Showmax Premier League ambassador Robert Marawa has high hopes for England in this year’s UEFA EURO tournament in Germany.
With the array of stars that manager Gareth Southgate has at his disposal, Marawa is expecting England to be one of the favourites to lift the EURO trophy in Berlin on 14 July 2024.
“I’ve always said, there’s got to be something wrong with Gareth Southgate if he cannot get the best out of this group of players,” Marawa tells Showmax.
“I would have felt the same at the World Cup and even in the previous EUROs. A lot of the players that Southgate gets have already been re-engineered by managers such as Pep Guardiola.
“You look at a guy like Phil Foden, who would have tasted the bench for Man City a little, then became a regular, then became the player of the season. So, he’s one.
“Kyle Walker is another. He was given the captain’s armband for his club. He has truly flourished from day one. Why can’t you get the best out of him in an England shirt?
“Yes, there is big talk about Marcus Rashford not being included in the EURO squad, but we’ve also seen a player like Cole Palmer get his first start at the age of 22. He got a goal this week in the EURO friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“He has scored in the Premier League and every cup competition he has played in, so it will be interesting to see what he can do in the EUROs. Can he be the big player that he is for Chelsea?”
The EUROs, which kick off on 14 June 2024, and will be shown live on Showmax Premier league, is being held in Germany, with the hosts opening the tournament with a clash against Scotland.
England are listed as the bookies’ favourites for the tournament and will be hoping to go one further than the last EUROs when they reached the final but lost out to Italy on penalties.
England find themselves in Group C of the tournament, and will take on Slovenia, Denmark, and Serbia in the group stages of the tournament.
Marawa believes it’s do-or-die time for Southgate.
“If England don’t do well then, I think they need to do something about their coach.
“It’s been a long time since I last saw a coach who has been blessed with so much of talent in one squad.
“You look at their star player, Jude Bellingham. He comes from Borussia Dortmund, goes to Real Madrid at the age of 20, and has won almost everything there is to win, and is the best player in the La Liga.
“He’s just won the Champions League fresh out of Wembley. He is going to want to head to the Olympiastadion in Berlin for the final on July 14th.
“You want to see that pack of English players together and see what magic they can produce together.”
While it pains Marawa to admit it, he says he will be paying particular attention to England during this year’s EUROs.
“For the very first time in a long time I am going to try and pay particular attention to England, because something has got to give, otherwise this 1966 thing will sit on their backs forever. Although it will pain me, I will be paying particular attention to the England team because if England don’t do well then, I think they need to do something about their coach.”
Marawa says he is also gutted that two of his favourite European teams Norway and Sweden won’t be competing in this year’s Euros.
“I’ve always looked forward to watching Norway and Sweden in the past, because they bring something different. They’re always the underdogs because people tend to not focus on them.
“There are plenty of ups in this year’s EUROs but also some downs. Sweden not being in the tournament is a low. They tend to play very well in this tournament. It will be the first time since 1996 that they won’t be there.
“We have got Norway that will also not be there. That eliminates Martin Odegaard and Haaland from being in the tournament.
“So, some big names will be missing, but I always say that when there are some big names missing, there is going to be some great names coming to the fore.”
Overall, Marawa is thrilled that the EUROs are around the corner.
“Personally, from my side I’m always hungry for football, so when the Premier League comes to an end it’s a case of what’s next.
“We had a crazy EUROs last time round. It was action packed right to the end, so I am excited to see what is in store this time round.
“I think this time the EUROs may just be a little calmer though. I’m looking forward to new coaches, new players, and the evolution of the game, to see where Europe really stands.
“You know the boys of 1966, they still crying that ‘it’s coming home’. They were in the final last time round, and took it to a penalty shootout, and while it was played at home unfortunately it didn’t come home.”
UEFA EURO Group stage games:
Group stage fixtures:
14 June
Group A: Germany vs Scotland
15 June
B: Spain vs Croatia
B: Italy vs Albania
16 June
D: Poland vs Netherlands
C: Slovenia vs Denmark
C: Serbia vs England
17 June
E: Belgium vs Slovakia
D: Austria vs France
18 June
F: Turkey vs Georgia
F: Portugal vs Czech Republic
19 June
B: Croatia vs Albania
A: Germany vs Hungary
A: Scotland vs Switzerland
20 June
C: Slovenia vs Serbia
21 June
E: Slovakia vs Ukraine
D: Poland vs Austria
D: Netherlands vs France
22 June
F: Georgia vs Czechia
F: Turkey vs Portugal
E: Belgium vs Romania
23 June
A: Switzerland vs Germany
A: Scotland vs Hungary
24 June
B: Croatia vs Italy
B: Albania vs Spain
25 June
D: Netherlands vs Austria
D: France vs Poland
C: England vs Slovenia
C: Denmark vs Serbia
26 June
E: Slovakia vs Romania
E: Ukraine vs Belgium
F: Czech Republic vs Turkey
F: Georgia vs Portugal