The 17th edition of the men’s European Championship will be the first time that the full tournament is held in a reunified Germany. Die Mannschaft are naturally involved in the opener, in which they face Scotland.
By Neel Shelat
Germany Going For Home Glory
The hosts have won the men’s Euros on just three occasions, most recently in France in 1984 when Germany was still split between the West and East. Post-reunification, Die Mannschaft have reached three Euro finals, winning only in 1996. A second title is very much is the expectation this time, but their first target has to be getting three points on the board in Friday’s opener against Scotland.
The home team have only won six of the previous 16 men’s Euros openers, though that includes the last two in Italy and France. A success here would be a first on German soil as West Germany failed to win in 1988, though they did triumph three times as the antagonists previously.
Scotland Seeking To Spoil The Party
This will be Scotland’s first tournament opener and just their fourth ever appearance at the men’s Euros. They have not advanced past the group stage on all three previous occasions, including the last edition of the competition. This time, though, they have good reason to hope for a different outcome.
Regardless of the result of this game, they will have a fighting chance in Group A. Their direct and duel-heavy style of play helped them seal direct qualification from a tough group that included the likes of Spain, Norway and Georgia. Nothing epitomises it better than the fact that Scott McTominay was the group’s top-scorer with seven goals in as many starts.
Steve Clarke’s side certainly have the potential to cause an upset or two in this tournament.
Could Nagelsmann Be The Difference-Maker?
Especially in international tournaments, teams look to their star players to make the difference in big games. For Germany, though, head coach Julian Nagelsmann could hold the key to their success.
The 36-year-old tactician is renowned for his tactical nous and quick understanding of the game as it is being played, so his in-game tweaks could well give Germany the edge in potentially tight games such as this.
His approach to management is quite different to most of his peers too, as he has picked his squad with a much heavier emphasis on form and suitability to his style of play. It will be very interesting to see how that plays out both today and in the tournament overall.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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