Germany desperate to restore elite status while England expects

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - International Friendly - Germany Training - DFB Campus, Frankfurt, Germany - March 19, 2024 Germany's Florian Wirtz during training REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoLONDON : It seems remarkable that Euro 2024 hosts Germany are not automatic favourites to win a tournament they used to dominate but instead head into the month-long event desperate to restore their position as the continent's heavyweights.

That decade of disappointment has left Julian Nagelsmann, who took over as coach from Hansi Flick last October, dealing with a fanbase torn between their former confidence and a stark realisation that they no longer have a team everyone else fears. Although they have travelled on a wave of hype many times before, this time the confidence, and their position as bookmakers' favourites, look justified.

That creative talent, though, allied to the experience of reaching the World Cup semis in 2018 and the Euro 2020 final, which they lost to Italy on penalties, all under the steady, if conservative, hand of Gareth Southgate, makes the current crop a team with expectation rather than hope of going all the way.

They are prospering under the calm guidance of manager Luis de la Fuente, who knows most of his squad inside out having worked with them through the various age group set-ups. Belgium's"Golden Generation" have long lost their lustre and, though they are still ranked third in the world, they have a terrible record at the European Championship.

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