DANNY MURPHY: Euro 2024 draw was kind to England, there is nothing to fear here for the Three Lions… they must be considered favourites alongside France and Portugal
- England have been placed in the same group as Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia
- There is nothing to fear for England, and they should be one of the favourites
- Gary O'Neil has reached his last resort on Wolves' decisions: It all starts
Nothing from Saturday night's draw has changed my view that England are the most likely to win Euro 2024 alongside France and Portugal.
To be honest, not many permutations would have worried Gareth Southgate's side. The fact that as top candidates they missed the most difficult placement – which Spain got with Croatia and Italy – means that this must be considered a good result.
They know enough about Denmark and Serbia to avoid any surprises and if they want to go all the way, teams like Slovenia will have to be sent out.
I guess it's an added bonus that we won't have a Battle of Britain this time either. Not only does it mean that one match won't dominate the calendar, English fans can also throw their support behind Scotland and hopefully Wales too – even if the feeling isn't reciprocated!
England's first opponents, Serbia, have dangerous attackers led by Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic, but they are not as talented in other parts of the pitch and will fear Kane, Saka, Bellingham and the rest more than we fear them.
Gareth Southgate's England have received a favorable draw for the 2024 European Championship in Germany
Harry Kane and Co have nothing to fear heading into next year's tournament
England should be considered favorites alongside Kylian Mbappe's France and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal for next summer's tournament
We beat Denmark in the last European Championship and you could say that we are stronger now and they are not. My first thought when the countries were paired was how Manchester United teammates Harry Maguire and Rasmus Hojlund would fare in opposition. That's one of the fascinating aspects of tournaments: the guys you've trained with all year now become rivals.
Why did I choose Portugal and France as the main threats to England? In my view, these three countries are strong in all areas, so if they lose certain individuals, which happens through injuries and suspensions when they play so many games close together, they can still cope.
I have said on these pages during debates over who Southgate should choose that I am quite sure the left is, for example, Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford or Phil Foden. They can all win you a match.
Harry Maguire (right) knows Rasmus Hojlund (left) well from their time together at Man United
England have strong options on the left, including Jack Grealish (centre) and Phil Foden (right)
John McGinn's Scotland will not feel intimidated when they play against tournament hosts Germany
I'm happy for the Scots. To attract the host country to a fantastic stadium with the eyes of the world on you for the opening match, what a fantastic experience. And guys like John McGinn and Andy Robertson shouldn't feel intimidated.
This is not the strongest German team there has ever been, even if you would be crazy to write them off, especially on home soil.
I think the draw has whetted the appetite. Given the strength of the England players, the bonus of top positions and 16 of the 24 countries advancing to the knockouts, most scenarios would have looked good for Southgate in the draw.
This one certainly does that. I can't wait for England vs Serbia now in Gelsenkirchen on June 16th!
