England have more stars than other Euro 2024 favourites. They also have more problems

The temptation, when considering each nation’s chances of winning a major tournament, is to simply list their best three players. You’ll hear pundits doing it this week, saying things like “… you know, they’ve got Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes.” Analysis over.

In those terms, England are potentially the best side at Euro 2024 — you know, they’ve got Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden. That trio comprise the best player, or very close to the best player, from three major European leagues in the 2023-24 season.

But tournaments are won and lost on cohesion rather than star names. And while England’s attacking options are as impressive as they’ve been for two decades, their XI is probably as unbalanced as it’s been in that period too — England are desperately short of an established option in three different areas.