A closer look before the World Cup: which is the strongest in Europe, and each of the 13 powerhouses has a cup dream

The World Cup came to Asia for the second time in its history, the first being the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, when Brazil won the championship, and the next four World Cups were won by European teams. Will European teams have a chance to win the title again in Qatar this year? There are 13 teams in the European zone of the World Cup in Qatar, of which Germany, France, Spain and Britain have won the World Cup, can they continue their glory? The Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium and Croatia all have the ability to win the title, can they become the new champions in the history of the World Cup? Denmark, Serbia, Poland, Switzerland and Wales all have ambitions, how far can they go?

Can the former champions continue their glory?

France has won the title twice in its history, in 1998 and 2018. In the summer of 1998, France, with Zidane, Deschamps, Thuram and Vieira, won the championship in the final against Brazil. In 2018, Deschamps has been in charge of the French team for 6 years, and the appearance of stars such as Mbappe and Kante allowed the French team to win the Hercules Cup for the second time without much suspense. Fast forward four years, despite the absence of Pogba and N'Golo Kante, the French squad is relatively stable, with Kylian Mbappe, Griezmann and Olivier Giroud up front, and the return of new Ballon d'Or winner Benzema has made the forward line more sophisticated. Midfield stars Joan Meani and Camavinga are eager to try, Varane is still in the back, and the Hernandez brothers are flying on both wings. France remain the favourites to win the World Cup in Qatar, and the key is whether Deschamps can make the relatively weak midfield work effectively and smoothly.

Germany has won the World Cup four times in its history, most recently in 2014. That year, Gotze's lore shattered Messi's dream. Now, eight years later, Goetze has gone from golden boy to veteran, rediscovering himself in the Eredivisie last year and still in excellent form when he joined Eintracht Frankfurt this year. Now he is playing in the national team for the World Cup after five years, which is exciting. In the German team, there are Sane, Gnabry, Müller in the front, Kimmich, Gundogan, etc. in the midfield, Rudiger, Juler, Ginter, etc. in the back, and Neuer, ter Stegen and Trapp in the goalkeeper position are reassuring. In addition, the selected Musiala, Mukoko and Adeyemi are only 19, 17 and 20 years old respectively, which can be described as promising.

Spain became the new World Cup champions in 2010, and the "Matador Legion" team, based on the popular Barcelona team, won the title as expected before the match. After 12 years, the Spanish squad has been updated, and only Sergio Busquets is still in the squad. In this new team, Fati is 20, Ferran Torres is 22, Pedri is 19, Garvey is 18, Pino is 20 and Eric Garcia is 21, these youngsters are not newcomers who have been brought by Enrique to feel the World Cup atmosphere, they are all capable of entering the starting line-up. In addition, Morata, Asensio, Carvajal, Laporte and other stalwarts are also in the squad, and this Spanish team is stable and youthful.

England's World Cup triumph dates back to 1966. Qatar World Cup, the total value of the "Three Lions" reached a staggering 1.26 billion euros, the 22-year-old Foden was worth up to 110 million euros, the 19-year-old Bellingham was worth 100 million euros, Kane was worth 90 million euros, and Grealish was worth 70 million euros. Despite the price, the outside world does not seem to have confidence in England's victory, because England, as a historical favorite, has always dropped the chain and been eliminated in key matches. Will England be able to regain their glory this year?

The uncrowned king looks forward to the cup holder to make a name

Absent from the 2018 World Cup, the Netherlands made a comeback, with 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat in Qatar World Cup qualifiers, conceding only 8 goals in 10 games, and qualified for the World Cup without suspense. Historically, the Dutch team has won the World Cup runner-up three times and has been tragically given the title of "uncrowned king" by the outside world. In this year's World Cup, the Dutch team has Depay, Luc de Jong, Berwin, etc. in the front, Frenkie de Jong, Dumfries, Boguis in the midfield, and Van Dijk, De Ligt, Ake, Blind and so on in the back. The defence is among the best in the world, and there are many players who are more powerful than famous in other positions, and this squad also gives confidence to the third-time Dutch manager, saying at a press conference last week: "We have a good chance of winning the title, there are not many managers who dare to say that, but now I say it. ”

The best result in the history of the World Cup of the "European Red Devils" Belgium team is the third place, in 2018, led by Courtois, Hazard, De Bruyne and other "golden generation" Belgium team lost 0-1 to the champion France in the semifinals, unfortunately stopped. Today, the "golden generation" of players is almost over 30, and this World Cup may be their last chance to compete for the World Cup title. At the back, the Belgian team lacks fresh blood, Alderwei-Ereed and Vertonghen, two players who have faded out of the five major leagues, are still selected, the midfielders are De Bruyne, Witsel, Tielemans, and the front court is the Hazard brothers, Lukaku, Carrasco and so on. The weakness of the back line is still the biggest weakness of the Belgian team.

Portugal's all-time World Cup best result is only fourth, but this World Cup Portugal ushered in a new "golden generation". Defensively, they have Manchester City's Dias, Cancelo, Manchester United's Dalot, as well as veteran Pepe, etc., midfield has B seats, B fees, Paris Saint-Germain's Vitinha, etc., in the front court there are Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo, A seats, Felix, etc., goalkeeper is Patricio. It can be said that the Portuguese team is among the top in the world in all fronts, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who participated in the World Cup for the fifth time, is very likely to realize his dream of winning the Hercules Cup in the final year of his career!

Croatia played "Rhapsody" in 2018 and reached the final after three overtime matches, finishing runner-up. Four years later, although Mandzukic, Rakitic and Joel Luca and others have left the national team, experienced veterans such as Lovren and Perisic are still in the squad, and Modric's partners Mateo Kovacic and Brozovic are still among the top midfielders in the world. In addition, the Croatian squad also has many players such as Kramaric, Orsić, Pasalic and Gvadior, etc., this Croatian team is "low-key but can play".

"Dark horse" to write "winter fairy tales"

Serbia is worth 357 million euros, the "big killer" Mitrovic scored 43 goals in 46 appearances last season, Vlahovic is a Juve striker, and after partnering Jovic and Tadic, the horror of Serbia's front court can be imagined. In the midfield, Serbia also has five league well-known stars such as Milinkovic, Kostić and Goodley, and the Serbian team is full of talent.

The Danish team looks like a "civilian", but the forward line is led by former Barca star Braithwaite, the midfield trio is composed of Eriksen partnering Tottenham main player Hoibel and former Dort midfielder Delaney, the back line has Barca central defender Christensen, AC Milan defender Kjaer, etc., and the goalkeeper is Schmeichel Jr., one of the creators of the "Leicester City miracle". With a Danish squad that is very cost-effective, and the team plays well and has a low posture, can they create a new "Danish fairy tale"?

The Polish team is still led by Lewandowski, and there are star players such as Milik, Zelinski, Szczesny and other star players, and the overall strength is good. The Swiss team, led by Xhaka and paired with stars such as Shaqiri, Manchester City's Akanji and goalkeeper Sommer, is also worth a total of 281 million euros. The Welsh team, led by Bale, Ramsey and Joe Allen, reached the last four of the European Championship in 2016 is still vividly remembered. Now that these "old guns" have led the team to the World Cup stage after 64 years, can they continue the role of "dark horses"?

There are no weak brigades in Europe, and each team has experienced layers of "fighting" in the qualifiers to come to the World Cup. So the dream of winning the championship is in the hearts of each of their teams.

(Original title: 13 strong teams each have a cup dream, which is the strongest in Europe, detailed before the game)

Source: Beijing Evening News reporter Deng Fangjia

Draft: Wu Wei Courtesy of Visual China

Process Editor: U030

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