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It may seem slightly early to be ranking teams ahead of Euro 2020, but after the World Cup, that is what every country in Europe is preparing for at the moment. There are a lot of sides in transition after the World Cup, and this international break gave us the first chance to get a look at what has changed since Russia.
This international break also saw the first games played in the Nations League, the tournament set up to limit the number of rather dull and uncompetitive friendlies. There may still be people out there who don’t quite understand how the Nations League work, so don’t worry, because you will not be the only one.
Some teams will have been hoping to build on their performances at that World Cup, in particular England and Croatia, who exceeded expectations in Russia, while France were hoping to pick up where they left off. The likes of Germany were hoping for an improvement on their World Cup showing, while Italy and the Netherlands were hoping for better after failing to qualify for the tournament in Russia.
Obviously, there is a long time left to play until Euro 2020 gets underway, so these rankings could change an awful lot by then. There is a chance that some of the teams towards the top of these rankings may not even qualify for the tournament.
With that in mind, here are the first Euro 2020 Power Rankings.
#10 Switzerland
It was a slightly disappointing World Cup for Switzerland in Russia. They made it out of what looked a pretty tough group, and ended up in what was the much weaker side of the draw. However, they were beaten by Sweden in the round of 16, and were denied a quarter final against England. There haven’t been too many changes though, with much of the squad still together.
They made a strong start to the international break, winning 6-0 against Iceland in their opening Nations League game. They had six separate goal scorers, including Xherdan Shaqiri and Haris Seferovic. They were beaten by England in their second game on the international break at the King Power Stadium, but there were a few changes for that game, including a change in system, and they were probably the better team during that encounter.
#9 Finland
Of all the teams on this list, they are the least likely to appear at Euro 2020, as they have never qualified for a major international tournament. But that could change in the near future, and they could be one of the teams who take advantage of the opportunities that will arise with the Nations League, from which four teams will qualify for the European Championships.
Finland have made an excellent start to their Nations League campaign, winning two games out of two. In their first game, they beat Hungary 1-0, with Teemu Pukki netting an early winner. They won their second game in similar fashion. It was yet another 1-0 win, this time over Estonia, with Pukki getting another winning goal. They will hope to continue this form in the next international break, and look to qualify for the Euros.
#8 Bulgaria
Bulgaria have had more success when it comes to major international tournaments than Finland, but still haven’t qualified for a tournament since 2004, when they were knocked out at the group stage. They are yet another side who have made a good start to their Nations League campaign, and will hope it will help them qualify for the Euros.
They began their campaign with an impressive 2-1 win over Slovenia. Bozhidar Kraev was the star of the show, netting both goals. They followed this up with a 1-0 victory over Norway, this time with Radoslav Vasilev scoring the winner. This puts Bulgaria in complete control of their Nations League group, which also includes Cyprus.
#7 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina are a side who are beginning to enjoy some success at international level. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil was the first major tournament that they have qualified for since becoming an independent nation, having been part of Yugoslavia up until 1992, but they missed out on the European Championships in France in 2016, and the subsequent World Cup in Russia.
They won their first game with Northern Ireland, Haris Duljevic and Elvis Saric getting the goals, with Will Grigg scoring a late consolation for Ireland. Their second result was probably the more impressive one, as they beat an Austria side, who probably had the better of the game, 1-0. Edin Dzeko was the hero, scoring a late winner to earn his side all three points. The result leaves them with an excellent chance of topping their group.
#6 France
The world champions returned to action just a few months after lifting the ultimate prize in Russia. Unlike many World champions, the majority of their squad is still together, and it is still a relatively young group, and this will likely be the same side that represents them in four years’ time in 2022. They received a hero’s welcome on their return to France, and rightly so, having won just their country’s second world title.
It wasn’t the easiest start to their post-World Cup life, as they faced up to two tough fixtures with Germany and the Netherlands. Their first game was a goalless draw with the Germans, despite being probably the better side on the night. In their second Nations League game against the Netherlands, they won 2-1 thanks to Olivier Giroud’s volleyed winner, after Kylian Mbappe had opened the scoring.
#5 Portugal
There was one big change to Portgual’s first international squad since the World Cup, and that was the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Juventus man hasn’t retired from international football, but he was rested for this squad, and there have been questions raised about how long he will carry on playing for Portugal. This was a real test for his country though, as he has been the talisman they relied on for so long.
They only played one Nations League game on this international break, starting with a friendly against Croatia. This was Croatia’s first choice XI, far different from the one which was hammered by Spain. Pepe’s equaliser earned Portugal a draw after Ivan Perisic’s opener. In their Nations League opener, they beat Italy 1-0 thanks to Andre Silva’s goal, although their performance merited a more convincing scoreline.
#4 Ukraine
Ukraine missed out on qualification to this year’s World Cup, meaning they have only appeared at one World Cup, that coming in 2006, where they reached the quarter finals. They have though appeared in each of the last two tournaments, but were probably the worst side at the 2016 Euros, having lost all three of their games without scoring a single goal.
They have made a good start to their Nations League campaign, and this got underway with a 2-1 comeback win over the Czech Republic. Yevhen Konoplyanka levelled just before the break, and later Oleksandr Zinchenko netted an injury time winner. They followed this up with a win over Slovakia, again scoring a late equaliser in a 1-0 win. Andriy Yarmolenko scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 80thminute.
#3 Russia
Russia were one of the surprise packages at the World Cup. Everyone, including the nation’s media, expected them to go out in the group stage. However, they made it all the way to the quarter finals, beating Spain on penalties along the way. The test for them now is to build on this impressive World Cup performance, and take it into the Nations League and European Championships in 2020.
They only played one Nations League game, and that came against Turkey last week. They won that 2-1, with goals coming from Artem Dzyuba and Denis Cheryshev. Their second game was a 5-1 hammering of the Czech Republic in a friendly. Aleksei Ionov scored twice, with the other goals coming from Anton Zabolotny, Aleksandr Yerokhin and Dmitry Poloz. They will hope to continue this form when the next international break comes around in October.
#2 Belgium
Belgium are coming off the back of their best performance at a World Cup. They were excellent in Russia, and showed their strengths going forward. If anything, they will be slightly disappointed with their third place finish, given that this was probably the best chance this golden generation will have at a World Cup. They may still all be together at the Euros in 2020, but maybe not by the time we get to Qatar in 2022.
They only had one Nations League match during this international break, starting with a friendly match away at Scotland. They won that game comprehensively, picking up a 4-0 win at Hampden Park, with Michy Batshuayi netting twice. They played Iceland in their Nations League opener, a game which they won 3-0, with Eden Hazard scoring from the spot, and Romelu Lukaku adding a brace.
#1 Spain
There aren’t many teams who will be as desperate as Spain are for an improvement on their World Cup performance. They started that tournament shrouded in controversy, as Julen Lopetegui was sacked on the eve of their opening game, and replaced with Fernando Hierro. He decided against taking the job long term after their elimination at the round of 16, and has been replaced by Luis Enrique. There have also been a lot of changes as far as the players are concerned, with both Andres Iniesta and David Silva retiring from international duty.
They started their Nations League campaign with a hard-fought win over England at Wembley, coming from behind thanks to goals from Saul Niguez and Rodrigo. It got even better in the second game against Croatia in Elche, where they wiped the floor with the World Cup runners up. Their 6-0 win included goals from Saul, Sergio Ramos, and a screamer from Marco Asensio. They looked much like their old self, and are certainly someone worth keeping your eyes on in the lead up to Euro 2020.
