Brilliantly qualified more than a year ago for the Eurocup, still with Robert Moreno on the bench, the rejuvenated Spain by Luis Enrique faces the great challenge of 2021 with the aim of ratifying its excellent role in the League of Nations, whose ‘final four’ will be held in October, and to be able to fight for the great European title. Re-deluding the depressed fans and mitigating the bad memories of the last nightmares suffered in the European Championship in France and the World Cup in Russia are two mandatory challenges for La Roja.
To this day, everyone’s selection is full after the historic blank set that he endorsed Germany in La Cartuja in Seville but still with doubts. Especially in the goal, where Unai Simón has even been ahead of David de Gea and Kepa Arrizabalaga, and in the position of striker, although Álvaro Morata has knocked on the door with his outstanding performances at Juventus and in the last international window. According to Luis Enrique, the fact of not having an eleven type and being able to choose in a group of about 35 players is an advantage. And the uncertainty about the evolution of the coronavirus does not distinguish between favorites, ‘outsiders’ or comparsas.
Certainly, the appearance of covid-19 collided with the plans of all organizations in the spring of 2020. The crowds were over. Life changed and without turning back. Football was no exception and UEFA also had to act decisively. As with the Tokyo Olympics, the governing body of European football was forced to change the date of the European Championship. Its start would not be June 11, 2020 but 2021. There was no choice.
On March 17, when the pandemic had only just begun, Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA boss, confirmed the worst possible news: «You can’t hold a pan-European football festival in empty stadiums, with abandoned areas, while the mainland sits at home in isolation. We cannot celebrate the 60th anniversary of the competition like this, “said the Slovenian leader after postponing the European Championship, giving more space to leagues and European club competitions to an end.
Almost eight months later and with the pandemic hitting Europe again, certain doubts about how to play the tournament who have won up to 10 countries and who lead Spain and Germany with three titles. To begin with, the championship has in the multi-site format, approved still under Michel Platini in 2013, its seal of distinction. London, Bilbao, Munich, Baku, Rome, Copenhagen, Budapest, Glasgow, Dublin, Amsterdam, Bucharest and Saint Petersburg are, in principle, the 12 host cities of a European Championship with a start at the Olympic Games in the Italian capital and the semi-finals and final in Wembley.
Taking into account the bad data, added to the latest outbreaks that have occurred in a large part of these cities, doubts about whether the Eurocup could be played in such a revolutionary geographical format was put on the table. UEFA made it clear that its intention was to keep each and every one of these venues available. But he left the door open to modify them if the covid-19 forced it. “We are always worried about the situation, but we are absolutely sure that the Eurocup will be held in 2021. I also have to say that we could have a Eurocup in 11, five or in a single country instead of 12”, explained Ceferin a few weeks ago, without clearing up the unknowns.
Sprouts and vaccine
With professional football in full swing, UEFA already has some good news. Above all, that of the appearance and launch of the long-awaited vaccine. Scientific advances have opened the door to the presence of fans in the stands, one of the most important issues of the tournament. At UEFA they work with the hypothesis that there will be an audience, although it remains to be seen how much, with what previous measures and protocols, and if everything will depend on the local or national authorities of each territory.
In this time, UEFA has taken different attitudes regarding the return of supporters to the stands. The first step was the European Super Cup between Sevilla and Bayern. It was played in Budapest and with 3,000 tickets distributed to each team. The capacity, as could be seen, was extremely small. Following the increase in infections and Hungary’s fear of receiving fans carrying the virus, all fans were forced to submit a negative PCR. The 30% of the capacity allowed by UEFA in its club tournaments, also authorized by several countries, could serve as a guide, although everything is still up in the air.
Defined the final cast of the great summer premiere
It also invites optimism the fact that, despite the enormous latent difficulties, the ball has finished the casting of teams for the premiere of the great final film. The distribution of the Eurocup is already complete. The play was stopped in the spring but the fall has brought it back to the billboard. North Macedonia, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain’s last rival in group E along with Poland and Sweden, and Scotland, went through the repechage box office buying the last four tickets. 24 combined will seek to snatch from Portugal and Cristiano the crown they have worn since 2016. All the great teams will be in a European Championship that will feature two debutants. Finland and North Macedonia are released, a priori two experts in sweet. On an individual basis, however, there will be great absences: the Norwegians Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland, the Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak, the Bosnian Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic or the Serbian Luka Jovic, without curdling in Real Madrid but indisputable in their selection .
.
