L0-3 v France, D0-0 v Albania
Best performance Semi finals (2016)
▪️ WALES bring with them a mix of youth and experience - usually a benefit to teams looking to go far in a competition. The problem for Wales is that the talisman Gareth Bale is not able to influence games in the same way as he was a few years ago - and the young pretenders like David Brooks and Harry Wilson are just that bit too young. Then, of course, there is the off-field distraction of Ryan Giggs's court case with the head coach due to stand trial at Manchester Crown Court for actual bodily harm and coercive and controlling behaviour; Manchester United legend Giggs denies the charges. Former assistant Rob Page has taken control since Giggs's suspension by the FA of Wales on last November - but Page had a largely binary set of results in the most recent Nations League - and so it would be no surprise if the Dragons lost out in a series of tight matches.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ SWITZERLAND • FIFA ranking 13 • Odds 75/1
Head coach Vladimir Petković (since August 2014)
Qualification Group D winners (W5 D2 L1 F19 A6)
Warm-up matches W2-1 v United States, W7-0 v Liechtenstein
Best performance Last 16 (2016)
▪️ SWITZERLAND have qualified for every World Cup and European Championships since 2004, except for Euro 2012 - but it would be fair to say that they have hit something of a glass ceiling. Despite several recent attempts now, it still remains the case that the Swiss last tasted success in a World Cup or Euro finals knockout match all the way back in 1938. Perhaps such a middling performance level is simply the natural level for a country which never really expects to be a powerhouse of the game. Nevertheless, a manageable group looks set to offer Vladimir Petković's men yet another chance of ending their wait for a win in the knockouts.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16


GROUP B
▪️ Matches played in Copenhagen (DEN) and St Petersburg (RUS)
➡️ DENMARK
➡️ FINLAND
➡️ BELGIUM
➡️ RUSSIA

➡️ DENMARK • FIFA ranking 10 • Odds 28/1
Head coach Kasper Hjulmand (since July 2020)
Qualification Group D runners-up (W4 D4 L0 F23 A6)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Germany, W2-0 v Bosnia-Herzegovina
Best performance Winners (1992)
▪️ DENMARK come into these European Championships with their most capable team since the Danish Dynamite outfit which announced their presence by beating Uruguay 6-1 at the 1986 World Cup before winning Euro 92, apparently having "come off the beach" following the expulsion of Yugoslavia. That "on the beach" story is apocryphal, actually - the Danes had long expected the expulsion of the Yugoslavs due to the increasing tensions which eventually erupted into a full scale civil war. Rather than being on the beach, Richard Møller Nielsen's team had been training hard in a preparation camp - and the current generation under Kasper Hjulmand are just as well drilled and had an impressive 34-match unbeaten run between 2016 and 2019.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ FINLAND • FIFA ranking 54 • Odds 500/1
Head coach Markku Kanerva (since December 2016)
Qualification Group J runners-up (W6 D0 L4 F16 A10)
Warm-up matches L0-2 v Sweden, L0-1 v Estonia
Best performance Never previously qualified
▪️ FINLAND have had a handful of decent players over the years - Jari Litmanen, Antti Niemi and Mikael Forssell spring to mind - but the team as a whole had always previously been too inconsistent or just not good enough. Now, spearheaded by Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki, the current Finnish vintage has made it to a finals for the first time in history after a topsy-turvy qualifying performance which brought six wins and four defeats. Pukki himself can blow rather hot-and-cold - and, with two top-10 ranked group opponents in Belgium and Denmark lying in wait, the Eagle-owls will probably find their best chance of a result will come against their bigger neighbours Russia on the short trip over the border to St Petersburg.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ BELGIUM • FIFA ranking 1 • Odds 6/1
Head coach Roberto Martinez (since August 2016)
Qualification Group I winners (W10 D0 L0 F40 A3)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Greece, W1-0 v Croatia
Best performance Runners-up (1980)
▪️ BELGIUM must be getting close to wondering when their time will come with their golden generation starting to run out of tournaments to come up with the goods. It seems rather unfathomable that the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku might end up without honours at international level - their names are a roll-call which simply oozes class. But, to fulfil their promise, the Red Devils may need to slay the shadows of times passed with possible knockout stage meetings against Italy, who beat them in the Euro 2016 group stages, and France who knocked them out in the World Cup semi finals. Football is a strange beast at times, and knockout tournaments have the tendency not to simply follow the rankings.
▪️ Prediction: Semi finals

➡️ RUSSIA • FIFA ranking 38 • Odds 100/1
Head coach Stanislav Cherchesov (since August 2016)
Qualification Group I runners-up (W8 D0 L2 F33 A8)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Poland, W1-0 v Bulgaria
Best performance Winners (1960, as Soviet Union); Semi finals (2008, as Russia)
▪️ RUSSIA hold home advantage again on the back of hosting the World Cup only three years ago with their own group matches taking place in St Petersburg. Three years ago at home, of course, the Russians reached the quarter finals but two heavy defeats in Euro 2020 qualifying against Belgium have brought them down to earth with a bump especially as they face the world number one-ranked Belgians again in their Group B opener. The second match against Finland provides an opportunity for Stanislav Cherchesov's men to make up any lost ground but a place in the Last 16 looks likely to be the height of this squad's ability.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16


GROUP C
▪️ Matches played in Amsterdam (NED) and Bucharest (ROM)
➡️ NETHERLANDS
➡️ UKRAINE
➡️ AUSTRIA
➡️ NORTH MACEDONIA

➡️ NETHERLANDS • FIFA ranking 16 • Odds 14/1
Head coach Frank de Boer (since September 2020)  
Qualification Group C runners-up (W6 D1 L1 F24 A7)
Warm-up matches D2-2 v Scotland, W3-0 v Georgia
Best performance Winners (1988)
▪️ NETHERLANDS have completely lost their way in recent years, becoming a shadow of the team which reached the 2010 World Cup Final and 2014 World Cup semis, after failing to qualify for either Euro 2016 or the World Cup in 2018. The pandemic has further delayed the Dutch return to the big stage - but, despite finishing runners-up to the Germans in qualifying, recent results have shown real promise with Frank de Boer's team finishing top of a Nations League group also featuring France and Germany. Moreover, a kindly draw in Group C has presented this fresh Oranje team with an excellent opportunity to make a bit of a bang on their long-awaited comeback.
▪️ Prediction: Quarter finals

➡️ UKRAINE • FIFA ranking 24 • Odds 100/1
Head coach Andriy Shevchenko (since July 2016)
Qualification Group B winners (W6 D2 L0 F17 A4)
Warm-up matches W1-0 v Northern Ireland, W4-0 v Cyprus
Best performance Group stage (2012, 2016)
▪️ UKRAINE have already made headlines before they have even kicked a ball with the front of their shirts previously adorned with a map showing Russian-annexed Crimea as part of Ukraine. The shirt also included the phrase "Glory to the heroes", and Uefa has backtracked on a previous decision, announcing it now considers the strip to be against its rules. Ukraine have duly removed both elements from their uniform - and will hope to do the rest of their talking on the pitch under the tutelage of legendary striker Andriy Shevchenko. Certainly, it should go better than Euro 2016 when the Ukrainians finished bottom of their group without as much as a point or even a goal.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ AUSTRIA • FIFA ranking 23 • Odds 125/1
Head coach Franco Foda (since January 2018)  
Qualification Group G runners-up (W6 D1 L3 F19 A9)
Warm-up matches L0-1 v England, D0-0 v Slovakia
Best performance Group stage (2008, 2016)
▪️ AUSTRIA are exactly the sort of team who have benefited from the European Championships being extended to 24 teams, qualifying for a second Euros in a row after having previously only made it as hosts in 2008. Certainly, the current Austrian team have little to live up to - they are still without a major tournament finals win since 1990 so getting off the mark sharply against North Macedonia feels like a bare minimum. Nevertheless, a runners-up finish in a qualifying group - which included Poland, North Macedonia, Israel, Slovenia and Latvia otherwise - suggests Franco Foda's outfit are little more than Group Stage fodder.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ NORTH MACEDONIA • FIFA ranking 62 • Odds 500/1
Head coach Igor Angelovski (since October 2015)
Qualification Path D playoff winners (won 1-0 v Georgia)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Slovenia, W4-0 v Kazakhstan
Best performance Never previously qualified
▪️ NORTH MACEDONIA benefited from the quirky qualification process for Euro 2020 which ensured a team from the lowest division in the Nations League would make it to the finals via the playoffs, beating Georgia in a one-off match away in Tblisi via Goran Pandev's goal. It may have been something of a backdoor route for the debutants but the fans in Skopje will not care about that and will also be encouraged by recent results which have included an incredible World Cup qualifying win away to Germany in Duisburg. After all, that is the sort of result which, despite the Lynxes' lowly ranking of 62, suggests Igor Angelovski's men could make an impact against their Group C opponents, none of which can be considered exactly the strongest of opponents.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage


GROUP D
▪️ Matches played in London (ENG) and Glasgow (SCO)
➡️ ENGLAND
➡️ CROATIA
➡️ SCOTLAND
➡️ CZECH REPUBLIC

➡️ ENGLAND • FIFA ranking 4 • Odds 5/1
Head coach Gareth Southgate (since September 2016)
Qualification Group A winners (W7 D0 L1 F37 A6)
Warm-up matches W1-0 v Austria, W1-0 v Romania
Best performance Semi finals (1968, 1996)
▪️ ENGLAND head into Euro 2020+1 with high hopes following their run to the World Cup semi finals in 2018. An array of young attacking talent is available to Gareth Southgate with support for main man Harry Kane provided by Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Mason Mount, with other strong options - Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho - offering width. In the full-back positions, the Three Lions are also blessed, even in the absence through injury of Trent Alexander-Arnold. La Liga winner Kieran Trippier - scorer of that free-kick against Croatia - will fight it out for the right-back slot against Kyle Walker and Reece James with Ben Chilwell or Luke Shaw on the left. Centre-back is very much a problem position, however - John Stones has had a decent season but still looked lost at times without Portuguese partner Ruben Dias, Tyrone Mings remains erratic, and Harry Maguire has carried a bad ankle injury into the tournament. The selection of an extra centre-back, Ben White, for the squad place vacated by Alexander-Arnold, rather belies Southgate's lack of trust in his own centre-back selections, along with his favoured choice of starting two holding midfielders, Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson - who himself is only just returning from injury. That formation might be suitable against recent enemies Croatia but will look be looked upon far less kindly if England are struggling to break down Scotland or the Czech Republic. All in all, the Three Lions still should have no excuses not to progress to the knockout stages - and it is likely this group of players can produce a big performance to make it through to the quarter finals. Against the stronger teams, though, England's defensive weakness feels likely to be exposed so a last eight spot might be as good as it gets.
▪️ Prediction: Quarter finals

➡️ CROATIA • FIFA ranking 14 • Odds 33/1
Head coach Zlatko Dalić (since October 2017)
Qualification Group E winners (W5 D2 L1 F17 A7)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Armenia, L0-1 v Belgium
Best performance Quarter finals (1996, 2008)
▪️ CROATIA have lost some experienced players since their own magnificent run three years ago all the way to a first World Cup Final with Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic and goalkeeper Danijel Subasic all having now departed the international stage. Nevertheless, Zlatko Dalic will still field a strong side orchestrated by Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic - and they can get off to an ideal start by repeating their World Cup win over England, although the 90 minutes finished in a 1-1 draw, of course. Croatia have also since been beaten by England in the Nations League in November 2018 - and, in fact, the Vatreni have won three and lost seven of their 11 matches since the end of the qualifiers. None of that will matter if Croatia turn up and trouble the latter stages, as they habitually do - but it would be no surprise if began their campaign simply scratching around for some form.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ SCOTLAND • FIFA ranking 44 • Odds 250/1
Head coach Steve Clarke (since May 2019)  
Qualification Path C playoff winners (won 5-4 on pens v Serbia, after 1-1 aet)
Warm-up matches D2-2 v Netherlands, W1-0 v Luxembourg
Best performance Group stages (1992, 1996)
▪️ SCOTLAND are back on the big stage, the last of the four Home Nations to qualify for a major tournament finals in the 21st century - although, typically, they did it in a torturous manner, beating both Israel and Serbia in the playoffs on penalties. Still, the record books will show that Scotland were at these finals - and, after an absence of 22 years, the additional 12-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic has only further heightened the excitement north of the border. The Tartan Army has been advised not to travel to London for the second group game at Wembley - but it is almost certain that some will fail to heed that advice - and, in fairness, the Scots will travel with hopes of causing an upset. For, it is easy to see how this Scotland outfit succeeded where so many others have failed over the last couple of decades - David Marshall is a fine custodian who is already a Scottish legend for his shootout heroics - while, at left-back Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney are both among the best Scottish talent from any generation. The midfield carries some goal threat from John McGinn, Ryan Christie and Scott McTominay - but, then they have to pitch in, since Scotland are far from prolific up front. That likely explains why Steve Clarke's charges end up being involved in so many tight matches - and, so to have any chance, a positive result against the Czech Republic in the first match at Hampden Park will be key.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ CZECH REPUBLIC • FIFA ranking 40 • Odds 125/1
Head coach Jaroslav Šilhavý (since September 2018)   
Qualification Group A runners-up (W5 D0 L3 F13 A11)
Warm-up matches L0-4 v Italy, W3-1 v Albania
Best performance Winners (1976, as Czechoslovakia); Runners-up (1996, as Czech Republic)
▪️ CZECH REPUBLIC historically save their better performances for the Euros, rather than World Cups - famous winners as Czechoslovakia in 1976, they have never missed out on the European Championships since the Velvet Divorce from Slovakia in 1993 - and yet have only made it to one World Cup when they failed at the Group Stage in 2006. The Czechs have largely happier memories of playing a major tournament finals in England with the delay to this edition making it 25 years since their Karel Poborsky-inspired run to the Euro 96 Final. Sadly, for Czech fans, this current team is nowhere near as talented as that one, and their last visit to Wembley in March 2019 finished in them taking a 5-0 tonking in the qualifiers. In fairness, Jaroslav Silhany's side enacted a semblance of revenge by winning the return match in Prague 1-0 - and Czech football appears to be slowly emerging from the doldrums with Matej Vydra, Tomas Soucek, Patrik Schick and Vladimir Coufal all now considered to be important figures for their clubs. Nevertheless, the Czechs sometimes struggle when away from the home comforts of a freshly-poured Pilsner Urquell - and that does not bode well for a team with group matches in Glasgow against Scotland and in London against England.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16


GROUP E
▪️ Matches played in Seville (ESP) and St Petersburg (RUS)
➡️ SPAIN
➡️ SWEDEN
➡️ POLAND
➡️ SLOVAKIA

➡️ SPAIN • FIFA ranking 6 • Odds 8/1
Head coach Luis Enrique (since November 2019)
Qualification Group F winners (W8 D2 L0 F31 A5)
Warm-up matches D0-0 v Portugal, W4-0 v Lithuania
Best performance Winners (1964, 2008, 2012)
▪️ SPAIN have selected no players from Real Madrid for a major tournament for the first time ever with veteran Sergio Ramos considered to be the biggest omission. But, then, Ramos is now 35 - and head coach Luis Enrique is looking to build a new Spanish generation after a slump in performance since their run of three consecutive trophies with a World Cup and two European Championships between 2008 and 2012. Manchester City talents Aymeric Laporte and Ferran Torres appear primed to impress on their major finals debut at both ends of the pitch - although a coronavirus scare forced La Roja into play a scratch team in their final warm-up against Lithuania. Nevertheless, this incident was still less disreputive than the build-up to the last World Cup when coach, Julen Lopetegui, was sacked on the eve of the tournament after his secret talks for a job at Real Madrid were leaked - and even then, the Spanish still made it past the Group Stage.
▪️ Prediction: Runners-up

➡️ SWEDEN • FIFA ranking 18 • Odds 100/1
Head coach Janne Andersson (since June 2016)  
Qualification Group F runners-up (W6 D3 L1 F23 A9)
Warm-up matches W2-0 v Finland, W3-1 v Armenia
Best performance Semi finals (1992)
▪️ SWEDEN and Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared to be inseparable - even after a self-imposed five-year exile from international football after Euro 2016, the 39-year-old was set for a remarkable comeback until he picked up knee injury last month while playing for AC Milan. In his absence, Alexander Isak, who - at the age of 21 - is young enough to be Ibrahimovic's son, is the main hope but this current Swedish crop is still very much in development under coach Janne Andersson. As such, the Blågult's second and third matches on neutral territory against Slovakia and Poland in St Petersburg more vital to their fate than their opener against Spain in Seville.
▪️ Prediction: Last 16

➡️ POLAND • FIFA ranking 21 • Odds 80/1
Head coach Paulo Sousa (since January 2021)  
Qualification Group G winners (W8 D1 L1 F18 A5)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Russia, D2-2 v Iceland
Best performance Quarter finals (2016)
▪️ POLAND should have done better in recent years considering the goal scoring talent of one of Europe's best forwards, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, now aged 32. Instead, the Poles have disappointed regularly in the Lewandowski era with Group Stage exits in 2012 and 2018, and a failure even to qualify for the World Cups in 2010 and 2014. The appearance in the quarter finals in 2016 remains the only time that the Eagles have been close to getting it together, eliminated by losing on penalties to the eventual winners Portugal - and it would count as something of a surprise if this aging Polish outfit fared better than that.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ SLOVAKIA • FIFA ranking 36 • Odds 250/1
Head coach Štefan Tarkovič (since October 2020) 
Qualification Path B playoff winners (won 2-1 aet v Northern Ireland)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Bulgaria, D1-1 v Austria
Best performance Last 16 (2016)
▪️ SLOVAKIA have made some progress in recent years, qualifying for back-to-back European Championships - but this current squad looks extremely limited when compared to their Group E opponents, having sneaked to the finals by beating Ireland and then Northern Ireland in the playoffs. Attacking play is a particular problem with likely starting striker Michal Duris having scored just twice in 22 appearances in the Cypriot league. Internazionale defender Milan Skriniar is a worthy successor to Martin Skrtl at the back while Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is capable of pulling off an outstanding performance, though he can also be inconsistent and is strangely injury-prone for a goalkeeper.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

GROUP F
▪️ Matches played in Munich (GER) and Budapest (HUN)
➡️ HUNGARY
➡️ PORTUGAL
➡️ FRANCE
➡️ GERMANY

➡️ HUNGARY • FIFA ranking 37 • Odds 400/1
Head coach Marco Rossi (since June 2018)
Qualification Path A playoff winners (won 2-1 v Iceland)
Warm-up matches W1-0 v Cyprus, D0-0 v Ireland
Best performance Semi finals (1964)
▪️ HUNGARY have an unenviable task in Group F where even a remarkable repeat from Euro 2016 of their 3-3 draw against defending champions Portugal in their opening game will still leave the Magyars with only a slim chance to get through to knockout stage. Powerhouses France and Germany follow the match against the Portuguese - and it is difficult to make a case for Marco Rossi's men against any of their opponents. The instinct then might be to defend but the Hungarians' stronger hand is actually their attack - although they will badly miss RB Leipzig's young diamond Dominik Szoboszlai who misses out with a thigh injury.
▪️ Prediction: Group Stage

➡️ PORTUGAL • FIFA ranking 5 • Odds 8/1
Head coach Fernando Santos (since September 2014)
Qualification Group B runners-up (W5 D2 L1 F22 A6)
Warm-up matches D0-0 v Spain, W4-0 v Israel
Best performance Winners (2016)
▪️ PORTUGAL tasted senior international success for the first time at the European Championships five years ago - and they have since added the 2019 Nations League title for good measure. Of course, almost all of the Portuguese play runs through Cristiano Ronaldo who will be looking to become the competition's all-time leading scorer, a record which he currently shares with Michel Platini. Ronaldo is also only two assists away from Karel Poborsky's Euros record of eight so it might be worth him trying to set up a couple for talented team-mates such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota. At the back, Ruben Dias has been a rock for Manchester City but Joao Cancelo misses out following a positive test for COVID-19 - and, having used up considerable amounts of good fortune in triumphant run in 2016, the Seleção will face a tough title defence from the start, given their Group F opponents.
▪️ Prediction: Quarter finals

➡️ FRANCE • FIFA ranking 2 • Odds 9/2 fav
Head coach Didier Deschamps (since July 2012)
Qualification Group H winners (W8 D1 L1 F25 A6)
Warm-up matches W3-0 v Wales, W3-0 v Bulgaria
Best performance Winners (1984, 2000)
▪️ FRANCE remain favourites to add the European Championships to the World Cup for a second time in 21 years after having done the same by winning both trophies in the same order in 1998 and 2000. Back in 1998, Les Bleus were considered to have won the World Cup without a striker prior to the emergence of David Trezeguet and the redevelopment of Thierry Henry from an out-and-out winger - but current coach Didier Deschamps has no such issues. Kylian Mbappe - still aged just 22 - is joined by Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud, and now introduced to Karim Benzema whose period of international exile is over after he was implicated in a blackmail scandal in 2015. N'Golo Kante's man-of-the-match performances in both semi finals and the Final of the Champions League show how well the French defence will be protected - but, despite all of this, there is hope for the rest of Europe. France can be beaten - and were, in the qualifiers for Euro 2020+1, by Turkey who also drew the return match in Paris.
▪️ Prediction: Winners

➡️ GERMANY • FIFA ranking 12 • Odds 8/1
Head coach Joachim Löw (since July 2006) 
Qualification Group C winners (W7 D0 L1 F30 A7)
Warm-up matches D1-1 v Denmark, W7-1 v Latvia
Best performance Winners (1972, 1980, as West Germany); Winners (1996, as Germany)
▪️ GERMANY will look to bid a fond farewell to long-time head coach Joachim Loew after it was confirmed in March that the 61-year-old would leave his post at the end of these European Championships. Loew famously led the Nationalmannschaft to World Cup glory for the first time as a unified nation in 2014 following a series of near misses. But, although the Germans reached the semi finals of Euro 2016, Loew has undoubtedly overseen ever-decreasing returns since then, with a Group Stage exit at the 2018 World Cup and shock home defeat to North Macedonia in the qualifiers for the next World Cup. That result surely reassured the Deutscher Fußball-Bund that it has made the correct decision to bring an end to Loew's tenure of 15 years - and, with the current world champions France and European champions Portugal in their first two games of this tournament, dare we actually write off the Germans this time? It is probably still not wise just yet.
▪️ Prediction: Quarter finals

For the record: Tuchel guides Chelsea to European glory

2020-21 PREMIER LEAGUE
• CLUB-BY-CLUB REVIEW •

 
(1) MANCHESTER CITY
[W27 D5 L6 F83 A32 Pts 86] • UCL R/U • FAC SF • LC Winners • Top scorer Gundogan (17)
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• Manchester City won their third Premier League title in four years - and a fourth League Cup in a row - but missed out on the big one again. In fairness, Pep Guardiola's men have never been closer, reaching the European Cup Final for the first time but they were disappointing on the big stage against Chelsea. As such, a season which included a remarkable 21 consecutive victories in all competitions between December and March has been somewhat overshadowed by their failure in Porto. It is certainly not the note on which Sergio Aguero wanted to end his time at the Etihad - although the Argentine did come off the bench to find the net twice late on in the 5-0 final day thrashing of Everton to finish fourth on the Premier League all-time list on 184 goals, behind Alan Shearer (260), Wayne Rooney (208) and Andy Cole (187).

(2) MANCHESTER UNITED
[W21 D11 L6 F73 A44 Pts 74] • UCL GS • UEL R/U • FAC QF • LC SF • Top scorer Fernandes (28)
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• Ole Gunnar Solksjaer described his second full season at Old Trafford as "not a successful one" as an 11-10 defeat on penalties against Villarreal in the Europa Cup Final left Manchester United without silverware for a fourth successive term. Indeed, it is now eight years since the Red Devils last won the Premier League in the final days of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign - and, while Solksjaer's charges improved both their league placing and points total compared to 2019-20, they did not really come close to mounting a genuine title challenge. Some better results were regularly undermined by the all-too-regular slip-ups against Crystal Palace, Sheffield United and others - and the protests against the Glazer family, which followed the collapse of the European Super League and caused the postponement of the match against Liverpool, confirmed patience is no longer the watchword at Old Trafford.

(3) LIVERPOOL 
[W20 D9 L9 F68 A42 Pts 69] • UCL QF • FAC 4R • LC 4R • Top scorer Salah (31)
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• Liverpool won their last five Premier League matches - and went unbeaten in their last 10 - to salvage a train wreck of a campaign which suffered regular derailments. The nadir perhaps was a first league defeat at Anfield in three-and-a-half years - 1-0 to Burnley on 21 January - which prompted an unwanted club record sequence of six home league defeats in a row. For sure, the Reds' home form problems can be attributed to the lack of fans - and the short turnaround after 2019-20 appeared to cause more injury problems than usual. But neither of those difficulties were unique to Liverpool - and, while the long-term absence of Virgil Van Dijk left a rather obvious hole in the defence, Jurgen Klopp would do well to reflect instead on why his attacking players, bar the unrelentingly consistent Mo Salah, drastically underperformed.

(4) CHELSEA
[W19 D10 L9 F58 A36 Pts 67] • UCL Winners • FAC R/U • LC 4R • Top scorer Abraham, Werner (12)
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• Twice champions of Europe - the Chelsea hard-core who travelled in the 1980s in the pouring rain for a Second Division match must be pinching themselves. The Blues are a different club nowadays with much greater expectations, so much so that even Stamford Bridge legend Frank Lampard paid with his job for a series of shambolic defensive performances. In came Thomas Tuchel from Paris Saint-Germain - and the German immediately tightened up the Blues' backline to secure a place in the top four despite a defeat on the final day against Aston Villa. Perhaps Chelsea were merely saving themselves for the Champions League Final in which defensive midfielder N'Golo Kante stole the show as part of a perfect demonstration of Tuchel's tactical nous.

(5) LEICESTER CITY
[W20 D6 L12 F68 A50 Pts 66] • UEL Last 32 • FAC Winners • LC 3R • Top scorer Iheanacho (19)
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• Leicester City finally added the FA Cup to their silverware collection with a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the Final, following four previous defeats in the Wembley showpiece in 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969. It was undoubtedly the least which the Foxes deserved after an almost carbon copy of a league season - just like in 2019-20, Brendan Rodgers's men spent a long spell in the top four, only to miss out after costly defeats in the closing week of the season to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. By then, though, Youri Tielemans was already the toast of Leicester following his long-range embley winner against the Blues - enabling likes of Jamie Vardy, Wes Morgan and Kasper Schmeichel to add yet another winners' medal to their career collection.

(6) WEST HAM UNITED
[W19 D8 L11 F62 A47 Pts 65] • FAC 5R • LC 4R • Top scorer Antonio, Soucek (10)
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• West Ham United fans would have bitten an arm off, and maybe a leg too, if a place in the top six had been offered to them at the start of this campaign - and yet there might be a slight tinge of regret that only a few late defeats prevented the Hammers from pushing a little harder for the top four place. Nevertheless, after a sluggish struggle to 16th in the second half of the 2019-20 campaign under David Moyes, this season was something of a revelation with Moyes - in his second spell at the club - rehabilitating his reputation following a few career missteps by overseeing a series of tight tactical wins. The arrival of Jesse Lingard on loan from Manchester United also deserves a mention - the 28-year-old scored nine times after January to keep the bubbles at the London Stadium flying high with European qualification in East London secured for the first time since 2016-17.

(7) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 
[W18 D8 L12 F68 A45 Pts 62] • UEL Last 16 • FAC 5R • LC R/U • Top scorer Kane (33)
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• Tottenham Hotspur took too late to act after it became abundantly clear that Jose Mourinho was not working out. The Portuguese manager was eventually sacked by Spurs on 19 April, a week ahead of their League Cup Final defeat to Manchester City. The dismissal also came just a day after Spurs caused much mirth among rival fans by attempting to tag onto the coat-tails of the failed European Super League despite having last won top division in England in 1961. With the return of loanee Gareth Bale to Real Madrid and the likely departure of Harry Kane to a club which actually wins things, the amusement at Tottenham's expense may continue for some time yet, even if things across North London are going no better. 

(8) ARSENAL
[W18 D7 L13 F55 A39 Pts 61] • UEL SF • FAC 4R • LC QF • Top scorer Lacazette (17)
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• Arsenal finished eighth for the second time in a row but this time - without cup success - it is a position which means the Gunners will be without European football next season for the first time in 25 years. Indeed, it would be difficult to make a particularly strong argument at the moment in favour of current manager Mikel Arteta over his predecessor Unai Emery, especially with the latter ending any hope of Arsenal rescuing their season when he led Villarreal to victory in the Europa League semi finals on the way to lifting the trophy. Domestically, Tottenham Hotspur have finished above Arsenal for the last five seasons in a row now - and, at the time of their audacious attempt to join the European Super League, the Gunners were ninth. Only their customary late-season form - five wins out of five to close the campaign - prevented the very realistic chance of a finish in the bottom half of the table coming to pass. 

(9) LEEDS UNITED
[W18 D5 L15 F62 A54 Pts 59] • FAC 3R • LC 2R • Top scorer Bamford (17)
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• Leeds United lived up to their promise and brought a breath of fresh air to the Premier League with a relentless attacking approach which got results - at least at first.  A difficult run came in the New Year in which the Whites won two and lost six of eight league games between February and mid-March - and season-long defensive naivety from set-pieces threatened to drag the Yorkshire club towards the fringes of the relegation battle. Unexpectedly, though sensibly, manager Marco Bielsa became a little more pragmatic and his team were able to learn the value of taking a point in home draws against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. Still, though, Leeds were at their best when they attacked - and Bielsa's men finished with a flourish, taking 12 points out of 12 and scoring 12 goals in their last four fixtures. 

(10) EVERTON
[W17 D8 L13 F47 A48 Pts 59] • FAC QF • LC QF • Top scorer Calvert-Lewin (21)
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• Everton made a blistering start, winning their first four league games of a season for the first time since 1969-70- but, despite an ultra-rare win against Liverpool at Anfield in February and regular goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin across the campaign, they subsequently blew several promising opportunities to break into the top six. Conversely, dreadful home form meant the Toffees drifted disappointingly down to 10th with just one win and one goal in their last four, including a defeat at Goodison Park to Sheffield United and a 5-0 battering at Manchester City on the final day. Finishing positions of 12th and 10th at Everton are the only occasions in his 26-year managerial history that Carlo Ancelotti had completed a campaign outside of the top six places of his domestic league - and the Italian has already made off elsewhere to take on Real Madrid for a second time. Not for the first time in recent years, the blue half of Merseyside has been left in limbo pondering exactly what comes next.

(11) ASTON VILLA
[W16 D7 L15 F55 A46 Pts 55] • FAC 3R • LC 4R • Top scorer Watkins (16)
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• For much of the season, it looked as if Aston Villa were going to finish in the top half, although 11th place still represents an excellent improvement for the Villa on their last-gasp survival in 2019-20. In fairness, Dean Smith's men were in no danger of falling any lower than their final position as they ended 10 points clear of the next team down, Newcastle United - and, just like the other teams ensconced in mid-table, had a regular source of goals. In Villa's case, that was Ollie Watkins, signed last summer from Brentford - but, more than anything, the Second City club were once again indebted to the creativity of the outstanding Jack Grealish, and they missed him dearly for a few weeks in the run-in when he sustained a shin injury.

(12) NEWCASTLE UNITED 
[W12 D9 L17 F46 A62 Pts 45] • FAC 3R • LC QF • Top scorer Wilson (12)
WLDWLDWLLWWLDLDLLLLLWLWLLDDDLDWWDLWLWW

• Typically tumultuous, another season for Newcastle United - still trapped by the apparently reluctant ownership of Mike Ashley - will be, nevertheless, recorded in the history books as having passed largely without incident. The living reality of the campaign was rather different, especially when - despite a solid start of 17 points from the first 11 matches - Steve Bruce's men then produced a desperate sequence of just two draws from nine league games and also lost in both domestic cups between mid-December and the end of January. Another winless run between February and March actually resulted, very briefly, in the Magpies being dumped in the bottom three when Fulham took the lead against Aston Villa on 4 April, before going onto lose. However, the return from injury of the extremely talented Allan Saint-Maximin and the arrival of prolific Arsenal loanee Joe Willock led to a pretty strong late-season recovery - and Willock, in fact, equalled the club record held by Alan Shearer of seven consecutive Premier League scoring appearances when he netted on the final day against Fulham. It now seems inevitable, though, that Ashley will refuse to meet the Gunners' asking price for a player who quite clearly enjoyed his time on Tyneside.

(13) WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 
[W12 D9 L17 F36 A52 Pts 45] • FAC 5R • LC 2R • Top scorer Neto, Neves (5)
WLLWWDWLDWLLWLDLDLLDLWDWWDLDLLWWLDWLLL

• A difficult campaign at Molineux ended on a rather sad note as Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo parted ways with the West Midlands club despite a largely successful reign during which Wolverhampton Wanderers had previously recorded back-to-back seventh place finishes. Another relatively decent start promised a tilt again at the European places but a devastating skull fracture injury to main striker Raul Jiminez in the win against Arsenal on 29 November unsurprisingly had a significant effect. Wolves, consequently, scored a total of just 36 league goals in their 38 matches - but, by the end of the campaign, it was not just the attack which was struggling with some soft goals given away. Perhaps that was enough to convince Nuno that he had indeed taken Wolves as far as he could - and he now looks likely to be replaced by compatriot Bruno Lage.

(14) CRYSTAL PALACE 
[W12 D8 L18 F41 A66 Pts 44] • FAC 3R • LC 2R • Top scorer Zaha (11)
WWLLDWLWLLWDDLLDWDLLWWLLWDDLWDLLLWLWLL

• Crystal Palace waved a fond farewell to Roy Hodgson after the former England manager comfortably kept his boyhood club in the Premier League for an eighth consecutive season - but most Eagles fans will agree that it was time for the 73-year-old to step aside. Of course, Palace fans - like those of most midtable teams - harbour no great ambitions beyond a respectable league position and the occasional cup run. However, this season made for a tough watch at times, and the Eagles' record without their talisman Wilfried Zaha was execrable. Palace were in a similar position to now in 2016-17 when they appointed Frank de Boer for his ill-fated, short-lived tenure which lasted just four games. Whoever arrives next at Selhurst Park, though, simply must look to increase the team's scoring options beyond their tireless 28-year-old winger.

(15) SOUTHAMPTON 
[W12 D7 L19 F47 A68 Pts 43] • FAC SF • LC 2R • Top scorer Ings (13)

LLWWDWWWDLWWDLDDWLLLLLLDLLWLLWLLDLWWLL
• So, it happened again - remarkably, after briefly leading the Premier League in early November, Southampton repeated their 9-0 defeat to Leicester City in 2019-20 with another 9-0 defeat this season to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 2 February. Manager Ralph Hasenhüttl again retained his position as Saints manager - but, this time, it somehow feels different. In 2019-20, the Austrian led a recovery which took Southampton to an extremely creditable finishing position of 11th - but, despite doing enough to secure safety again in 2020-21, there were several other heavy defeats and 68 goals conceded overall, more than any other team except West Bromwich Albion. Certainly, the likes of Danny Ings, James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams will feel as if they can only swim against the tide for so long if the Saints carry on as they are.

(16) BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 
[W9 D14 L15 F40 A46 Pts 41] • FAC 5R • LC 4R • Top scorer Maupay (8)
LWLLDDLDWDLLDDDLDLWDWWDDLLLWWLDDLWLDWL

• According to the xG geeks, Brighton and Hove Albion should have apparently finished fifth in the Premier League - thankfully for now at least, though, football is still played by human beings and not robots. Brighton, in fact, finished in 16th position with nine wins, 14 draws and 15 defeats - identical to their record in 2019-20, though with one more goal scored and eight fewer conceded. The draw specialists of the division can be considered therefore to be making progress - but it is coming at a glacial rate. Certainly, the main improvements must still come in front of goal with the match against West Bromwich Albion on 27 February exposing the Seagulls' failings in this area when both Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck missed penalties - and they lost 1-0. In fairness, Graham Potter's men kept their nerve - and wins from March onwards against Southampton, Newcastle United, Leeds United, and - wonderfully - in front of fans at home against Manchester City, has set up an impressive fifth successive season in the top flight for the Sussex club. 

(17) BURNLEY 
[W10 D9 L19 F33 A55 Pts 39] • FAC 5R • LC 4R • Top scorer Wood (12)
LLLDLLDWLDWDWLWLLWWLLDWDDLDDWLLLWLWLLL

• For the first time in their latest stint in the top flight, Burnley failed to make it to 40 points, not that it was ever going to take as many as that for survival this season. Far more lamentable, though, was their goal record with the Clarets hitting the net just 33 times in the 38 league games - while, even by 2020-21 standards, Turf Moor was far from a happy place this year without its fans. Five draws and six defeats in their last 11 home league and cup matches meant Burnley's last win on their own patch came on 27 January against Aston Villa - although, on the road, they managed to win at Anfield for the first time since 1974, and became the first league team to win away there in 69 games. Overall, though, this was a campaign to forget for manager Sean Dyche who cut a frustrated figure right up until the final day when his team lost to already-relegated Sheffield United.

(18) FULHAM
[W5 D13 L20 F27 A53 Pts 28] • FAC 4R • LC 4R • Top scorer Decordova-Reid (7)
LLLLDLWLLWLDDDDDLLDDLDWDWDLWLLLLDLLLDL

• Yo-yo club Fulham came closest to surviving out of the bottom three - and yet still finished on just 28 points, fully 11 points short of Brighton and Hove Albion in 17th. For sure, this was, collectively, the worst bottom three of the Premier League era with the Cottagers paying for a lack of goals and a leaky start in defence which suggested the Londoners were badly out of their depth. True, Scott Parker tightened up the defensive unit but the lack of killer instinct remained and - while Fulham lost only four times between the start of December and the end of February, they also won only twice in that period and drew 10. Nevertheless, a 1-0 win over Liverpool on 7 March reignited hopes of reeling in the pack above - but any chance of a recovery was quickly drowned when Parker's side took just two measly points out of the last 30 available. Still, as long as he looks smart in a Burton menswear suit.

(19) WEST BROMWICH ALBION 
[W5 D11 L22 F35 A76 Pts 26] • FAC 3R • LC 3R • Top scorer Pereira (12)
LLDLDDLLLWLLDLDLLWLLDLLDDWLDLWWLDDLLLL

• West Bromwich Albion extended their own yo-yo existence, losing their place in the Premier League for a fifth time, a joint-record with the now-returning Norwich City. At the same time, Fat Sam Allardyce relinquished his record of never having been relegated from the Premier League - although he did not have a completely clean sheet having dropped from the third tier with Notts County in 1998 - and he should have done better this time. Allardyce arrived at the Hawthorns with West Brom only three points from safety despite them having only won one in their first 13 games - but, rather than improving the Baggies, they suffered four consecutive home defeats by a horrendous 17-0 aggregate, and ended up finishing 13 points adrift of 17th. There were a couple of decent back-to-back three-goal wins in April, remarkably against Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel, as well as Southampton, but even they could not prevent Albion from holding a shockingly bad goal difference of -41.

(20) SHEFFIELD UNITED 
[W7 D2 L29 F20 A63 Pts 23] • FAC QF • LC 2R • Top scorer McGoldrick (9)
LLLLDLLLLLLLLDLLLWLWLWLLLLWLLLLLWLLWLW

• Sheffield United suffered a terrible dose of second season syndrome as they followed up their highly creditable ninth place in 2019-20 by finishing rock-bottom this time around. A terrible start brought a horrendous record-breaking winless run as the Blades drew just two of their opening 17 matches - and failed to take all three points from a game until 12 January when they beat Newcastle United. That long-awaited success came by a single goal, just like the outcome of 17 of their 29 defeats - but, conversely, nine of their 14 wins in 2019-20 had also been by only one goal. The Blades had lived on a knife-edge in their two-year tilt at the top flight - and, having latterly parted ways with boyhood fan Chris Wilder, amid some acrimony, during this dreadful campaign, it is difficult to envisage too quick of a recovery. 

⚽

WINNERS AND LOSERS

ENGLAND

Premier League

Champions	Manchester City
Runners-up	Manchester United
Champions League	Liverpool (third place), Chelsea (fourth place)
Europa League	Leicester City (FA Cup winners, fifth place), West Ham United (sixth place)
Europa Conference	Tottenham Hotspur (seventh place)
Relegation	Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield United

Championship

Champions	Norwich City
Runners-up	Watford
Playoff winners	Brentford (won 2-0 v Swansea City)
Relegation	Wycombe Wanderers, Rotherham United, Sheffield Wednesday*

* Sheffield Wednesday received a 12 point deduction, subsequently reduced to 6 points, for breaching the League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules.

League One

Champions	Hull City
Runners-up	Peterborough United
Playoff winners	Blackpool (won 2-1 v Lincoln City)
Relegation	Rochdale, Northampton Town, Swindon Town, Bristol Rovers

League Two

Champions	Cheltenham Town
Runners-up	Cambridge United
Also promoted	Bolton Wanderers
Playoff winners	Morecambe (won 1-0 aet v Newport County)
Relegation	Southend United, Grimsby Town

National League Premier

Champions	Sutton United
Playoff winners	Hartlepool United 1-1 aet Torquay United. Hartlepool United won 5-4 on penalties.
Relegation	[see NOTE]
Results expunged	Dover Athletic*
Expelled	Macclesfield Town**

* Dover Athletic refused to play matches due to a lack of promised funding, starting with their fixture on 30 January 2021. On 26 March 2021, it was announced the club would play no part in the rest of the season.
** Macclesfield Town were deducted 17 points for entering into administration in 2019-20, and then were expelled from the league on 29 September 2020 at which point, the club had played no matches.

Domestic Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	Leicester City 1-0 Chelsea
League Cup Final	Manchester City 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
FA Community Shield	Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool.  Arsenal won 5-4 on penalties.
EFL Trophy 2020 EFL Trophy 2021	Salford City 0-0 aet Portsmouth. Salford City won 4-2 on penalties. [see NOTE] Sunderland 1-0 Tranmere Rovers
FA Trophy 2020 FA Trophy 2021	Harrogate Town 1-0 Concord Rangers [see NOTE] Hornchurch 3-1 Hereford
FA Vase 2020 FA Vase 2021	Hebburn Town 3-2 Consett [see NOTE] Warrington Rylands 3-2 Binfield

⚽

SCOTLAND

Premiership

Champions	Rangers
Runners-up	Celtic
Europa League	St Johnstone (FA Cup winners), Hibernian (third place), Aberdeen (fourth place)
Relegation	Kilmarnock, Hamilton Academical

Championship

Champions	Heart of Midlothian
Runners-up	Dundee
Relegation	Alloa Athletic

League One [see NOTE]

Champions	Partick Thistle
Runners-up	Airdrieonians (not promoted)
Relegation	Forfar Athletic

League Two [see NOTE]

Champions	Queens Park
Runners-up	Edinburgh City (not promoted)
Relegation	Brechin City

Domestic Cup Finals

FA Cup Final 2020 FA Cup Final 2021	Celtic 3-3 aet Heart of Midlothian. Celtic won 4-3 on penalties [see NOTE] St Johnstone 1-0 Hibernian
League Cup Final	St Johnstone 1-0 Livingston
Challenge Cup Final	Cancelled due to coronavirus [see NOTE]

⚽

WALES

Cymru Premier

Champions	Connah's Quay Nomads
Europa Lg	The New Saints (runners-up), Bala Town (third place), Newtown (playoff winners)
Relegation	None [see NOTE]

Welsh Cup Finals [see NOTE]

FA Cup Final	Cancelled due to coronavirus
League Cup Final	Cancelled due to coronavirus

⚽

NORTHERN IRELAND

Irish Premiership

Champions	Linfield
Europa Conference	Coleraine (runners-up), Glentoran (third place), Larne (playoff winners)
Relegation	None [see NOTE]

Irish Cup Finals

IFA Cup Final	Linfield 2-1 Larne
League Cup Final	Cancelled due to coronavirus [see NOTE]

⚽

EUROPE

UEFA Finals

Champions League	Chelsea (Eng) 1-0 Manchester City (Eng)
Europa League	Villarreal (Spa) 1-1 aet Manchester United (Eng). Villarreal won 11-10 on penalties.
Super Cup	Bayern Munich (Ger) 2-1 Sevilla (Spa), after extra time

Major European league champions

Spain	Atletico Madrid
Italy	Internazionale
Germany	Bayern Munich
France	OSC Lille
Portugal	Sporting Lisbon
Netherlands	Ajax Amsterdam
Belgium	Club Brugge
Greece	Olympiacos
Turkey	Besiktas

⚽

[NOTE] Coronavirus continued to cause disruption to football in the 2020-21 season:

• On 18 February, the National League North and National League South was declared null and void, therefore there was no relegation from the National League Premier
  
  
• On 4 March, Scottish League One and Scottish League Two clubs agreed to shorten the season to 22 matches, with each team playing all other teams twice, followed by a split in the table to determine the final four matches
  
  
• On 18 March, both the Cymru North and Cymru South had their seasons cancelled by the FA of Wales, therefore there was no relegation from the Cymru Premier
  
  
• On 2 February, the NIFL Championship was declared null and void, therefore there was no relegation from the NIFL Premiership
  
  
• The following tournaments had their Final matches cancelled (on the following dates): the Scottish Challenge Cup (20 October), the Welsh FA Cup (31 March), and the Welsh League Cup (31 March). The Irish League Cup tournament was cancelled altogether
  
  
• The following tournaments played their 2019-20 Finals in the 2020-21 season (on the following dates): the FA Trophy (3 May), the FA Vase (3 May), the EFL Trophy (13 March), and the Scottish FA Cup Final (20 December)