It is time again for the European football championship! A year later than planned which only means the expectations are higher. This year the payers from Manchester City will make a big mark on the competition.
The European football championship, which is held every fourth year, were planned to be played last summer. It was postponed for a year and now that year has finally passed. Soon we can enjoy the exciting struggle between the best football nations in Europe. Who will make it to the final few matches? Who will win and be the best team in Europe?
The year of Manchester City
Manchester City are having a wonderful year. They have played the Champions League expertly and the players of the team are in everybody's spotlight right now. The squad is among the best in the world, something that hopefully will be able to be transferred when they go off to play with their national teams.
The euro 2020 will be a special tournament. One reason is that it was postponed last year. Football fans has been waiting an extra year, the anticipation is on an all-time high. We all hope for matches on an absolute top-level, and that the players we have followed during the year will get a chance to be just as good as they have potential to be.
No easy win at the national championships
Even though teams like Manchester City have a history of producing and attracting world class players, they aren’t favorites for Champions League for no reason, it’s not always these stars perform as good then it come to playing in their respective national teams.
You have probably seen and reflected about it yourself. It is time for an important game, your national team will meet another one, stakes are high, but your team have a few players that are in the absolute top in the world.
They start playing and the fantastic players on your team just cannot perform as well as they usually do. They miss passes, get un-necessary yellow and red cards, they mess up situations they have done correctly so many times before.
National teams work differently
Why is this? Is it a curse? No, there is not a curse. The explanation is a simple one. When these players play in their club teams, they have a lot of practice and regularly plays games. They do this with the same team mates every game. Sure, some positions are changed, but overall, they are playing with the same people they have played with for years.
The national teams do not have this luxury. It is the best players the country has to offer. The difference is that they do not have much time to play together, to get synced together. Another difference is that in the club team, all the players are on the same level. Something that is not true in the national teams. That said, European Championship might also be harder than the World Cup to win.
The difference in skill makes the best players lose a bit of their edge, since part of the team cannot give him the passes and support that he is used to.