Lessons learned from Euro 2020

Oladipupo Mojeed Leading Stories, Sports 14/07/2021

The Euro 2020 finally came to an end, and the title went to Rome after the Azurri did the Italian job on the Three Lions of England. The tournament lived up to the spark expected of it, but there were shocking results, as expected in every major tournament.

The Italians have finally ended their 63-year wait for the continental title. This left England with another push for a title since the 1966 World Cup triumph.

Mancini eventually won his first national trophy (Image credit: UEFA)

The hopes of England rose just three minutes into the clash when Luke Shaw converted Kieran Trippeiers, timed cross. But they couldn’t hold the Italians.

Having conceded just twice throughout the tournament, which even came in their last two games, this really hurt as the dream for another title continues.

Before the start of the tournament, Belgium, the number one ranked team globally, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, were all named favourites. At the same time, England, the Netherlands, and Portugal were outside favourites for a tournament that produces the four best losers.

Italy deserves to win Euro 2020

But at the end of the day, Roberto Mancini’s men showed a lot of determination and grit to take the title to Rome in the presence of the English fans inside the Wembley Stadium.

They deserved to be champions for their kind of open play that see them send Austria, Spain, and Belgium packing in the knockout stage after finishing their Group with a 100 percent record.

Now that Mancini, who couldn’t win a title with the Azurri as a player, has finally lifted one as a manager, it shows what the future hold for an attacking Italian team with some experienced players. The likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Binucci might hang their booth after the next world cup, Italy has some set of young players that are stepping up their game. The likes of Nicola Barella, Marco Veratti, Manuel Locatelli, Di Loreno, Spinazolla show what the Azurri has going forward.

The future is bright for England after Euro 2020 loss

The future is bright for the young squad of England. The team features top players who have been churning out good performances for their respective clubs. After their third semi-final finish at the last World Cup, England deserves to go a step further by reaching the final of a major tournament. The icing on the cake would have been a title.

Bukayo Saka get a shake from Giorgio Chiellini (Image credit: UEFA)

Unfortunately, the ghost of the 1966 penalty loss against Germany continues to hunt Gareth Southgate. Buklayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho all lost their spot-kicks that gave Italy the title. But the future is bright for these young lads who are already champions for putting smiles on the faces of the 50 million population.

Although the trio who lost their spot-kick were later racially abused but loved to win at the end of the day for the Three Lions. Keeping these guys together is now what matters. They are a young set of players that can impress any time. They should hold their head high by holding Italy till the penalties.

The future of Spain, Belgium, Italy and the likes at next major tournament

The same can be said of Spain that features the youngest set of players. La Roja impressed lately in the tournament after struggling in the group stage. Luis Enrique made the hard call, keeping our Sergio Ramos, but it seemed to have worked after several criticisms. La Roja has what it takes to get it right on the international stage. Sooner or later, they will be title winners again.

Unfortunately, the golden generation of Belgium lost another opportunity to sparkle at a major tournament. The last opportunity for the old guards in the team will be the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Therefore, it is hoped that The likes of Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen, Dries Mertens can lift a title for the number one team in the world before hanging their boot. They will by then leave the stage for Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bryune, and the upcoming your talents.

The future might be bright for Germany, France, and Portugal, as well. But other countries are fast catching up on them. France might receive another shocker if care is not taken. More shocking results are likely to be recorded at the next world cup and world champions.

Before then, all the teams must look at the mistakes made at the tournaments and made necessary amendments. This will help them be among the big boys at the big stage in Qatar. A lot of big lessons have been learned by many of them.