The final squad lineups for the UEFA EURO 2024 have been released officially, and fans notice some surprises they didn’t see coming. The UEFA EURO 2024 is fast approaching, but fans have been making some guesses about who they’ll see competing in Germany for long. To their surprise, many of these squads are leaving out their reliable players behind. Here are four surprising twists from the UEFA EURO 2024 final lineup announcement.
Spain
Although Spain hasn’t been showcasing any surprising comeback, many would agree that the squad contains top players. Some of the best-known names came from elite clubs like Barcelona, Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Manchester City. Spain’s lineup for the UEFA EURO 2024 isn’t terrible, but Spain left several capable players behind.
One of them is David Soria, who has made over 200 appearances since 2018 and managed to showcase his talent as a capable shot-stopper. Compared to other Spanish keepers, Soria has made more saves across Europe’s notable leagues in the season. He had also acquired a good record of saving penalties against capable players like Luis Suarez and Mikel Oyarzabal from 12 yards.
Fans also expected Pedro Porro to make the lineup due to his exceptional play despite having only played for Spain three times. Porro, who had won a Portuguese title, was seen as a critical player for Tottenham. Porro made seven assists and three goals in his first full Premier League season. Yet, Spain decided not to include him in the lineup.
France
France is currently known to have the most talented players in a single generation, with young stars rarely gathering in one place. Fans keep their eyes on these gifted players on Bitcoin Sportsbooks, a betting site where you can use your Bitcoin/crypto on Sportsbet for 2024 Euros. However, many still notice the absence of several names that can be the squad’s key players for the upcoming matches.
One of France’s biggest surprises is the exclusion of Michael Olise from the EURO squad. Olise has been showcasing outstanding plays recently, mainly when he played at Selhurst Park this season after Oliver Glasner’s arrival. He was skillful and productive, making him one of the most expected names to make it to the EURO team lineup.
Fans are also surprised that Christopher Nkunku didn’t make the list. Nkunku’s start at Chelsea didn’t start smoothly, as he received injuries that limited his play to only two starts on the club. However, each appearance had always made a deep impression, primarily due to his effectiveness.
As Nkunku had plenty of time to recover, fans expected to see him again competing in the EURO, but his name didn’t make it to the list. This surprised many as he had just made a goal last month, but this might be due to Deschamps’s worries about recurring injuries.
England
Alan Shearer had shared a surprise early in May about the potential England lineups, which came true in the final announcement. Shearer shared some names likely to play starters for Southgate’s squad, but Shearer mentioned Ollie Watkins as a vital key player.
According to Shearer, Watkins will play No 9, while Kane will drop back to No 10. Fans were surprised that the two had never shared a pitch for England, but Shearer was confident in Watkins’ improvement over the season.
Meanwhile, several other names that fans had expected to see playing for the EURO have been dropped from the list. One of them is Dominic Solanke, who played as the starting striker for the Three Lions. Fans and Solanke expected him to fill at least the backup striker position for the EURO. In addition, Solanke showed an outstanding performance throughout the 2023-2024 season, with 19 goals and three assists.
Italy
Italy reported several lists for the EURO lineup prediction before the announcement. Yet, the finalized lineup is missing several names. It was a surprising omission by Spalletti, who had named his 30 players for the EURO lineup. Ciro Immobile, Manuel Locatelli, and Marco Carnesecchi’s absence was the most shocking among the names.
The most surprising exclusion was Localetti, who had played four out of eight games under Spalletti. Instead, Spalletti chose Nicolo Fagioli in the place of the 23-year-old.
Out of all the omissions, the most surprising news was Marco Carnesecchi’s. Carnesecchi was Atlanta’s top shot-stopper and was named as one of the best Serie A keepers of the season. However, Spalletti instead chose Ivan Provedel.
