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#3 Nearly an injury-free squad
The biggest concern for managers ahead of major international tournaments is the fitness of their star players. Thankfully in Gareth Southgate's case, this isn't much of an issue as England have been blessed with a fully fit squad barring a couple of players.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is possibly the only big-name player whose situation is currently unclear. Maguire picked up an ankle injury in the Premier League that saw him miss the UEFA Europa League final. Despite this, he was named in Southgate's provisional 33-man squad and could still recover in time for Euro 2020.
It was touch-and-go whether Jordan Henderson would make it as well due to a lengthy layoff after a groin injury. However, the Liverpool captain is very likely to feature for England after returning to training. Declan Rice also recovered from his injury in time to return to action for West Ham towards the end of the English season.
#2 An impressive defensive unit
The foundation of any title-winning side is the backline, and England have a number of in-form stars to choose from in defence. Chelsea's wing-back duo Ben Chilwell and Reece James are fresh off their heroics in the UEFA Champions League and will undoubtedly be in contention for Southgate's XI. James has also excelled playing as a centre-back in a back-three, giving the coach another option.
Moving to Manchester, both John Stones and Luke Shaw are in the form of their lives after two absolutely brilliant Premier League campaigns. Stones formed a sublime partnership with Ruben Dias at the back to help them win the Premier League title. Calm on the ball and effective in the tackle, he finally looks like the player he was once tipped to become.
On the other hand, Shaw has arguably been the best left-back in the top-five leagues in 2020-21 and enjoyed the best campaign of his career. He's added a great deal of attacking prowess to his game and could massively contribute going forward.
With seasoned veterans Kyle Walker and Kieran Tripper also likely to feature, it gives England some much-needed experience in defence. The only major question is surrounding Harry Maguire's fitness ahead of the competition. Should he be passed fit, the Three Lions could have a rock-solid defensive unit.
#1 A variety of profiles in attack
Gone are the days of playing long balls to big, burly strikers in attack. England, particularly under Southgate, has employed a much more cultured way of approaching games, which greatly helped the side. England have improved massively compared to the years before, and they have a surreal mix of profiles in their forward line.
Led by the ever-reliable Harry Kane up front, the Three Lions have a raft of options to choose from to play alongside him. If they come up against a possession-based side and look to counter-attack them, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Raheem Sterling can provide immense pace on the flanks.
Should they come up against low blocks, they can rely on talented creators like Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, and Phil Foden to break them down. If they're chasing a game and want to throw caution to the wind, they can bring on another target in the box in Dominic Calvert-Lewin late into the game.
Depending on who they are up against, Southgate has a wealth of dynamic attackers to field and to carry out different roles. This is a luxury very few managers possess heading into Euro 2020.
Also read: 5 Most valuable players at UEFA Euro 2020
