Euro 2020 got underway last night with an enticing affair between Turkey and Italy and the action is just getting started! Zeroing in on group C and whilst the Netherlands may be viewed by many as a clear favourite to advance, the man in charge could be the root of all evil. Austria, North Macedonia and Ukraine make up the rest of group C and all three have select names that are known to the wider footballing audience. Here is a look into what these four countries can offer at the Euros…
Austria
Starting alphabetically with Austria and it is hard, at first glance, to look past departing Bayern Munich star David Alaba. Despite tending to operate in defence for the Bavarian giants and soon to be Real Madrid, due to his heavy influence he often plays a more attacking role for his country. Alaba is one of several names that plies their trade in the Bundesliga, stretching from Leipzig to Gladbach, Leverkusen to Frankfurt. Whether Alaba plays fullback or in midfield, it is often seen that on both flanks, him and Gladbach’s Stefan Lainer play very high whilst a deep midfielder, potentially Florian Grillitsch, drops in to cover.
Netherlands will be covered in more detail next but Austria have a settled squad and it certainly wouldn’t come as a surprise if they were to upset the apple cart. Goals may well prove to be a problem for Foda’s side but one promising aspect is that the buck won’t fall solely at the feet of Marko Arnautovic or whoever starts centrally. The likes of Karim Onisiwo can contribute from out-wide and another man that could be on the move Marcel Sabitzer plays an instrumental role too. A recent slump in results could be cause for concern, a 4-0 loss at the hands of Denmark sticking out like a sore thumb, but the same goes for the Netherlands so who knows what group C will offer.
Netherlands
Onto the Netherlands, the team in question, and it seems fitting to start with the man in charge. Without wanting to develop a personal vendetta against the man, after dismal spells with Crystal Palace and Atlanta United, to see Frank de Boer at the helm of his beloved national team is truly baffling. I am a lover of the Dutch style of play that stems from Johan Cruyff’s influence but I find it hard to root for a side led by a manager that often fires wide of the mark. His selections for the Netherlands have added to the pressure on his shoulders but one man that could dig him out of a hole is Memphis Depay. To label him a Manchester United flop would be harsh given his imperious goal record for Lyon, as well as a similarly impressive vein of form whilst donning the famous Les Oranje jersey.
The absence of Virgil Van Dijk has been spoken about a lot but with Serie A duo De Vrij and De Ligt there to take up the mantle, the Netherlands are in safe hands. Luuk De Jong has played a surprising amount up front for De Boer which may come at the expense of the inform Wout Weghorst, a decision that would only further his plummeting popularity ratings. Midfield is where the Dutch can thrive even in spite of Donny van De Beek’s injury, Barcelona double act Frenkie De Jong and Georginio Wijnaldum being a joy to watch. What’s that? Wijnaldum changed his mind and went to PSG? Oh Ronald Koeman you do make me laugh sometimes. As much as I want to root for the Dutch and think they’ll just about edge top spot in group C, a deep finals run seems beyond the realm of possibility to me due to De Boer and De Boer alone.
North Macedonia
Having never before qualified for a major tournament, North Macedonia’s presence in this competition is a wonderful sight and they will surely be intent on making it a regular occurrence now. That famous 1-0 win over Germany is one of the many factors that has ultimately culminated in them bursting on to the scene and potentially taking the Euros by storm. Along with probably Finland and Hungary, North Macedonia come into this summer as one of the lowest ranked sides. They will get their campaign underway tomorrow against Austria with a huge clash with the Netherlands being their final game of the group and who knows what they will bring to the table.
Despite being a relatively unknown side, Angelovski’s squad does boast a few familiar faces to watchers of the Premier League and other major European leagues. Starting in England and Leeds man Egzijan Alioski is the biggest name along with a legend of the game, striker Goran Pandev. North Macedonia often play a back five unless facing a lesser side and thus Alioski in that left wing-back role with regularly be seen linking up with Napoli youngster Eljif Elmas in midfield. Whilst Alioski maybe rose to prominence later on in his career, Elmas is just 21 and has a very bright future. One of his partners in the park will be Enis Bardhi who plays his club football for Spanish side Levante, he is a very technically gifted player and it will be interesting to see how North Macedonia approach the tournament!
Ukraine
Ukraine enter the tournament without a defeat in their last six games including an impressive draw away from home against France, this 1-1 tie coming in World Cup qualifying. It doesn’t happen often that there is more star-power off the field than on it but Ukraine’s manager is a very busy man, he’s currently taking a step back from politics to focus on football management, it is Champions League and Ballon d’Or winner Andriy Shevchenko. The striker was one of the best of his era and it is often said that great players can get frustrated when having to manage those with less ability, that being said Ukraine’s squad isn’t bad at all. They are a cohesive unit to the point that some people are making the bold claim that they could finish ahead of the Netherlands, a key player if this is to happen being Andriy Yarmolenko. Despite not being a regular for the impressive West Ham this season, Yarmolenko often has a knack of turning it on for his national side via that wand of a left foot.
Whilst fullbacks play a key attacking role in Shevchenko’s system, Oleksandr Zinchenko of Man City is normally deployed in his preferred midfield role and his partnership with Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi isn’t being talked about enough. The pair are central to the flow of the side and the spark they create allows Yarmolenko to drift in onto his favoured left foot and fire shots at goal away at will. There is a link between Brazil and Ukraine due to many players from the former joining the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk and then, eventually, qualifying to play for them. One such man is the experienced Marlos and whilst he may be slowing down a bit, his football IQ means he can play beyond his years. Ukraine should be truly fascinating this year, can they topple the Netherlands?
That is a wrap then on this preview of group C for Euro 2020. My predictions don’t mean all that much but I give them anyway: despite my slander towards Frank De Boer I think the Netherlands have the quality on the pitch to just about secure top-spot. I think it may go down to goal difference to decide who finishes second between Austria and Ukraine, I’m actually going to edge towards the latter- they are one of the sides I’m most excited to see in action this summer. North Macedonia finally then will give a good account of themselves but will ultimately walk away empty-handed. Do you agree? Please let us know, and also stay with us here at WD for detailed, daily coverage throughout Euro 2020 and into the new season too!
