Why Delaying Euros to 2021 Gives Advantages to Some Teams but Hinders Others
SI's Luis Miguel Echegaray details the Euros being moved to 2021 due to Covid-19 and explains which teams will benefit from the delay.
Read for full video transcript:
Luis Miguel Echegaray: Euro 2020's delay by a year due to Covid-19 has come as a relief to certain nations who are dealing with issues from a soccer standpoint. While for others, moving it to 2021 is seen more like a major headache. When you look at national teams such as England, for example, the delay is good news. A combination of poor performances and injuries were sounding the alarm for the three lions. But now that it's moved to 2021, the timing fits them perfectly. Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, for example, two key players who suffered injuries earlier this year, should be fully fit and ready to go for a delayed tournament.
The Netherlands is another one. They may be super talented, but they're young. So one more year of club experience will benefit the likes of Matthijs de Ligt or Frenkie de Jong. But in terms of negative, look at Belgium. Its golden generation is only getting older. The third-place team in the 2018 World Cup knows time is running out, so pushing the Euros to 2021 doesn't help. All in all, this isn't a perfect science. But delaying the Euros to another year is an advantage for some teams, but a hindrance for others.
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