Euro 2021 key players Group D
By Nathan Holowaty @topworldfootball
England
FIFA World Ranking: 4
Key players for England:
Harry Kane plays as a central striker and will captain England. Kane will challenge to become the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer. It sounds like he will leave Tottenham for another Premier League team after the Euro’s.
Phil Foden won the Premier League with Manchester City this past season. The 21-year-old was also awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Expect to see him play in the Euro’s as an attacking winger.
Mason Mount will play for England as a central attacking midfielder or a winger. He just won the Champions League with Chelsea, so England hopes that success will be contagious.
John Stones is probably England’s best defensive player. The Manchester City centre-back will need to be at the top of his game to shore up an area of perceived weakness on the England squad.
Croatia
FIFA World Ranking: 14
Key players for Croatia:
Luka Modric is regarded by many as Croatia’s greatest footballer ever. The Real Madrid central-midfielder will captain Croatia and hope to deliver similar successes achieved at the 2018 World Cup.
Marcelo Brozovic will also play in the central midfield for Croatia. The Inter Milan player was a huge part of why they won the Italian Serie A this past season.
Ante Rebic scored 11 goals in 27 Serie A matches this past season for AC Milan. He is utilized primarily as a left-winger in Milan. He may be needed to play as a central striker for Croatia.
Ivan Perisic primarily plays left-midfielder for Inter Milan in Serie A. He may be needed to play more of an attacking role for Croatia.
Czech Republic
FIFA World Ranking: 40
Key players for the Czech Republic:
Tomas Soucek is a defensive midfielder and the most valuable player on the Czech team. He also plays a starring role for West Ham United in the English Premier League.
Patrik Schick will be featured in a central striker role for the Czech’s. Schick plays as a centre-forward for Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga where he scored nine goals this past season.
Jakub Jankto usually plays as a left midfielder for Sampdoria in Italy’s Serie A, where he scored six goals this past season.. Expect him to play a similar role for the Czech’s at the Euro’s.
Vladimir Darida will captain the Czech Republic and play as a central attacking midfielder. He plays for Hertha Berlin in the German Bundesliga.
Scotland
FIFA World Ranking: 44
Key players for Scotland:
Andrew Robertson is the biggest star on the team and captain of Scotland. Robertson starts every game at left-back for Liverpool, but will likely play higher up the pitch for Scotland at the Euro’s.
Keiran Tierney also plays left-back in the Premier League. The Arsenal defender is an every game starter for his club and is also one of the most talented members of the Scottish team.
Scott McTominay plays for Manchester United, typically as a defensive midfielder. McTominay sees a lot of playing time in the Premier League. Could be used as a defensive player as well for Scotland.
Che Adams scored nine goals in the English Premier League for Southampton this past season. He’s the highest level forward option Scotland has
