Euro stars
BBC presenter Gabby Logan and commentator Jermaine Jenas pick their players to watch
Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images
- James Mannion
Published: Friday, 14 June 2024 at 2:19 pm
Gabby Logan
BBC
How do you think England will fare?
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As the bookies favourites and as beaten finalists in the last Euros I think they have a good chance. They will definitely get to the final and then who knows? My dream scenario would be England v Germany and it goes to penalties!
Do you think it’s now or never for manager Gareth Southgate?
There’s definitely been some talk about his future. His name was being bandied around for the Manchester United job when Ineos took over the club, but he has managed to quieten that noise, which is good – you don’t want those distractions going into a tournament. But I do feel like he might want another challenge – especially if England do well. He’s done the job for seven years and that’s a long time as the manager of the national team.
As a dual-nationality household — how are the Logans feeling about Scotland’s chances?
Well, put it this way, I don’t think Kenny [Gabby’s husband is a former Scotland rugby union international] is blocking out the family diary and plotting his way to the final! They are in such a tough group – especially drawing the host nation. I think Scotland are excited about being there and they have some good players and a manager in Steve Clarke who knows how to set them up well. The Scotland fans will be amazing, of course. They will be allowed to take bagpipes inside the stadiums where the team’s playing, so it will definitely be noisy and fun. I can see lots of kilts swimming in city-centre fountains.
Outside of England, who do you think has the potential to win it?
I see the semi-finalists as being England, France, Germany and Portugal and so any one of those countries could do well. You also can’t count out the Netherlands – especially with Virgil Van Dijk leading them from the back. And Italy will have a point to prove, both as returning champions and having missed out on a couple of World Cup finals.
Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk. Getty Images
Who could be the dark horses of the tournament?
Austria could be a surprise package and will cause a few upsets. Denmark will also be one to keep an eye on and, finally, Hungary. England could potentially face them in the quarter-finals and they, of course, beat England in the Nations League in 2022. They can be quite a tough team.
I see the semi-finalists as being England, France, Germany and Portugal
Gabby Logan
What are you personally looking forward to at Euro 24?
I’m based in Berlin for the tournament and I really love becoming immersed in a city. My working life is usually quite fractured – one minute I’m recording a podcast, then I’m off covering the athletics – but when you do something like the Euros you get to live like a local; you find your favourite coffee shop and pick up on all the cultural nuances. Berlin is such a cool city and I haven’t been there since the 2006 World Cup, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s changed.
Do you have a favourite Euros memory?
It would have to be Euro 96. I had just left local radio to go and work for Sky. They didn’t have any of the rights, so I got to enjoy it as a fan and it was the year that people got their football fever back. The national team were unexpectedly lighting up the tournament, Three Lions was being played everywhere and the cultural landscape was coming alive with Britpop. It was just such an exciting time, and personally, as it was at the very beginning of my TV career, I think of it very fondly.
Gabby's Players to Watch
Kylian Mbappé of France Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images
Antonio Silva of Portugal. He plays for Benfica and he’s had a great season, and, even as a young player he will be one that definitely catches the eye. And, of course, Kylian Mbappé of France. He is someone we all know well from the last World Cup and is brilliant, so we’ll just have to hope his bad luck at club level carries over into the tournament! Or maybe France have their eye on the Olympics and Paralympics and this isn’t the Euros for them.
Jermaine Jenas
BBC
How well do you think England can do at this year’s Euros?
I think we’re winning it. I really do. We’ve recently reached semi-finals and finals and I think we’re going to go one better. We have a perfect squad of very talented players with lots of experience. We’ve got a lot of winners in our team.
Which other countries do you think will do well?
Germany will be right there because it’s on home soil and domestically their teams have done very well in Europe this season – Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Dortmund. The Portuguese always worry me too – they’ve got so much talent in that team, and they’ve also got a way of playing that is very difficult to counter. France also have some exceptional players. They are probably level favourites with England to win it.
I think we're winning it. I really do
Jermaine Jenas
Is it now or never for Gareth Southgate?
There’s certainly a sense that if he doesn’t get it done with this particular group of players then it may be time to give someone else a go. He may also have one eye on getting back into club football management, so we’ll see.
How do you see Scotland doing?
It’s so important that they have reached back-to-back European Championships. The job manager Steve Clarke has done to get them there is unbelievable. They were in a bad spot for years and he has turned a group of players who aren’t maybe as talented as some that they’ve had in the past – players like Graeme Souness or Kenny Dalglish – into a team that know how to get it done. I think they will struggle to get out of the group, though. The Swiss are a dark horse for me and playing the Germans in the opening game is as tough as it gets.
What are you personally looking forward to during the tournament?
One of the games I’m covering is the Netherlands v France and there are going to be great players all over the pitch. Neither team is going to sit back and it’s the kind of game that could be electric. I can’t wait.
Jermaine's Players to Watch
Germany's Florian Wirtz has been a star for title-winning team Bayer Leverkusen.
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There are three German players who I’m very much looking forward to seeing. Firstly Jamal Musiala — I’ve been watching him over the years, he’s as important to them as Jude Bellingham is for England, and he’s getting better and better. The other one is Florian Wirtz who is a very special player and has had a great year with Bayer Leverkusen. And I think another German who will have a breakthrough tournament will be Niclas Füllkrug, striker at Borussia Dortmund.
Authors
James Mannion
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