Euro 2024 Group D: Poland - Netherlands - Austria - France

[Dragonite]

[Dragonite]

Estimated squads:

[Ed]

Sadly, last Sunday promising left wingback Quilindschy Hartman was severely injured (knee ligament) in the home game of Feyenoord against FC Utrecht. He won't be playing this EURO.

[Michael S Collins]

This is a fascinating group.

You've got the best side in Europe, one of the heavyweights who have underperformed in trophies, the hipster favourite (who is the same hipster favourite as 2016, which is a bit of a warning), and the team with all those great players who never seem to turn it on at major tournaments. It's a clash of styles, and opportunity, and exactly what the Euros should be.

Prediction
1. France
2. Austria
3. Netherlands
4. Poland

France are the team to beat at the Euros, and I don't seem even a trickier group harming them. Austria have got a lot of praise on this forum which may colour my view, but then, I am wary of all the praise I gave them in 2016 right before they buggered it up! Something seems off about the Netherlands in recent years. They started well at the last Euros then lost rather one note in the first KO round. At the World Cup they weren't massively convincing but had a kindly draw to start. In the qualifers, France gubbed them, and they struggled in other matches. Seemingly the mood news there in recent times has either been bad match results or the manager falling out with players.

Poland, I am used to underachievement at major tournaments. For every Euro 2016 and World Cup 2022, there's far more Euro 2020 and World Cup 2018!

[Lyonnais]

In the qualifers, France gubbed them

True but keep in mind that in both games the Netherlands had a lot of absentees and played with a mixed team (B-team).

In my opinion France will struggle in this group.

[Michael S Collins]

In the qualifers, France gubbed them

True but keep in mind that in both games the Netherlands had a lot of absentees and played with a mixed team (B-team).

In my opinion France will struggle in this group.

tbf I thought the same at the World Cup with your number of injuries to key players, only for France to bring in even more great players, as if off a conveyer belt, and ease their way to the Final. So I'm not taking your lot for granted.

[Kamtedrejt]

Austria are my dark horse no 1 for this EURO

They can make the semi-final if they hit their stride

[Dragonite]

Estimated squads:

Final squad:


Lucas Hernández out and Ferland Mendy in

Nkunku out and Zaire-Emery and Kanté in

Bradley Barcola in

Only 25 players instead of 26

I don't understand this choice of having a shorter squad. Why can't Nkunku be the 26th player? And if not Nkunku, why not someone else like Diaby? Isn't there a 26th French player worthy of participating in Euro 2024?

[amenina]

Estimated squads:

Final squad:


Lucas Hernández out and Ferland Mendy in

Nkunku out and Zaire-Emery and Kanté in

Bradley Barcola in

Only 25 players instead of 26

I don't understand this choice of having a shorter squad. Why can't Nkunku be the 26th player? And if not Nkunku, why not someone else like Diaby? Isn't there a 26th French player worthy of participating in Euro 2024?

Didn’t Deschamps do the same thing for World Cup 2022? Called up 25 initially, and then after a few injuries he called up some replacements and the “final” squad had 26 players (of course after Benzema withdrew he again did not call up a replacement and there were only 25 players available).

[Lyonnais]

I don't understand this choice of having a shorter squad. Why can't Nkunku be the 26th player? And if not Nkunku, why not someone else like Diaby? Isn't there a 26th French player worthy of participating in Euro 2024?

Didn’t Deschamps do the same thing for World Cup 2022? Called up 25 initially, and then after a few injuries he called up some replacements and the “final” squad had 26 players (of course after Benzema withdrew he again did not call up a replacement and there were only 25 players available).

Deschamps was against the extension from 23 to 26 players.

His point is to say that the most difficult part in management is to manage the substitutes, those who are not playing or not be supposed to play but need to be fully involved in case of.
And this kind of competition lasts more than one month time if you take into account pre-competition training with players not having much to do in the mean-time. A player getting bored, not satisfied with his status, can easily and quickly create some troubles within the squad.
So the more subs you have more chances you have to get this kind of problems.

[amenina]

Netherlands 30-player preliminary squad