THE ELITE LEVEL of football is arguably more attacking than ever.
The trailblazing Barcelona side managed by Pep Guardiola from 2008 to 2012 influenced the game unduly, to the extent that attacking became increasingly in vogue.
Fans have come to expect elegant, exciting, exceptional play having been treated to it so often while watching the best club teams over the past few seasons.
Widely regarded as the best league in the world, the English top flight has seen its record for goals scored in a season broken two years on the trot, for example.
Yet many people would argue that these changes do not apply to international football and that the international game is no longer the pinnacle of football that it was once perceived to be. In contrast to the elite level of the club game, it is more entertaining on the one hand owing to its comparative unpredictability. But it is also far less sophisticated tactically, which partially explains why so many tired-looking top players at the Euros have made playing football look inordinately difficult.
One of the perpetual complaints about this tournament is games that were regarded as dull and even top teams adhering to an overly negative style.
The two pre-tournament favourites, France and England, have been prime examples.
Both have continually stuttered over the line to secure improbable victories, while the Dutch were hardly electric in their hard-earned defeat of Turkey.
Advertisement
Since Didier Deschamps took over in 2012, France have been perenially criticised for their unattractive style just as they were when he captained them to World Cup glory as a player under Aime Jacquet in 1998.
And yet like Jacquet, Deschamps has enjoyed extraordinary success as French manager, winning the World Cup in 2018 and coming within a penalty shootout of repeating the feat in 2022.
Yet at this tournament, Les Bleus have been verging on self-parody.
The penalty shootout win over Portugal was the least entertaining of the quarter-final ties by far.
France started that match with a four-man defence plus three defensive midfielders.
He had just three attacking players on the pitch from the outset, one of whom was a misfiring Kylian Mbappe, who has looked out of sorts for much of this tournament.
It felt like the perfect time to play them and yet Portugal were also reliant on an inept attack led by the sad sight of Cristiano Ronaldo — one of the greatest footballers of all time — no longer equipped for sport at the highest level.
The 0-0 outcome felt inevitable long before the 120 minutes elapsed.
The fact that Deschamps’ men have scored just three goals in five matches — two own goals and a penalty — emphasises their astounding attacking profligacy and their sheer efficiency in winning despite themselves.
England have rivalled France for the title of the most prosaic of the pre-tournament favourites.
Gareth Southgate’s men managed just two goals after three games in the group stages.
In the round-of-16 tie with Slovakia, they registered only two shots on target in 120 minutes of football and scored from both.
And similarly versus the Swiss on Saturday, the Three Lions scored with their first shot on target in the 80th minute through Bukayo Saka.
The Netherlands’ come-from-behind 2-1 win over Turkey was slightly better to watch, though it was far from exhilarating.
The Dutch were also involved in arguably the worst game of the tournament — a dour 0-0 in the group stages against France — and like Deschamps and Southgate’s teams, have been most impressive in defence, thanks to some of the best players in Serie A and the Premier League guiding them through games: Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries and Micky van de Ven.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of several high-profile strikers who have struggled at this tournament. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
One of the key moments that changed Saturday night’s game was the half-time introduction of Wout Weghorst — a striker who failed to make a lasting impression at either Burnley or Man United. The 31-year-old did not score the crucial winner as in their group game with Poland, but his arrival helped give the Dutch more threat and penetration in the final third.
Indeed one of the defining characteristics of this tournament has been big-name strikers struggling — to a varying degree, it is true of Harry Kane, Ronaldo, Mbappe and Kai Havertz. Meanwhile, other big sides have relied on forwards to lead the line who are not considered in the very top bracket at club level (Alvaro Morata, Cody Gapko, Romelu Lukaku, Breel Embolo, Niclas Füllkrug) with comparable or even greater success than their more illustrious counterparts.
As the semi-finals approach and the most successful teams have played five games, the joint top scorers (unless you count ‘own goals’ with 10) — Georges Mikautadze (Georgia), Jamal Musiala (Germany), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) and Ivan Schranz (Slovakia) — still all sit on three goals, which is another reminder of how caution has prevailed at the tournament.
So is the lesson from Euro 2024 that negativity in international football pays off?
Related Reads
France beat Portugal on penalties to set up semi-final meeting with Spain
Spain eliminate hosts Germany in extra-time thriller
Certainly, this issue is hardly unprecedented. The triumphant Greece team in 2004 were famously devoid of stars and inspired by a strong backline. The Portugal side that won Euro 2016 drew all three group-stage matches and scored only three goals in normal time during the four knockout stages.
So there is precedent for a team like the modern incarnations of France or England prevailing.
Yet the main exception to the rule at this tournament has been Spain and to a lesser extent their quarter-final victims and tournament hosts Germany.
The sense of freedom and adventure these two big sides have played with has been refreshing to watch and a stark contrast to the perpetual stodginess of France and England among others.
With the midfield of Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and Pedri (who unfortunately has been ruled out of the tournament after picking up an injury against the Germans), coupled with the pace and trickery of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal on the wings, La Roja have consistently been a joy to watch and a vast improvement on the technically proficient but cutting-edge-less Spanish sides that have exited the past three major tournaments on penalties.
Consequently, a triumph for Luis de la Fuente’s men would be a welcome win for the football purists and an argument against the prevailing notion that stark conservatism is now essential to win trophies at international level.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Has this been a 'bad' Euros?
THE ELITE LEVEL of football is arguably more attacking than ever.
The trailblazing Barcelona side managed by Pep Guardiola from 2008 to 2012 influenced the game unduly, to the extent that attacking became increasingly in vogue.
Fans have come to expect elegant, exciting, exceptional play having been treated to it so often while watching the best club teams over the past few seasons.
Widely regarded as the best league in the world, the English top flight has seen its record for goals scored in a season broken two years on the trot, for example.
Yet many people would argue that these changes do not apply to international football and that the international game is no longer the pinnacle of football that it was once perceived to be. In contrast to the elite level of the club game, it is more entertaining on the one hand owing to its comparative unpredictability. But it is also far less sophisticated tactically, which partially explains why so many tired-looking top players at the Euros have made playing football look inordinately difficult.
One of the perpetual complaints about this tournament is games that were regarded as dull and even top teams adhering to an overly negative style.
The two pre-tournament favourites, France and England, have been prime examples.
Both have continually stuttered over the line to secure improbable victories, while the Dutch were hardly electric in their hard-earned defeat of Turkey.
Since Didier Deschamps took over in 2012, France have been perenially criticised for their unattractive style just as they were when he captained them to World Cup glory as a player under Aime Jacquet in 1998.
And yet like Jacquet, Deschamps has enjoyed extraordinary success as French manager, winning the World Cup in 2018 and coming within a penalty shootout of repeating the feat in 2022.
Yet at this tournament, Les Bleus have been verging on self-parody.
The penalty shootout win over Portugal was the least entertaining of the quarter-final ties by far.
France started that match with a four-man defence plus three defensive midfielders.
He had just three attacking players on the pitch from the outset, one of whom was a misfiring Kylian Mbappe, who has looked out of sorts for much of this tournament.
It felt like the perfect time to play them and yet Portugal were also reliant on an inept attack led by the sad sight of Cristiano Ronaldo — one of the greatest footballers of all time — no longer equipped for sport at the highest level.
The 0-0 outcome felt inevitable long before the 120 minutes elapsed.
The fact that Deschamps’ men have scored just three goals in five matches — two own goals and a penalty — emphasises their astounding attacking profligacy and their sheer efficiency in winning despite themselves.
England have rivalled France for the title of the most prosaic of the pre-tournament favourites.
Gareth Southgate’s men managed just two goals after three games in the group stages.
In the round-of-16 tie with Slovakia, they registered only two shots on target in 120 minutes of football and scored from both.
And similarly versus the Swiss on Saturday, the Three Lions scored with their first shot on target in the 80th minute through Bukayo Saka.
The Netherlands’ come-from-behind 2-1 win over Turkey was slightly better to watch, though it was far from exhilarating.
The Dutch were also involved in arguably the worst game of the tournament — a dour 0-0 in the group stages against France — and like Deschamps and Southgate’s teams, have been most impressive in defence, thanks to some of the best players in Serie A and the Premier League guiding them through games: Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries and Micky van de Ven.
One of the key moments that changed Saturday night’s game was the half-time introduction of Wout Weghorst — a striker who failed to make a lasting impression at either Burnley or Man United. The 31-year-old did not score the crucial winner as in their group game with Poland, but his arrival helped give the Dutch more threat and penetration in the final third.
Indeed one of the defining characteristics of this tournament has been big-name strikers struggling — to a varying degree, it is true of Harry Kane, Ronaldo, Mbappe and Kai Havertz. Meanwhile, other big sides have relied on forwards to lead the line who are not considered in the very top bracket at club level (Alvaro Morata, Cody Gapko, Romelu Lukaku, Breel Embolo, Niclas Füllkrug) with comparable or even greater success than their more illustrious counterparts.
As the semi-finals approach and the most successful teams have played five games, the joint top scorers (unless you count ‘own goals’ with 10) — Georges Mikautadze (Georgia), Jamal Musiala (Germany), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) and Ivan Schranz (Slovakia) — still all sit on three goals, which is another reminder of how caution has prevailed at the tournament.
So is the lesson from Euro 2024 that negativity in international football pays off?
Certainly, this issue is hardly unprecedented. The triumphant Greece team in 2004 were famously devoid of stars and inspired by a strong backline. The Portugal side that won Euro 2016 drew all three group-stage matches and scored only three goals in normal time during the four knockout stages.
So there is precedent for a team like the modern incarnations of France or England prevailing.
Yet the main exception to the rule at this tournament has been Spain and to a lesser extent their quarter-final victims and tournament hosts Germany.
The sense of freedom and adventure these two big sides have played with has been refreshing to watch and a stark contrast to the perpetual stodginess of France and England among others.
With the midfield of Rodri, Fabián Ruiz and Pedri (who unfortunately has been ruled out of the tournament after picking up an injury against the Germans), coupled with the pace and trickery of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal on the wings, La Roja have consistently been a joy to watch and a vast improvement on the technically proficient but cutting-edge-less Spanish sides that have exited the past three major tournaments on penalties.
Consequently, a triumph for Luis de la Fuente’s men would be a welcome win for the football purists and an argument against the prevailing notion that stark conservatism is now essential to win trophies at international level.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
euro 2024 Quarter finals talking point England France Netherlands Turkey