Group A is easily one of the hardest groups to predict. From a Germany team under new management to a Scotland team whose form has taken an extreme downturn in the last year. Furthermore, this isn’t even considering many people's dark horses Hungary and a Switzerland team who are more than capable of an upset. I will offer my insights on each team in this group and try to paint a picture of this difficult group.
Germany:
The tournament hosts have always been a strong team with many moments carved in history. From a 113th minute volley by Götze to win the World Cup vs Argentina in 2014 to a more recent surprise knockout in the recent World Cup in 2022 following a dramatic loss to Japan which became the 2nd World Cup in a row Germany has failed to qualify from the group stages. The three-time European Championship winners will be hoping for glory on home soil this year. The good news for Germany is that every time they have previously been the sole host of a major tournament, they have finished amongst the final four. After winning the World Cup in 1974, they then reached the semi-finals at Euro 1988 in addition to a strong third-place finish at the 2006 World Cup. Alongside the pleasures of hosting the championship, there comes a pressure to perform.
However, there is far more to overcome than just the pressures faced playing on home soil. This German side has a mix of youthful creativity whilst also possessing the expertise of the old guard. With Musiala and Wirtz playing behind the striker, there is a lot of pressure on these 21-year-olds to provide the creative spark in attack. Florian Wirtz especially has a lot of hype surrounding him and rightfully so. Although only competing in his first international tournament, the Bundesliga winner has produced an exceptional 18 goals and 15 assists in 49 games in all competitions this season. This Bayer Leverkusen star has more than enough in his locker to produce for Germany and will partner another youthful talent in Jamal Musiala behind the striker. In a pretty lacklustre Bayern Munich side this season, Musiala has still been able to score 12 goals and provide 7 assists in 37 games in addition to completing an average of 3.3 dribbles per game. This bright spark is a creative genius and will certainly be the future of this German side. Whether he has the maturity to take on this mantle just yet is still yet to be seen, but with the more experienced players around him, there is a good chance he will become a star during these Euros.
With the likes of Kroos, Muller, Neuer and Gündoğan in this Germany squad, there is a lot of maturity and professionalism available to the younger players. Between the four of them, they have a combined 434 caps for Germany. They’ve seen in all from the 2014 World Cup triumph to the dismay of an early knockout at Euro 2020. Toni Kroos, although retiring after this tournament, still can spray balls across the pitch better than many on the European stage whilst Manuel Neuer is still regarded as one of the best keepers in the world. These players have a lot to offer and can help change the tides for a disappointing German side in recent history. For these players, it will likely be their last international tournament if not at the bare minimum a final Euros for them all. They and many others will be hoping for a perfect send-off to the old guard.
Hungary:
Are they the dark horses of this tournament or just another Euro 2020 Turkey? Many people will recollect Turkeys' campaign in 2020, with many predicting them to get as far as the quarter-finals and cause some dramatic upsets along the way. However, they went on to lose all 3 group games conceding 8 in the process and scoring just the 1 goal. Hungary have had a similar build-up to this tournament losing just 1 of their last 16 matches. In qualifying they were spectacular with 5 wins and 3 draws. Their recent 1 loss came in a surprising game against the Republic of Ireland thanks to a 92nd minute winner from Troy Parrot. Even with all the quality Hungary had on the pitch, they lacked identity and appeared to be a one-trick pony. This trick being to pass the ball to Szoboszlai and see what happens. However, I do feel this was no more than a blip and I believe that Hungary still possesses the quality to threaten the best teams on their day.
Speaking of Szoboszlai, the man has been outstanding for the country in the build-up to this competition. In qualifying, he was spectacular with 4 goals and 5 assists in 8 games. He is a top-class player with the ability to shoot from pretty much anywhere with a technique I call “just whack it”. However, he is not the only attacking threat that Hungary have in their locker. Rolland Sallai is a man for the big stage with 4 goals and an assist in the Europa League this season and was a pivotal part of Freiburg’s journey to the round of 16. There is also the lethal Barnabás Varga leading the line for Hungary. With 46 goals in 55 games over the last 2 seasons in the top flight of Hungary, he can pop up with a goal or two when needed. If these 3 can get ticking along, they can cause the group a lot of problems.
A problem for this Hungarian side is their lack of real quality in midfield. The control of midfield is left to two of Callum Styles (Barnsley), Ádám Nagy (Spezia) and András Schäfer (Union Berlin), none of which possess enough real quality to dominate the centre of the pitch. Up against the likes of Kroos/Andrich for Germany and Xhaka/Freuler for Switzerland, I can see them getting run-ragged and bullied. In addition to this, their first two games are Switzerland and Germany, both of which can expose and dominate this midfield. It may very well get to a point where Hungary will have little to play for by the third game with no hope of qualification.
Switzerland:
This Swiss team is one of only 2 European teams to reach the last 6 knockout rounds of major tournaments (the other being France). They are a team which always could manufacture an upset as seen by knocking out France at Euro 2020 in the round of 16 as well as contributing to Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup 2022. But can they continue this streak of upsets and succeed this year?
Throughout their team, there is a range of talent. In defence, they have Fabian Schär (Newcastle), Manuel Akanji (Man City) and Nico Elvedi (Borussia M.Gladbach). Three top quality centre backs with a wide range of experience and skills. Together they have kept 3 clean sheets in the last 5 games for Switzerland and offer defensive stability that many teams would be proud of. Just in front of them, they have a dramatic duo of Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen) and Remo Freuler (Bologna). Although not kicking on at Nottingham Forest, Freuler has been pivotal for an over-exceeding Bologna side and contributed to the Italian team securing Champions League qualification. Xhaka is a man who needs no introduction. In a career filled with controversy and disciplinary problems, he has turned his career around following the move from Arsenal. He has been a rock for Leverkusen this season and has been part of a spearhead leading to an invincible league title. He does the dirty work that many avoid but also can make a range of exceptional passes and utilise the aforementioned “just whack it” technique.
One area of possible discontent for this Swiss team is a lack of attacking flair. In the past Shaqiri has been a warrior for Switzerland in both contributions and attacking potency. However, like with everyone, age seems to have finally caught up to him. Following a move to Chicago Fire FC of the MLS in 2022, he has not exactly set the league alight. In the 2024 season, he has only registered 2 goals and 1 assist in 12 games, with both goals coming by means of a penalty. Serious questions have to be asked about his involvement with the Swiss squad, mainly being was he called up due to his ability or simply due to his name and past. Nevertheless, there are still other options available in attacks such as Ruben Vargas of Augsburg who can change the game or even Zeki Amdouni of Burnley who unfortunately hasn’t shone in the Premier League. But his 6 goals in 10 games during qualification demonstrates the impact he can have. Off the bench, the likes of Embolo (Monaco) and Okafor (AC Milan) are nothing to be ignored and both will be eager to showcase their abilities after pretty substandard seasons. In what will be a tournament of uncertainty for Switzerland, anything less than the knockout stages will be an embarrassment.
Scotland:
Last but not least are the Scots. A squad of varied talent, who play with more hope than ability, can make this group awkward. A very successful qualification for them has brought them to this tournament, which they will be hoping to do better in than their 2020 campaign. A total of 1 point out of a possible 9 last time round will be cast from their minds as they reignite their dreams of success this time. Recent poor form won’t be encouraging for the Tartan Army with 1 win (against a poor Gibraltar side) in their last 9, conceding 21 in the process.
Scott McTominay (Man United) was the surprise package for this Scotland team. An amazing 7 goals in 8 games was an outstanding return for a player who at times has found it hard for game time in the Premier League. I wonder if this was only a purple patch or whether he can continue this on the big stage, but only time will tell. He won’t be helped by the cumulation of injuries faced in the build-up to the Euro’s however. Lyndon Dykes suffering an ankle ligament injury has ruled him out of the tournament. In addition to this, both Andy Robertson (Liverpool) and Lawerence Shankland (Hearts) were withdrawn from training due to potential injuries. It is expected that if either is remotely fit, they will play as both are pivotal to Scotland’s success but neither may be enough to stop them from getting knocked out of this hard group.
Premier League players such as Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, and John McGinn, are poised and trusted players who can control a midfield. A centre of the pitch filled with aggression, strength and tackles is the only way I can describe these 3. Although they often leave a lot to be desired with the end product, you can not doubt their will to fight for their nation and force out a result. Unfortunately, I can’t see this being enough for Scotland, but I have no doubt they will give it a good go.
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