England are the bookmakers’ favourites heading into Euro 2021 with the Three Lions being given odds as short as 4/1 to win their first major tournament since 1966.
World champions France follow at 5/1, Belgium at 6/1, and Portugal at 8/1.
Are Gareth Southgate’s side worthy of their price?
England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup three years ago, but it must be noted that they were handed a very favourable draw.
They then reached the finals of the UEFA Nations League the following year but went out to the Netherlands in the semi-finals following a very poor showing.
Souhgate’s side then breezed through qualifying and have won all three of their 2022 World Cup qualifiers to date too.
However, there are many weaknesses in the squad that make you wonder why they have shorter odds than the likes of France, Belgium and Portugal.
Here are three reasons why we don’t expect England to win Euro 2021:
1. The Goalkeeper
Every successful team in the Champions League and international tournaments have had a good goalkeeper, if not better.
England are severely lacking in this department with the manager continuing with Jordan Pickford between the sticks.
Manchester United’s Dean Henderson has failed to impress his boss over the past two seasons where he has Premier League experience under his belt, despite continuous mistakes from the England number one.
France have Hugo Lloris, Belgium Thibaut Courtois and Portugal Rui Patricio.
2. The Defence
Not only is the goalkeeper a liability but the defence isn’t particularly strong either.
Few are still sold on Manchester United’s Harry Maguire at centre-back, whom is both slow and error prone.
Alongside him is going to be John Stones, who has never lived up to his expectations. And whilst many have praised him this past Premier League season – how much of that is really down to Ruben Dias next to him?
There is also very little experience after this. An injury or suspension to either of the above pair would mean Tyrone Mings or Conor Coady stepping in.
England are pretty solid on the left with Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw to choose from.
And whilst there is a wealth of young talent available at right-back, Southgate continues to opt with Kyle Walk, the same player who fell asleep from a throw in that ultimately eliminated England at the last World Cup.
3. The Manager
Gareth Southgate rode his luck throughout the last World Cup, which included Panama and Tunisia in the Group Stage, Colombia and Sweden in the knockouts.
His first test was a tired Croatian side in the semi-finals, where England managed to lose in extra-time.
His previous Premier League experience? Taking Middlesbrough from Europa League runners-up to the Championship.
Tactically he’s woeful and his in-game substitutions in the big games have never been sound.
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France have Didier Deschamps, a World Cup winner as a player and manager, Portugal have Fernando Santos, who guided his country to success at Euro 2016.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
