10 THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR for ahead of Euro 2024 qualifiers
Gareth Southgate has a dilemma in defence for England, Ireland could be in real trouble without rising star Evan Ferguson and Scotland are on the brink of securing their place… 10 THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR ahead of Euro 2024 qualifiers
- International football is back this week as nations face off in Euro 2024 qualifiers
- Teams are hoping to secure their place at the tournament in Germany next year
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’
It feels as if league action has barely got underway but we are already at our first international break of the season – one of three in the run-up to Christmas.
After a hectic summer of transfers and an intriguing start to the new campaign, Euro 2024 qualifying returns this week to put international football firmly back on the agenda.
Next summer’s tournament takes place in Germany, with Hansi Flick’s side having qualified already by virtue of being hosts, and 53 nations are continuing their quest to join them.
The upcoming few months will be crucial as teams battle it out for the 20 automatic qualification spots, before the play-off rounds take place in March next year to decide the remaining three places.
Ahead of the action getting underway, Mail Sport casts an eye over 10 things to look out for over the coming days.
Euro 2024 qualifying returns this week and there are several intriguing games on the horizon
53 nations are battling for the 23 places alongside hosts Germany at next year’s tournament
What does Southgate do with his defence?
Ever since Gareth Southgate took over England, there is no doubt his favoured centre back partnership has been John Stones and Harry Maguire – with the pair lining up across the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
Southgate’s faith in Maguire has been unwavering despite his lack of action at club level, with the former Man United captain starting England’s last 11 games in all competitions.
However, he is likely to come under pressure for his position this season from the likes of Levi Colwill, Lewis Dunk and Marc Guehi, with all three excelling at club level.
Therefore, John Stones’s absence due to injury has provided an opening for the trio, along with AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori, to stake their claim for a place in the side.
Gareth Southgate is expected to give some new defenders an opportunity over the next week, with John Stones out injured and Harry Maguire desperately out-of-favour at club level
Chelsea’s Levi Colwill will hope to continue his good form if he is given a chance by Southgate
Colwill is expected to get an opportunity in either Saturday’s qualifier against Ukraine or Tuesday’s friendly with Scotland, with the Chelsea defender starting the campaign impressively after a superb loan spell at Brighton last season.
This week will provide Southgate with a chance to look at more options and the Three Lions boss recently insisted he is not afraid to ditch the Stones-Maguire axis for the tournament in Germany next summer.
The 53-year-old said: ‘He (Maguire) and John Stones has been a partnership that’s been brilliant for us, but we’ve got young centre backs coming up who are getting that experience and that will be the challenge going forward.’
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Scotland are on the brink of securing their place
If you had asked Scotland boss Steve Clarke for the perfect scenario at this point in their qualifying campaign, it’s unlikely he could’ve even imagined what has turned out.
For the Scots have won four from four, which included a memorable 2-0 victory over Spain at Hampden Park, and heading into this week’s trip to bottom of the table Cyprus, they can effectively book their plane tickets to Germany with a victory.
After narrowly missing out on World Cup qualification last year following a loss to Ukraine in the play-off rounds, they have been in electric form in qualifiers with several key players surpassing previous levels they’ve set at club level.
Scott McTominay is one of these, with the United midfielder the current top scorer in Euro 2024 qualifying with five goals – level with Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and new Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni – and Clarke’s side have scored nine times and conceded just once in their four games.
After reaching the Euros in 2020 for the first time since 1996, the Scots are on the verge of qualifying for back-to-back European Championships.
Scotland are in great form and a win this week would nearly guarantee their place at Euro 2024
Can the Republic of Ireland cope without Evan Ferguson?
Just when everything was going so well for Evan Ferguson – with the 18-year-old hitting his first career hat-trick for Brighton against Newcastle on Saturday – he was cruelly struck down by a knee injury which has ruled him out of crunch qualifiers for the Republic of Ireland against France and the Netherlands.
Ferguson is Ireland’s beacon of hope due to a lack of other elite names in Stephen Kenny’s squad and his absence is a huge blow.
After one victory from three qualifiers, Ireland ideally need to win at least one of their upcoming games to keep their qualification hopes alive.
However, in Ferguson’s absence, they will be relying on the likes of Adam Idah, Will Keane, Aaron Connolly or Chiedozie Ogbene to carry the goalscoring burden, with the latter at Luton Town and the only one of the quartet to ply their trade in the Premier League.
Elsewhere in the squad, the Burnley pairing of Josh Cullen and Dara O’Shea, along with Brentford’s Nathan Collins, will be responsible for taming the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Cody Gakpo across the two fixtures in what could turn out to be a bruising week of action.
Evan Ferguson’s knee injury is a major blow to the Republic of Ireland’s qualifying hopes
Time is running out for Wales
Having qualified for three of the last four major tournaments, it would feel like a big step backwards if Wales fail to reach Euro 2024.
Unfortunately for Rob Page – who is coming under increasing pressure – that fear is close to becoming a reality with Wales almost now in a must-win scenario this week after a poor start to their qualifying campaign.
With just four points from four games and two damaging defeats to Armenia and Turkey in the June international break, the Dragons desperately need to beat Latvia on Monday.
Page’s faltering side are already behind Croatia, Armenia and Turkey in their group and the former two nations also have games in hand.
It was always going to be a tough first qualifying campaign without the country’s greatest-ever player in Gareth Bale following his retirement, but it is now or never for Wales if they are to be in Germany next summer.
Rob Page is coming under increasing pressure as Wales boss after a poor start to qualifying
Is Spalletti able to rescue Italy?
When announcing plans in May to take a year-long sabbatical to spend more time with his family on his farm in Tuscany, Luciano Spalletti is unlikely to have expected to be back in a job in August.
But that is exactly the position the 64-year-old finds himself in after guiding Napoli to the Serie A title last season and while his new role will be less taxing than a club job, there is no time for Spalletti to ease in after Roberto Mancini resigned, before subsequently taking on the Saudi Arabia job.
Despite coming third in the Nations League, there is plenty of work to do for Spalletti after Italy begun their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign poorly.
Luciano Spalletti has been parachuted into a tough position after being appointed as Italy boss
Their 2-1 defeat to England in March was their first home loss to the Three Lions since 1961
This included a loss to England at home for the first time since 1961, and the Azzurri find themselves three points and a place behind Ukraine – who they play on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, before that they face a tricky trip to North Macedonia, who beat them in a World Cup play-off last year.
There is still plenty of positivity around Italian football after their Under 20s reached the World Cup final over the summer, while an emerging crop of young talent is in the senior squad, but it does feel as if this is already a crucial week for Spalletti and Co.
Will Southgate unleash an exciting midfield trio?
One criticism of England between reaching the Euro 2020 final and their World Cup campaign in Qatar last year was that only Jude Bellingham managed to break into the first choice team.
However, already in the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, new faces such as James Maddison and Eberechi Eze have been bedded in, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was tried out as a midfielder.
Southgate also continues to use new formations, but for the upcoming fixtures with both Alexander-Arnold and Mason Mount injured – along with Jordan Henderson now playing for Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia – there has been talk about trialling Phil Foden in a more central role.
Gareth Southgate could test out Phil Foden in midfield with Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice
With Kevin de Bruyne’s serious injury, the attacking midfielder – who is still somehow just 23 despite winning 15 senior trophies in his career – has impressed when playing there for Man City.
He is no doubt one of England’s most talented playmakers and a chance to play him just in front of Bellingham and Declan Rice this week would make for one of the most exciting and valuable midfield threes in the world.
It is certainly a prospect that all England supporters would love to see.
Are Hungary the dark horses for next summer’s Euros?
Despite their ranking of 36 in the world, people are starting to take notice of Hungary as a dangerous footballing nation.
We’ve already seen Dominik Szoboszlai enjoy an imperious start to his Liverpool career, but Marco Rossi’s side also beat England twice in the Nations League last year by an aggregate score of 5-0.
They narrowly missed out on qualifying for the finals by one point to Italy, while they are currently top of their Euro 2024 qualifying group.
Along with Szoboszlai, the Hungarians possess a talented mix of young and experienced players such as Peter Gulasci, Willi Orban and Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez.
They could well be one of the surprise packages in Germany next summer.
Hungary could be dark horses in Germany next summer after their impressive recent form
Can Spain bring some positivity amid Rubiales and Vilda saga?
It has been a chaotic and tumultuous three weeks since Spain lifted the Women’s World Cup after a sensational performance against England.
Unfortunately, the focus has been taken away from the players with the eyes firmly on now-suspended FA president Luis Rubiales after he kissed Jenni Hermoso during the celebrations, while unpopular and controversial boss Jorge Vilda was sacked on Tuesday.
81 players have made themselves unavailable for selection in support for Hermoso, with the men’s team also condemning Rubiales’s actions, while striker Borja Iglesias insisted he would not be available for selection until the Spanish FA president stepped down.
Spain did win the Nations League over the summer, but their participation means they are playing catch-up on qualifying fixtures and – following a disappointing loss to Scotland – they need to beat both Georgia and Cyprus this week to get their campaign back on track.
A couple of good performances and result would bring great restbite to Spanish football after what has been an awful few weeks following the shocking behaviour of Rubiales during and after the World Cup final, while it would also allow some focus to be put back on the stellar achievements of the country’s footballers.
The shocking behaviour of Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales (right) has seen the country’s FA descend into crisis, while unpopular and controversial boss Jorge Vilda (left) was sacked
Northern Ireland look to make progress under O’Neill
When Michael O’Neill returned for a second spell in charge of Northern Ireland late last year, the positivity was palpable.
The 54-year-old earned legendary status by guiding Northern Ireland to the last-16 at Euro 2016 in what was their first-ever appearance at a European Championship, while it was also the first tournament they had qualified for since 1986.
There was plenty of excitement ahead of Euro 2024 qualifying with Northern Ireland quietly confident in a generous group that saw them pitted against Slovenia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Finland and San Marino.
However, those hopes, while not fully extinguished, look to almost be over with a sole win against San Marino accompanied by three successive defeats.
They face trips to Slovenia and Kazakhstan over the next week and while qualification is not ruled out, it is important that O’Neill’s side at least show some progress.
It has been a difficult start to Michael O’Neill’s second spell in charge of Northern Ireland
Can the minnows keep up their shocks?
Talking of Northern Ireland, the shock early leaders in their qualifying group are currently Finland and Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan have never qualified for a major tournament, but have three wins from four – including a memorable 3-2 victory over Denmark.
Finland – powered by the goals of former Norwich favourite Teemu Pukki – reached the Euros for the first time in 2020 and they are currently ahead of Kazakhstan on goal difference.
The two table-toppers face-off on Thursday, meaning Denmark can put pressure on them with a game against San Marino.
The Danes then take on Finland in Helsinki on Sunday which promises to be a mouthwatering clash.
Teemu Pukki has helped guide Finland to the top of their qualifying group, with minnows Kazakhstan joining them as the early pace-setters ahead of the likes of Denmark and Slovenia
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