Euro 2021 Power Rankings: Part I

In this blog post, we go through some of the most surprising changes in rankings. Germany’s three-time Euro winners see a plummeting decline in rankings, and we also see some surprises in the list. Let’s find out and view the recent rankings.

 

1). Belgium (up by 2 rankings)

The Belgian manager, Roberto Martinez, made impressive changes in the squad to allow more talent to nourish. Eight changes were made to the squad during Belarus by the ex-Wigan Athletic and Everton Coach. The unchanged players comprised the three-man defence.

With an effervescent display of football. The Belgians cruised with an 8-0 victory over the Belarusians. In the first quarter of the game, the forward Crystal Palace Michy Batshuayi opened the markup. Hans Vanaken and Brighton’s Leandro Trossard had two goals to their names.

Martinez was full of praises for his team for showcasing a terrific display of football. He stressed that you need more than 11 players to go to the international UEFA Euro tournament and beyond. He was pleased with the squad and its performance and showed optimism for the future.

 

2). Denmark (up by 6 rankings)

The first surprise on the list is Denmark. Everything the coach, Kasper Hjulmand, is bringing into play seems to be working very well. Matchday three of the World Cup qualifiers saw Austria playing against Denmark in Group F in Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna.

The opening 10 minutes of the game was quiet before the storm. Hjulmand took it upon himself and substituted the veteran Yusuff Poulsen with Andreas Skov Olsen. Around 20 minutes later, the score went from 0-0 to 4-0 for the Danish team. The substitute Olsen fired past two goals inside the net in 15 minutes.

Two of the other goals came from Joakim Mæhle and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg within four minutes. The Danish coach, Hjulmand, was pretty impressed by Kasper Schmeichel as well. The Leicester City goalkeeper conceded 0 shots on target in the full 90 minutes.  

 

3). Italy (up by 4 rankings)

The Italians played three games against Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Lithuania in the qualifying World Cup. Surprisingly, all three of the victories for Roberto Mancini’s team have resulted in 2-0. It depicts a perfect start for the Italians, having to score six goals without conceding any.

• Check out our blog post about Who Will Become The Top Scorers in Euro 2020.

In their recent game against Lithuania, the Italians lined up in a 3-5-2 formation with Immobile and Faraone as two strikers leading the line. At the back, Tolói made an impressive debut for the Italian at the age of 30.

Just after halftime, Stefano Sensi was brought in, and he scored after two minutes on the pitch. The midfield man is enormous, but recently he’s been unhappy with wounds. All in all, the Italians have fetched three wins in their first three games without facing a fierce opponent. Their next two games are against Bulgaria and Switzerland. Would they be able to retain their winning streak? Only time will tell.

 

4). England (-)

England started their World Cup qualification journey with style. In the first game against San Marino, the English players struck five goals past them without conceding any. However, in the second game away to Albania, the winning spirit remained intact.

The real test began when Poland travelled to Wembley Stadium to play against a fierce English side with their star striker Robert Lewandowski. Obviously, the things were not as idyllic as they appeared on the surface, but England suffered a great deal. Harry Kane opened the scoring by scoring from the spot only to be cancelled out of Jakub Moder before the hour mark.

It was only in the match’s dying minutes when Manchester United captain Harry Maguire rose to the occasion and scored with a fierce volley. Poland’s goal was conceded because of the poor mistake by John Stones. However, Gareth Southgate was still full of praises for the young Manchester City center-back.

 

5). France (down by 4 rankings)

The French haven’t been very consistent and impressive in their first three matches. With a draw against Ukraine, they began their campaign. In the second game, away to Kazakhstan, the French were all over them. With 63% possession and a total of 15 shots, the French cruised with a 2-0 victory with the opening goal by Ousmane Dembélé.

The third game against Bosnia-Herzegovina, however, proved to be a real test for the French players. With a sluggish first half between the two sides, Hug Lloris made terrific saves to keep France in the game. In the 60th minute for France, it was Antoine Griezmann who broke the impasse. They are yet to face Wales and Bulgaria before kicking off their Euro 2021 campaign against Germany on 16^th June 2021.

 

 

Wrapping It Up

With the ratings and ranking fluctuating, we will witness some fantastic Euro 2021 moments as they come. With not more than a month left to kick things off, we are waiting impatiently with all of the fans. Who is going to emerge victorious among the giants? Are we going to witness an upset by a potential underdog? Well, only time will tell, but we are sure we’re going to see glimpses of artistry in a month.

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