The Three Lions are strongly fancied in the Euro odds to top Group C and with good reason.
Their biggest threat – Denmark – are a team on the slide, hugely disappointing in Qatar ’22 and stumbling a couple of times in their Euro qualifying campaign, in what was a fairly routine group.
Rasmus Hojlund and Andreas Christensen aside, it is possible to cherry-pick the Danes’ best players and all are either the wrong side of thirty or out of favour with their clubs.
As for Slovenia, they have never beaten England, in a competitive fixture or otherwise, while Serbia made an almighty meal out of qualifying for a Euros for the first time. Montenegro chased them all the way and Hungary remained out of reach.
Given the wealth of world class players available to Gareth Southgate, and England’s terrific showings in their last three major tournaments, the finalists last time out look a class apart from their peers here and it’s worth noting that finishing top in Group C offers up a highly desirable prize, that being a manageable pathway to the semis.
England
Is this England’s true Golden Generation?
Such a dramatic hyping can raise the hackles of fans and understandably so when we consider the extent in which the previous lot underwhelmed. Moreover, can a nation have two golden generations in the space of two decades? That feels like cheating.
Besides, doesn’t England’s back-line let it down in this regard? It’s a defence that is decent, but not great.
It’s certainly not generational with a keeper who is one of the best around in the Premier League but who has never interested an elite club, at home or across the continent.
In the middle, its leader is a much-maligned figure who is perpetually on the cusp of being sold by his club as an expensive failure.
On the left, so injury cursed are the two main candidates that Southgate has had to reposition centre-backs to cover for them several times over.
For much of Southgate’s long tenure clean sheets were the norm, with a percentage nudging the high forties going into 2022. In the 30 fixtures since, that has dropped notably to just one in three.
But then there’s Declan Rice, outstanding for Arsenal, outstanding for England. And his club team-mate Bukayo Saka, a favourite of live betting aficionados due to his explosive ability to make something happen from very little.
Jack Grealish meanwhile would walk into any top international side, while Harry Kane is the most feared and lethal goal-scorer in world football. The Bundesliga is still gob-smacked from the exploits of a forward who boasts 12 previous goals for his country in major competitions.
In midfield of course Jude Bellingham commands all he purveys, a Rolls Royce of a player and a future Ballon d’Or winner. La Liga’s latest megastar has no discernible ceiling at this juncture.
As for Phil Foden, he is the most naturally gifted English talent since Gazza.
Even the peripheral stars excite, not least Cole Palmer whose full debut campaign in the top-flight has been little short of ridiculous. If the 22-year-old was Danish the entire section below would be devoted to him alone.
Should these magnificent talents do what they can and should, then Group C will present no significant problems. The problem comes later, when adventure and risk is needed to navigate a stalemated semi-final.
Southgate’s proclivity for caution remains a concern for when games matter most.
Star Man
It is not tournament-defining if Bellingham is wearied throughout, just so long as Foden shines. The same is true the other way round.
A fit and firing Harry Kane though is crucial for England’s aspirations to win a first major tournament for 58 years. With the Bayern man spearheading the Three Lions attack another Euro final is feasible.
Who is England’s Manager
Should Southgate step down as expected post-Euros he will leave with a fine track record that exceeds all of his predecessors.
It is regrettable therefore that he will always be remembered as a company man whose conservative nature cost his team in the biggest moments.
That’s assuming England don’t ultimately win in Germany. Then he’ll be knighted.
Denmark
The Danes head to Germany with a team spirit that is the envy of most, a togetherness forged on the awful events that led to Christian Eriksen becoming headline news across the globe three years ago.
That the Manchester United schemer is now fully recovered is a huge blessing but ironically the 32-year-old epitomises Denmark’s state of affairs at present, they being reliant on the creativity of a player on a downward trajectory, a player who is nowhere close to being a first-team regular for his club.
It’s a similar tale with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg too, with Kasper Hjulmand’s side turning to the Spurs star for midfield muscle and endeavour. Hojbjerg is well out of the reckoning at Tottenham, enduring a miserable season on the occasions he is selected.
Elsewhere, age is a factor. Captain Simon Kjaer is 35. Kasper Schmeichel is 37 in nets.
If this all suggests that Denmark are a fading force, unable to bring through youngsters of the same standard as their well-seasoned established fare then sadly performances in recent times backs this up.
Denmark joint-topped their group in qualifying but succumbed to some insipid losses along the way, namely to Kazakhstan and Northern Ireland. Their showings in Qatar ’22 meanwhile were distinctly forgettable.
Star Man
Up front for the Dynamite, Rasmus Hojlund is a different beast for this country than he is at Old Trafford.
Seven goals in his last seven appearances highlights his confidence when wearing a slightly lighter tinge of red. A couple of goals could be enough to secure the Danes a runner-up spot.
Who is Denmark’s Manager
Gaining the respect of the footballing world for the dignified manner in which he dealt with Eriksen’s collapse at Euro 2020, Kasper Hjulmand then gained admiration for guiding his team in difficult circumstances to the semis.
A poor World Cup return is a negative but his squad trusts him and go the extra mile for him.
Serbia
The Eagles have enjoyed three World Cup adventures but this is their first Euros and it will be intriguing to see if their major tournament trend continues for scoring liberally but conceding even more.
Going off their qualifying campaign this feels likely, with only two clean sheets to their name and three games featuring four-plus goals. In Qatar ’22, the Serbs more than played their part in a thoroughly enjoyable 3-3 draw with Cameroon before losing a five-goal thriller to Switzerland.
From this, it should be clear where their strengths and weaknesses lie, their poorly-protected back-line too easily breached but with compensation coming from a lethal frontline.
It’s a multifaceted attack that feasts on chances served up by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, now plying his trade in Saudia Arabia, and former Southampton schemer Dusan Tadic.
Captain Tadic is now 35 but is still doing the business for Fenerbahce, conjuring up 14 assists in Turkey across 2023/24.
Up front, meanwhile, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic duke it out for a starting role, the Juventus man usually missing out to the surprise of casual onlookers.
Serbia will entertain in Germany for sure, and they are more than capable of pulling off a result against superior opposition. Progress to the knockouts however will probably require picking up sufficient points to get through via the back door in third.
Star Man
English football never saw the best of Dusan Tadic. His next club, Ajax did.
A clever, hard-to-pin-down number 10, Serbia’s skipper elevates his team when he’s on it. At 35 though, does he still have influential displays in him?
Who is Serbia’s Manager
Dragan Stojkovic was some player back in the day, his magical midfielding earning him the moniker of the ‘Maradona of the Balkans’.
Taking up management several years after retirement, his CV extends only to Japan and China but in truth his appointment in 2021 was largely due to the immense stature he still carries from his playing prime.
Slovenia
Grouped with England in 2010, Slovenia held their own against Fabio Capello’s men but could find no answer to Jermain Defoe’s early strike. It meant they exited the group despite having beaten Algeria and drawn with the USA.
That was the last time this small nation, with a population a million fewer than Wales, appeared in a major tournament, there-after reverting to being minnows, by-passed in qualifying.
All of which suggests that Slovenia’s biggest strength going into this summer is that they have nothing to lose, with little pressure to burden them.
At the back, they are gifted with having Jan Oblak between the sticks, the Atletico Madrid stopper unquestionably one of the finest practitioners of his craft. Up front, 20-year-old Benjamin Sesko is gaining rave reviews at RB Leipzig after scoring 13 in 30 in the Bundesliga this term.
This pair aside though, who we’ll see lining up in a standard 4-4-2 in Germany is a bunch of unfamiliar names who play for a series of unglamourous clubs.
Together however, as evidenced by their impressive showing in qualifying, they are greater than the sum of their parts.
Star Man
Chances will be at a premium for the underdogs this summer, which is why Benjamin Sesko’s eye for goal will be critical.
Averaging 1.5 shots per 90 in the German top-flight, the youngster’s partnership with Xavi Simons fired Leipzig to fourth. Can he now fire his country to better than fourth?
Who is Slovenia’s Manager
A shrewd tactician who purposely plays up Slovenia’s underdog status in order to subvert it, Matjaz Kek has been around the managerial block, enjoying his best success at club level with Croatian side Rijeka.
I
t was Kek who orchestrated Slovenia’s qualification for the World Cup in 2010 during his first stint in charge. He should probably go for the Prime Minister’s position next as he’s certain to be voted in.
Key Matches In Group C
Denmark v England in the second matchday stands out as an important clash, a game that on paper at least should determine who finishes first and second.
And should the Three Lions prevail, Denmark v Serbia in the final round of games will be fascinating, engrossing and very possibly full of goals if the Serbs are still in contention for a runner-up spot.
Euro 2024 Group C Fixtures
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16th June, 5pm – Slovenia v Denmark
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16th June, 8pm – Serbia v England
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20th June, 2pm – Slovenia v Serbia
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20th June, 5pm – Denmark v England
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25th June, 8pm – England v Slovenia
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25th June, 8pm – Denmark v Serbia
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
