England drawn in EURO qualification group with Czech Republic

You might not have noticed thanks to the North London Derby and all the drama surrounding it, but something else happened today — the draw for the EURO 2020 qualification groups were made. England found out who their opponents are, and it’s good news for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Three Lions were drawn into a five-team group that includes the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Kosovo. That’s good for a couple of reasons. First, England were drawn into a five-team group instead of a six-team group — that means fewer games in general to play compared to say, France who have five other opponents and will play two extra games compared to England.

Secondly, England’s group is pretty easy. The Czech Republic (FIFA ranking #42), Bulgaria (#46), Montenegro (#44) and Kosovo (#131) is one of the more manageable groups. Spurs managed to avoid Germany (in pot 2) and many of the teams with ridiculous travel like Russia, Georgia, and Armenia. That’s not to say that England will walk the group, but they should be considered favorites.

All that’s to say: considering England have featured and likely will continue to feature a crap-ton of Tottenham Hotspur players, it means fewer international matches and against weaker opponents. And if there are weaker opponents, that might also just mean that Gareth Southgate might just decide to give a few key Spurs players additional time off. At least, that’s the hope.