Spain would become the first nation to win the European Championship four times if they can add Euro 2020 to their collection, and while they are widely considered only fourth or fifth favourites behind France, England, Belgium and even Germany, there is plenty of reason to be hopeful they can lift the trophy at Wembley on 11 July.
For starters, Luis Enrique’s side are unbeaten in their past 23 matches, a run stretching back two and a half years. Their form peaked with a 6-0 victory over Germany in the Nations League last November which sent shockwaves across Europe. If it said plenty about Germany’s frailties, the match also revealed that this young and dynamic Spanish side can be devastating when they press high and force their opponents into mistakes.
As one of the 11 host nations, Spain play all of their group stage matches at home in Seville, and it is another reason why they are the overwhelming favourites to top Group E. Should they come through the group and subsequent round of 16 unscathed, a meeting with England in Rome could well be on the cards, a heavyweight encounter from which the winner would probably be expected to go on and reach the final, given France would likely be on the opposite side of the draw.
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Spain do not have quite the roll call of stars of yesteryear, more so since Luis Enrique opted against selecting the Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, but they have a competitive squad with quality in every position. In goal David de Gea may well find himself ousted by Athletic’s Unai Simon; Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba faces the challenge of Valencia’s Jose Gaya; there are options in the holding role with Barca’s Sergio Busquets (he has contracted Covid-19 and is set to miss the opening game) and Manchester City’s Rodri. Then there is the new addition, Aymeric Laporte, Manchester City’s French defender who recently switched national allegiances to Spain, helping to give Luis Enrique the foundation of a hard team to beat.
The manager is likely to play his favoured 4-1-4-1 system with Alvaro Morata leading the line, although Villarreal’s prolific Gerard Moreno will vie for a starting spot. Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick against Germany and he is likely to play a significant role in the Euros, given his end-of-season form for Manchester City. Thiago Alcantara finished the season brightly for Liverpool and will be an important midfield cog.
This is the first Spain side at a major tournament to be without Real Madrid players, so they certainly won’t be dogged by El Clasico factions, nor by expectation given their lack of stardust. But if they build up a head of steam they will take some stopping, and just quietly may leave their mark on yet another European Championship.
