In the summer of
2016, 24 national teams will travel to France to compete for the European
Championship. In 2012, Spain secured their second successive title as they
thrashed Italy 4-0 in the final but Vicente del Bosque's men may find it tough
to retain their crown.
Germany, who were crowned as world champions
last summer in Brazil, are arguably the strongest team on the planet and
will fancy their chances of securing yet another major title.
Joachim Low has an incredibly talented group of players at his disposal and if
they perform at their very best, Germany will take some beating next
summer.
Germany have
talent all over the field and match winners in almost every single position.
Manuel Neuer is arguably the best goalkeeper on the planet and plays an
integral role in Germany's success. He's an immense shot stopper but his
ability to break up attacks and play the 'sweeper keeper' role is unrivalled in
world football. In fact, Neuer's contributions were a key reason for their
victory in Brazil last summer and at just 29 years old, he is set to
play a key role for his nation throughout the next few years.
In
defence, the Germans lost talisman Philipp Lahm after the 2014 World Cup but
still have one of the most compact and reliable units in the sport. The
likes of Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels and Antonio Rudiger are immense talents
and all work well together to provide a solid foundation behind Germany's
aggressive midfield.
All three defenders are in the prime of their
careers and it could be argued that Hummels is the best centre-half on the
planet. If their defensive stars perform well throughout the remainder of the
campaign, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see these three feature as
Germany's starting defenders next summer.
Perhaps their
strongest area is midfield. Germany have a plethora of stars in the middle of
the park and the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos - who was named as his nation's best player in 2014 - and
Ilkay Gundogan will all play key roles next summer. They have plenty of
experience in their ranks but also have talented youth and Wolfsburg's Julian
Draxler could be their main danger man from midfield if given the opportunity.
Low has recognised his quality in recent times and it might be time for the
wide man to step up and prove his worth on the world stage next
summer.
In attack, Germany have bags of talent but Low may opt to select
an attacking midfielder in a 'false nine' formation. Over the years, Low has
played the likes of Andre Schurrle, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller upfront and it
wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Muller leading the line. The Bayern Munich
star was used as a frontman throughout their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign and
netted nine goals in just ten matches. Muller also finished as Germany's top
scorer at last year's World Cup and is in lethal form for both club and
country. With Muller and the German squad in fine form, Low's side could
go on to justify their 3/1 odds when this article was produced in the
international football betting markets and win the competition next
summer...
Germany aren't
invincible but it will take an incredible team effort to defeat Low's men next
summer. The Germans are hungry for success on the continent and will boast one
of the strongest squads in the competition. If they play to their full
potential, it's Germany's to lose - that's how good they are. It wouldn't be a
huge surprise to see Germany lift the trophy next summer and become holders of
both the World Cup and European Championship at the same time..
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