Three Reasons Spain Will Win The EUROs (And One Reason They Won’t)

With a few weeks to go until we start, Spain are just outside the leading pack when it comes to being favourites to lift the trophy.

Spain have lifted the trophy three times, becoming first nation ever to retain the European Championship trophy back in 2012. In fact, having won the World Cup in 2010, they had won three back to back major tournaments at the turn of the last decade. They would become the most successful EURO side ever by lifting the trophy this summer. It would be wise never to discount a side with so much recent success in tournaments, even if many of their ‘Golden Generation’ of players have moved on.

With David De Gea in goal, captain Sergio Ramos leading the backline, and defensive midfield cover from Sergio Busquets and Liverpool’s Thiago, Spain have an experienced and tough defensive line to their name. Add in names like Jordi Alba and Dani Carvajal, and you have a team who knows how to keep the opposition out. Ramos too chips in regularly with crucial goals (more on that later).

The draw has been kind to Spain, who have been pipped against Sweden, Poland and Slovakia in the group stages. If they win their group, they will be taking on a third placed team in the Round of 16. They could very easily reach the Quarter Final stage without having to face a top side, and by the time you reach this point of a tournament, you only need to scrape through three more results to lift the trophy.

One concerning stat for Spain would be that the top scorer in their squad is their captain, Sergio Ramos, a defender. Then when you look down the list, there is just one other player in the squad who has scored at least 10 goals for his country, and that’s Alvaro Morata. He has scored just the 9 goals for Juventus this season. There’s no doubt that Spain have some very promising youngsters waiting in the wings, such as Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Pedri, but this tournament may come a little too early for them.