The 2020/21 football season has been unusual, disjointed and unique in so many ways.
The Premier League has played out in front of empty stadiums, leading to a real shift in dynamic across matches. Liverpool, so often buoyed by their great home support, have not been able to repeat their heroics of last season, and at Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard could not blend those exciting young players with his expensive new signings.
There are signs Thomas Tuchel is working towards that goal, which is not just good news for Blues fans. With Euro 2020 coming up in summer 2021, a host of the top international sides will be keenly eyeing Chelsea’s form, hoping their key players manage to hit a purple patch heading into the competition.
Which countries are most likely to benefit from a strong Chelsea run-in though, and which players might just set the tournament alight? These are our picks.
Germany
Runners up in 2008, and semi-finalists in both 2012 and 2016, Germany will be hoping to finally go one better this year. They last won the tournament on English soil, back in 1996, and with this year’s final scheduled to be played at Wembley, they might fancy a repeat performance.
There are three Chelsea players they might be taking to the finals, with Timo Werner the one they will be hoping to see improve. Goals have been hard to come by this season for the former Leipzig man, but Joachim Low is bereft of top-quality forwards at present.
At the back, Antonio Rudiger is likely to be part of the squad too and he is playing a pivotal role in Chelsea’s future also. Football London reveals he is trying to tempt Austrian defender David Alaba to England, having played a key role in the capture of both Werner and another German, Kai Havertz.
Havertz has not hit form in England yet and needs a strong second half of the season if he is going to force his way into the German squad.
England
For 25 years now, football has been rumoured to be ‘coming home’, and maybe this is the year it finally does. After the World Cup semi-final appearance in 2018, hopes are high that Southgate’s young guns can finally bring home their first major trophy since 1966, with the final scheduled to be played at the home of English football.
Chelsea’s own young guns will play a key role, with Tammy Abraham in fine form domestically. Abraham has formed a strong partnership with Christian Pulisic at Stamford Bridge, one of the best in the Premier League, according to Bwin’s ‘Goalscoring Partnerships’ infographic, and he’ll hope he can do the same with Mason Mount as we head into the Euros.
Mount has been ever-improving at Stamford Bridge and looks to have a long future with both Chelsea and England, and he is sure to add to his 13 caps, and three goals in an England shirt. Ben Chilwell and Reece James are both possibilities for the provisional squad, too.
France
Even with their rich array of attacking talent, France still rely heavily on veteran striker Olivier Giroud, who has 105 caps and 44 international goals. He might not be a starter for Les Bleus but he could be important as a weapon from the bench. Defender Kurt Zouma has seven caps and one goal, he is likely to feature, whilst N’Golo Kante is an almost certain inclusion in their squad. The 29-year-old has 44 caps to his name and was a runner up in 2016, as well as a World Cup winner in 2018.