4. Netherlands
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, so too has the Netherlands, regaining some of their clout as a European powerhouse despite missing out on the 2018 World Cup. While you won’t find the names of Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie or Wesley Sneijder attached to Dutch international football anymore, there is a strong, young and experienced contingent of players that the Oranje will rely on for Euro 2020.
Centre back Virgil Van Dijk has cemented himself as one of the best defenders in the world after his play for Liverpool during the 2018/19 campaign and will be paired up with wunderkind Matthijs de Ligt who made a big dollar move to Italian giants Juventus this past summer, forming one of the robust centre back pairings the world has to offer.
22-year old Frenkie de Jong has turned heads the past few seasons at Ajax with play in the midfield that resembles a player beyond his years, which in turn has earned him a move to Barcelona this past summer, a landing spot as good as any to sharpen his trade with the Catalan Giants. Likewise, Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum has emerged as a real scoring threat in the middle of the park for the Netherlands and at times looks to be the engine behind the Dutch attack.
Up front, the Netherlands boast an exciting attacking duo in Lyon’s Memphis Depay and Ajax’s Quincy Promes. If the team is able to get consistent attacking returns from this duo, one could easily see the Dutch making a deep run in Euro 2020.